Yesterday I gushed about a possible NFL stadium plan being assembled by Los Angeles sports business stalwarts Tim Leiweke and Casey Wasserman. That was before any on the record details emerged about what AEG president Leiweke and Wasserman actually were thinking about the project.
(AEG’s Leiweke has already remade downtown L.A.)
Now we know the plan.
Sam Farmer of the L.A. TIMES reports Saturday that Leiweke and Wasserman envision what could be a privately-financed $1 billion downtown Los Angeles retractable-roofed stadium that could house up to two NFL teams along with events like the Final Four, the NFL Draft and combine, political conventions and serve as the flagship venue for an American 2022 World Cup.
For most cities, that’d seem like an unrealistic undertaking. But based on the resources and political capital Leiweke and Wasserman already avail, I believe there’s a damn good chance it’ll happen.
Leiweke to Farmer of the L.A. TIMES:
“This is just thinking right now. It’s saying, ‘If we’re going to invest this kind of time and money anyway — even if it doesn’t cost taxpayers a dollar — shouldn’t we think about the other uses if we had a roof to cover it?’”
Wasserman, founder and chief executive of Wasserman Media Group, to Farmer:
“This is the final piece to the downtown puzzle. It’s the only chance for the city to benefit from the economic power of a stadium of this caliber.”
There’s clearly more at work here than just NFL football for AEG’s Leiweke and Wasserman. What we’re now seeing in Los Angeles is AEG completely remaking downtown L.A. - something that I can confirm that virtually all locals here embrace.
First AEG built Staples Center, then the Times Square-esque L.A. Live development and now the company is set to spearhead its biggest project of all. A project that could make Los Angeles the world’s premiere destination for large scale events of all kind.
So what has to happen for the project to get done? While some may think that an NFL team pre-committing to such a venue would be critical to the process, I’m not so sure.
There’s at least one, albeit much smaller precedent of AEG building and managing a large sports venue for a major market without an anchor tenant: Kansas City’s Sprint Center.
Though K.C.’s new arena is likely to get an NHL and/or NBA team eventually, the building has been a huge boon to once-dead downtown Kansas City. I’ve been there and seen it personally. The entire arena district has revitalized the city.
Obviously L.A.’s situation is much different, but even without the initial benefit of an NFL team, an L.A. domed stadium could be home to probably just as many football games each year. Wasserman is a UCLA grad and big supporter of the football program and don’t think for a minute he won’t try to get UCLA football games scheduled for the new stadium. (If not all of them.)
Though getting USC to give up a home game, at least as it continues to sell out the dilapidated Coliseum, will be nearly impossible, what if a preseason USC football game was proposed on the condition it was played in the downtown L.A. dome?
There’s also the possibility of a Pac-1o championship football game every year, NFL exhibitions, a Chargers home game, Lakers games and NHL Kings games. All things Leiweke and Wasserman I’m sure have already considered.
So I don’t think its an impossibility that a domed stadium in downtown L.A. could get done without an NFL team initially. And when it comes to the Chargers, you can bet that if an L.A. stadium is suddenly available, San Diego’s hand on a new stadium will be forced. (And other markets like San Francisco, Oakland, Minnesota, etc.)
Now, I don’t want to make it sound like there wouldn’t be any local opposition to this new Los Angeles stadium plan. Though Leiweke mentioned in his quote to Farmer that the building could be free to taxpayers, there at the very least would be infrastructure costs that would go along with the new facility that would have to be footed by the local populace.
But with the building planning to stage local revenue-generating, non-sports events like political conventions, stadium proponents would have a better case in asking for tax money.
With the current economy, acquiring taxpayer funds for a downtown Los Angeles stadium would be impossible. But this project, at the earliest, won’t be off the ground for a couple years. By then, perhaps the economy and L.A. financial situation will have at least stabilized. If it has, even just a little, I do think locals would consider springing for the facility.
Farmer also notes in his L.A. TIMES piece:
… the league is not going to entertain the possibility of a team relocating before the labor dispute is resolved. The current collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2011, and owners want players to participate in paying off the enormous cost of stadiums.
I doubt it was coincidence that Farmer brought that up, as I’m sure Leiweke and Wasserman (and current owners of NFL teams considering L.A.) will want to get the players to pitch in on a stadium project for Los Angeles.
One last wildcard to consider is a binary event that could take place with an NFL owner. Like what happened with Art Modell in Cleveland. Despite reasonable fan support of the Browns over the years, Modell’s personal finances were a shambles. That’s precisely why the Browns moved.
While I can promise you that Los Angeles interests most likely won’t provide the kind of extreme financial incentives offered by Baltimore to Modell, if an NFL owner and/or his franchise is suddenly facing dire financial straits, L.A. could be a possible out. Whether in a sale of the team to an AEG-led group or stadium revenue guarantees that would far outweigh what that owner currently enjoyed.
For those of you outside Los Angeles, it has to be tempting to roll your eyes at yet another L.A. NFL stadium proposal. But if you know the political dynamic here and the parties who are now involved, you would understand that this is our last, best chance to get NFL to Los Angeles in our lifetimes.
3:39 pm on April 17th, 2010
ok, when was the last time Los Angeles paid for a stadium or arena?
the rest of you sports towns are dopes….
3:53 pm on April 17th, 2010
Brooks, your being a little overzealous when thinking TWO nfl teams will be in the mix……give me a break!!!! They dont want market saturation.
3:54 pm on April 17th, 2010
Wasserman has been involved with trying to bring in a stadium before. This would likely not be the final chance in our lifetimes for a stadium (e.g., Roski, et. al.). LA Live has been rather a bust from a civic standpoint. Much like Universal Citywalk, it stands separate and apart from the community, is ugly and was already architecturally dated upon being built, and has done little to nothing for development of downtown east of Figueroa or north or south of the convention center. Nor has it done anything for City West (West of the 110). Has it brought into LA Live itself convention dollars and night entertainment dollars. Yes, but those appear to have been primarily centered within LA Live itself with spillover, I believe, less than advertised. As for the citizens being willing to pony up out-of-pocket cash (rather than some small indirect benefits, e.g., road improvements in the area, etc.), with the city teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, I just don’t see it. If the NFL came to LA, people would be thrilled, but they are not about to pay the NFL to do so.
4:15 pm on April 17th, 2010
“…infrastructure costs that would go along with the new facility that would have to be footed by the local populace.”
End of story, not gonna happen. If stadiums make so much money for the business around them, they can foot the bill.
4:17 pm on April 17th, 2010
LA Live is surrounded largely by blight. Just the fact that it’s still in business is a minor miracle.
You have to start somewhere. Would you prefer empty parking lots?
4:18 pm on April 17th, 2010
Basehead,
Underestimating Leiweke’s political clout.
If the $1B stadium cost is privately-financed, it’s a given that public funds will be made available for road upgrades.
4:57 pm on April 17th, 2010
This is the only plan that guarantees success for the NFL in Los Angeles, imo. Roski’s stadium is a joke. Might as well stick the team in Anaheim again. Who want to make the drive out there? Nobody.
I will say this though about public money… that’ll be a hard sell in Los Angeles. The state of California has never been a place where public money has funded stadium projects. And just take a look around the state… the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Sacramento Kings all have big stadium issues and looking at relocation.
That being said, I hope Leiweke and Wasserman can pull this off.
5:56 pm on April 17th, 2010
Roski stadium a joke? A City of Industry stadium would be an enormous success. The NFL is insanely popular in the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley, Inland Empire and North Orange County, all of which are within an easy drive of the planned Roski location. Would it be inconvenient for those in Brentwood, Santa Monica, West San Fernando Valley - sure - but that does not mean it wouldn’t be tremendously successful on its own terms.
LA Live surrounded by blight. Sort of, but not really. Blight to the West (across the 110), but downtown offices directly north (after about a block or two), lofts/apartments to the east (after a block of parking lots), and the rapidly improving Figueroa corridor to the south - improving mainly due to USC investments in the area rather than the effect of LA Live.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to see a new stadium built south of downtown (though the Coliseum site makes more sense to me; if people would finally agree to bulldoze it), and the old portion of the Convention Center is ripe for demolishment - plus an NFL team in LA would be a great successs. But it’s a very difficult environment right now politically in the City. Brooks is right that that provides some opportunity (and he’s definitely right that enhancements would come easily to a privately financed stadium, e.g., roads, streetlights, some tax relief, bond assistance, etc.), but that environment also provides some difficulties as well. Politicians will be very wary of providing incentives and focusing on stadium development, when budgets are being slashed, layoffs occurring, pensions being gutted, etc. No politician wants to be accused of focusing on luxuries, while Rome is burning.
6:35 pm on April 17th, 2010
If you want a team to be the LOS ANGELES STALLIONS, then the team needs to be in downtown Los Angeles. What Roski is proposing is the San Gabriel/Inland Empire Stallions, a team that a majority of THIS city will not get behind, imo.
The Rams lost a lot of cache and had a drop in popularity when they moved to Anaheim. I know very few people who made the drive to Anaheim for games, and very few people cared when they left. So if the NFL wants to come back to Los Angeles, then the stadium and the team need to play in LA. End of story.
7:52 pm on April 17th, 2010
when is the last time USC played a “preseason” game? Never.
9:13 pm on April 17th, 2010
Brooks,
I know you have family here in KC and Sprint Center has helped downtown KC, but I wouldn’t call it a huge boon.
Cordish operates the Power & Light District and I think they would have some pretty solid numbers that “huge boon” is a exaggeration.
Sprint Center is doing fine because AEG runs it, but without those 41 dates of an anchor tenant, P&L is dead five nights per week.
And, I completely disagree. KC won’t get an NHL or NBA team anytime soon.
11:35 pm on April 17th, 2010
L.A. stadium proposals happen as frequently as Larry King marriages. And like Larry King marriages, when one actually sticks, then write an article about it.
11:06 am on April 18th, 2010
This passes the smell test for me. As long as the current political leadership stays in place for the immediate future this could be a boon for LA. Wasserman, Liewike and AEG definately have the juice to make this happen. And as far as the Coliseum and USC are concerned—They’re not. From Sam Farmer of the LA Times:
Times have changed, though. The Coliseum has a long-term deal with USC, and the commission is no longer pursuing pro football.
“We’re married to USC,” Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch said. “They have a seat at the table if we ever talk NFL, so we’re not talking about the NFL. I haven’t been approached by the NFL.
“We’re not active, so therefore the door’s open for these other sites.”
So the timing is right. This is Plan A. Chavez Ravine is Plan B, and Industry……well good luck Industry. I think the good people of Walnut will get their strip mall after all.
3:54 pm on April 18th, 2010
jp1979,
I don’t think the Ravine is a realistic possibility. McCourt is a PR disaster now and Frank has no local juice. Jamie actually has considerably more.
If anything Frank wants to slap up condos in that area but the economy has killed that possibility for now. (And good luck getting anyone to live in that area without some other development.)
I’m honestly hoping the Dodgers can steal a World Series soon - perhaps that would be the impetus for Frank to sell the team at a profit and go away. Though both possibilities are very very remote. *sigh*
3:56 pm on April 18th, 2010
Also, as stated earlier, the only thing Roski’s plan represents is another bidder for an NFL LA Stadium to keep the AEG ppl honest in dealing with the prospective owners.
Once Roski figures that out, he’s done.
Don’t be surprised that if some point, to save face, Roski joins the downtown LA bid.
5:53 pm on April 18th, 2010
Brooks, road upgrades are one thing (wouldn’t public transit upgrades make more sense?), but taxes to upgrade a stadium built by billionaires with millionaire athletes playing in it never flew in Cali, let alone in this financial climate.
And though I don’t live in LA, I don’t underestimate Leiweke. His brother is partners with Paul Allen here in Seattle and after the Mora firing and Carroll hiring I heard and read up a fair amount on both of them. Lots of influence, 5-15 years ago this gets done, today, I don’t know.
11:04 am on April 19th, 2010
Dean Wermer, You are soooo wrong nobody wants a stadium in the west end of the San Gabriel valley. And aside from a good number of the so-called NFL fans who sport Raider emblems on everything from tats to gang inspired car window dressing, most couldn’t tell you who Jim Plunkett was. Fan? maybe of a lot of things , but not the NFL. LA is a Laker town. The LA NFL franchise will never get out of the hole and would be BK inside of 4 years.
6:05 pm on April 19th, 2010
I HATE LA….!!!
4:48 pm on April 20th, 2010
As “The Last LA NFL Fan” I must 1st applaud EVERYone for being right, even Mr. Scott! Hence, Mr. Roski would do himself & his community well to partner with Messrs Leiwicke & Wasserman in a downtown stadium project. LA NFL, whichEVER team gets here 1st, CAN be BIGGER than the Lakers PLUS the Dodgers in terms of community affinity. After all, It’s NFL Football, Gang! C’Mon, get excited, I KNOW it’s SO UN-LA but HEY!
7:18 pm on April 20th, 2010
L A can”t make payroll, they are in worst shape than SD. Do you have any idea how much it would cost the city, oh yea we have the Obama plan just print it baby, spend the money buying all the out dated silver& black crap in the getto and having a carne asada BBQ.
10:37 am on April 22nd, 2010
LA has a history with the NFL and it was not good. They could not keep the Chargers, Rams and Raiders and so I am not sure wanting to host 2 teams makes any sense.
LA is a big market but (other than USC) is not a football town.
4:44 pm on April 22nd, 2010
Can somebody please explain to me why LA needs a domed or retractable roof stadium? Even in Seattle, where the rains arrive pretty much on line with the start of the regular season, the football stadium here doesn’t have a retractable roof (although the baseball park next door does). We had a domed stadium, but tore it down.
The general consensus is that the weather is part of the game, for both the players and the fans alike.
11:58 am on April 30th, 2010
The dome will allow them to host Final Fours, etc. It makes the stadium useful for a lot more than 10-15 football dates a year. Not that I think it will ever happen in L.A.
9:42 pm on May 11th, 2010
Ok, having a stadium in DTLA will bring much needed centralization of the city and will take advantage of public transportation much more than the proposed Industry site will ever.
And for all of you saying that LA is not a football town, you guys have no ambition and no leadership. THE WHOLE country is into the NFL, why would LA be different? And hell, the way business works (a successful one at least) - if there is no need or want for your product - then sell them the need first. The NFL will thrive in a big city like LA.
8:41 am on September 30th, 2010
“And, I completely disagree. KC won’t get an NHL or NBA team anytime soon.”
PucKChaser, you’re the biggest pile of garbage that Kansas City has ever seen!
All you ever talk about is how Kansas City is never gonna get a hockey/basketball team! In fact you’re so negative about Kansas City’s chances of getting a hockey/basketball team that I wonder if you actually want Kansas City to get a hockey/basketball team?
The key is to be PATIENT, SELF CONFIDENT and NOT TO GIVE UP no matter how hard it is for Kansas City to get a hockey/basketball team! If you do all those things then Kansas City will be greatly rewarded someday!
Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kansas City at least gets a hockey team soon as I can’t see these hockey teams surviving in their current locations within the next 5-10 years:
Phoenix Coyotes
Atlanta Thrashers
Florida Panthers
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning
As for basketball, the NBA is a lot harder to acquire but I could see Sacramento, Memphis and maybe Milwaukee being up for grabs in the near future.
Screw you Puckchaser and your negativity! Puckchaser you’re a complete disgrace to Kansas City! Either stay optimistic about Kansas City getting a hockey/basketball team (no matter how hard it is) or get the heck out of Kansas City and take your “Kansas City will never get a hockey/basketball team” attitude with you! Your sorry butt won’t be missed!
As for the rest of you who are still optimistic, keep it up and very soon you will be greatly rewarded!
5:47 pm on February 13th, 2011
@Jason
Actually Jason your wrong, KC is actually the top candidate to get a NBA team. Rumor has it the NBA is considering moving the Hornets to KC or start a team from scratch. New Orleans market has taken a huge hit. I am not from there nor ever been. Just an insider.
5:51 pm on February 13th, 2011
@Jason
Sorry Jason, it was meant for PucKChaser
5:52 pm on February 13th, 2011
@PucKChaser
Actually PucKChaser your wrong, KC is actually the top candidate to get a NBA team. Rumor has it the NBA is considering moving the Hornets to KC or start a team from scratch. New Orleans market has taken a huge hit. I am not from there nor ever been. Just an insider.