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UCLA Football, LeBron James headline a big Los Angeles sports season

By Mike Regalado

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 21: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat celebrates with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy after the Heat won 121-106 against the Oklahoma City Thunderin Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on June 21, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JUNE 21: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat celebrates with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy after the Heat won 121-106 against the Oklahoma City Thunderin Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on June 21, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles will be the center of the sporting world this season as UCLA Football, LeBron James and the Lakers, the LA Kings, LA Rams and USC will collectively bring excitement back to the City of Angeles.

Success is a pendulum and it has swung back in the direction of Los Angeles… finally. With a tradition of winning across several local area sports, the City of Angels has once again been blessed with not just one, but numerous teams on the rise.

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A great many things have altered the shape of several teams in Los Angeles and in a few months we could see the beginning of a few dynasties.

Beginning last November, the UCLA Football team started things off as they finally put on their big boy pants and hired Chip Kelly, one of the best coaches in college football. Needless to say, all eyes are going to be on Kelly and the Bruins this fall.

PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Caleb Wilson
PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Caleb Wilson /

A few weeks after that, the USC football team captured the Pac-12 Conference for the first time since 2008 behind strong-armed Sam Darnold. Though USC loses several starters, including Darnold, they are still retain a lot of talent and will be one of the front-runners to win the PAc-12 South Division.

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A few weeks after that, the Los Angeles Rams returned to the NFL Playoffs with an appearance in the NFC Wildcard Game. Since the then, they have added to their talented roster by bringing in some interesting names like Sam Shields, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh.

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Speaking of offseason acquisitions, the Los Angeles Kings added some firepower as superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk will join Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick and the recently re-signed Drew Doughty as the Kings look to make another postseason run.

And just today, though you might have already heard, LeBron James has signed a four-year, $154 million-dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only does this increase LA’s chances of obtaining hardware, but it has once again made the Lakers one of the more attractive landing spots for high-profile free agents.

On top of that, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to get back to the postseason, the USC basketball team will reload with recruiting and UCLA basketball is an early favorite to win the Pac-12. We could even see the LA Sparks, LA Chargers and LAFC do some damage toward the end of their seasons.

The point is, Los Angeles is going to be on fire this fall, and not because of the heat and Santa Ana winds.

With change happening to several of these teams, the fire might not be in the form of victories (at least not yet), but it will be in the form of national intrigue, fan involvement and a heavy dose of bandwagonning.

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The center of the sporting world has shifted. Los Angeles is once again the new capital and it will be that way for a while. With all of these teams on the rise, it is going to be one of the most exciting times in Los Angeles. If you haven’t already, get your season tickets and/or cable subscriptions ready. The fun has just started and we all get to watch it from its genesis. Go LA!