It’s been years since an NFL team has called Los Angeles home. Since the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams left in 1995, the city has been yearning for a team to fill the void left in local NFL fans’ hearts.
There have been many attempts to bring football back to Los Angeles, but a major holdup has been the question of where would they play. Well, the company Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has a proposal that may just be the answer we’ve long awaited.
AEG has plans to build a state-of-the-art football stadium right in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The stadium, called Farmer’s Field, would be part of a $1.2 billion financing plan and would be located across from the Staples Center. Other plans in the proposal include adding a new hall to the Convention Center and building new parking structures.
While many citizens back the idea of having a team in Los Angeles, there are still some who need convincing. It’s understandable why many would worry about spending $1.2 billion on a stadium given the current state of the economy. However, AEG is promising to cover the bill, as no public money will be used to build the stadium.
While $195 million in bonds backed by the city’s general fund will be issued to build the parking structures and the new hall of the Convention Center, those structures will be city owned and paid back for through the rent and taxes AEG will have to pay to use them.
AEG also promises to pay for any shortfalls in the bonds due to miscalculated revenues from the taxes and fees.
Another reason why Los Angles needs an NFL team is the fact that it will stimulate the local economy. The manpower needed to build Farmer’s Field will open up a lot of job opportunities for those who remain unemployed. Also, once the field is completed in 2016, AEG will need people to run the stadium, creating even more jobs for the citizens in and around the Los Angeles area.
Football is also the biggest sport in the country. With so many fans in Los Angeles craving a home team, there will undoubtedly be enormous crowds once the gates of Farmer’s Field open. This will pump even more money into the local economy as well.
It seems that AEG’s proposal covers all angles of the process of bringing a team to Los Angeles. The proposal also makes a team sign a 30-year contract to stay in the stadium.
One little concern would be the traffic each game would bring to the city. Especially if the Lakers happen to be playing on a Sunday, it may mean fans will need to leave a little bit earlier to get to the game.
However, that’s a rather small price to pay for the many Los Angeles football fans that will be ecstatic over our newest addition.
Chosen Doerr is a senior journalism major and contributing writer for the Summer 49er.
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