Politicians know exactly what to say, when to say it and how to say it. Engulfed in an economic downturn that has put itself in charge as head decision maker for education, health care and even religion, those who are really in charge are scrambling for ways to beat the downward spiral. The next victim will be the National Football League.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger publicized his support for billionaire — even in these times — Ed Roski to start the construction of a new football stadium in Los Angeles. By signing the bill and closing the deal to further construction, Scwharzegger opened up a plethora of unanswered questions and concerns.
First of all, which NFL team will be leaving its hometown and relocating to the City of Industry? Out of the three football teams already representing California, the chances of the franchises moving seem slim to none.
By positioning a new team in Los Angeles County — where the rate of crime, violence and gang activity is already high — a potential stadium could increase the peril. The list of possible franchises moving to L.A. has been narrowed down to seven. With construction in the beginning process, the final candidate should have already been selected. Otherwise, the decision for a stadium appears merely as a hasty attempt to generate money into California’s economy.
The stadium was initially proposed in 2004, but has not made significant progress until now. The developer, Majestic Realty Company calls it the “greenest” stadium in the U.S., but the bill Schwarzenegger signed exempts them from certain environmental restrictions, as well as any review.
Many other businesses are desperately trying to stick their feet in the door to make money, but in this case, it seems Majestic kicked down the door instead.
I’ll give Schwarzenegger credit for using his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin in realizing an easy way to bring in profit and employment to L.A.
Billionaires like Roski, got to where they are in life by doing what they know best — maximizing their abilities to enhance their collection of money. Majestic Realty Company claims it will not use public funds to build the stadium, but where will the money come from? Even though the rest of the country is going through tough times, it doesn’t mean the upper class is going to stop business as usual. I mean isn’t that how they reached success in the first place?
L.A. County’s enterprise consists of many successful teams, such as the Dodgers, Lakers, Galaxy and Kings.
It would not be a surprise to see a new team flourish, but the means that brought the support of a new stadium seems ridiculous. I guess the last thing left to say is “desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Kirsti Correa is a freshman journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
