Kroenke: Rams would stay here (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/730C75DCD32D2FBF8625770C001E63A1?OpenDocument#tp_newCommentAnchor)

If Stan Kroenke gains NFL approval in his quest to purchase the Rams, he vows to do everything he can to secure the team's long-term future in St. Louis.

In his first interview since announcing that he'd exercised an option to match businessman Shahid Khan's bid for the available 60 percent of the team, Kroenke broke his customary silence in an attempt to reassure Rams fans of his positive intentions.

"I'm going to attempt to do everything that I can to keep the Rams in St. Louis," Kroenke said in a phone interview Tuesday night. "Just as I did everything that I could to bring the team to St. Louis in 1995. I believe my actions speak for themselves." *

In the early 1990s, Kroenke became the lead investor in a St. Louis group that unsuccessfully pursued an NFL expansion franchise. But Kroenke later purchased 40 percent of the Rams from owner Georgia Frontiere as a precondition of the franchise's move from Los Angeles to St. Louis before the 1995 season.

"There's a track record," Kroenke said. "I've always stepped up for pro football in St. Louis. And I'm stepping up one more time."

Kroenke, citing confidentiality agreements, declined to discuss his plan to persuade the NFL to accommodate his bid for the Rams. Because of current league guidelines, Kroenke must work around NFL rules that prohibiting cross-ownership. He may have a problem in gaining clearance from the NFL because of his ownership of NBA and NHL franchises in Denver. The Post-Dispatch recently reported that one potential solution is to have Kroenke sell the Denver sports franchises to his wife, Ann.

Again citing confidentiality agreements, Kroenke declined to discuss his dealings with Khan, who had hoped to have Kroenke stay on board as a 40 percent partner. A report in the Sports Business Journal claimed that Kroenke had asked Khan for "a mid- to high eight-figure fee" in return for allowing Khan to proceed with his attempted purchase of 60 percent of the Rams.

Since Kroenke decided to match Khan's bid, Kroenke's motives have come under scrutiny. For starters, Kroenke didn't express a commitment to St. Louis in the statement he issued to announce his decision to match. Then came a report that Kroenke was a member of an NFL committee that supervises potential new-stadium projects in Los Angeles, which is seeking an NFL franchise. Then came the Sports Business Journal report, which caused more commotion in St. Louis.

Kroenke is bothered by the perception that he'd work against St. Louis, or that he'd scheme to move the Rams back to Los Angeles. He pointed to a life spent largely inside Missouri borders, and his base in Columbia, Mo.

"I'm born and raised in Missouri," Kroenke said. "I've been a Missourian for 60 years. People in our state know me. People know I can be trusted. People know I am an honorable guy."

Kroenke mentioned that his mother-in-law, who is 86, attends every Rams home game as an enthusiastic fan. And she is accompanied to the games by her sister, who lives in the St. Louis area. Kroenke didn't finish the obvious point, but I'll finish it for him: Why would anyone believe he'd want to move the Rams away from beloved family members?

The Rams' lease at the Edward Jones Dome is in question. Unless the facility ranks among the top 25 percent of NFL facilities — which is virtually impossible — the Rams' lease would be nullified after the 2014 season. And the team would be free to move unless a new agreement can be reached.

Kroenke said, "I'll do my damnedest," to secure the Rams' future in St. Louis.*

During our interview, Kroenke's passion was striking.

Kroenke doesn't speak out often — but in this instance, his words carried weight.

That said, Kroenke is a businessman. I don't use that as a pejorative term. I just don't believe Kroenke will be an easy touch in any stadium negotiations. The Rams need to improve their revenue flow at the facility to keep up with other NFL franchises. Kroenke may eventually drive a hard bargain. Still, it was encouraging to hear him speak so adamantly of his desire to find a way to make it work here.

Rams majority owner Chip Rosenbloom also ended his period of silence on the Rams' sale. In an interview Tuesday, Rosenbloom wouldn't discuss the sale process, but he emphasized that he likes Khan and Kroenke and considers them friends. And Rosenbloom believes that either man would be a good owner for St. Louis.

But Rosenbloom felt compelled to defend Kroenke on a personal level.

"There's no reason to believe that Stan would be anything less than committed to St. Louis," Rosenbloom said. "He was instrumental in securing the Rams franchise for St. Louis along with my mom (Frontiere) and (Rams adviser) John Shaw. Stan has been our partner since we came to St. Louis. He's been by our side for 15 years."

Pointing to Kroenke's roots, family and business interests in Missouri, Rosenbloom said he is puzzled by the backlash against Kroenke.

"All of it points to a good relationship with St. Louis," Rosenbloom said. "I don't know why anyone would believe otherwise."

Before the interview ended, Kroenke had one more item to address.

The Rams will have the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's first round of the NFL draft.

"I'm excited," Kroenke said. "I can't wait to see what we do."

Will the Rams draft Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford?

Kroenke offered no clues or hints on that. But he did convey support for the Rams' future in St. Louis, and at this stage that's even more important.

* = ;)
:lol:

When you are the owner of a team and you say you will stay where you are, you probably are going to stay. When you say you will try your hardest to stay, that means you are just about decided on moving unless someone local ponies up bigtime.

NFL commissioner again raises concerns with Industry stadium funding (http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_14921678#ixzz0lkzjvTWm)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell again noted that there are concerns with the funding for local billionaire Ed Roski Jr.'s proposed NFL stadium for Industry.
This isn't the first time Goodell has raised questions about the financing of the 75,000-seat, $800-million project in a down economy.

"While the stadium in the City of Industry has gotten many construction approvals, it still needs to be determined how to pay for it," he wrote in an online chat with fans on NFL.com today. "This is a big challenge particularly in this economic climate. It is one of the issues we are addressing in the context of our collective bargaining agreement."

In February, Goodell said the cost of stadiums are borne almost entirely by the team owners.

He suggested that with a new labor deal, in which players give up more of their revenue share, future stadiums could be built. A deal between the players' union and team owners has yet to be struck.

Goodell didn't make mention of any other Los Angeles stadium plans.

"We want to get back to LA," he wrote. "Hopefully it will happen soon."

^^ I suspect Goodell will fall in line with the downtown idea. :)


(yey)

I think Roski ought to take his 800 million and combine it with AEG's contribution.

They'llllll .... simply "will" it into existence with the L. A. City Council's collective Brain power! . I'm looking at this notion of replacing this God awful West Hall with a major, roof retractible multi-use Stadium and, if the Memorial Coliseum could fit snuggly into that space, and it can, then they can do no wrong in my opinion (shouldn't have said THAT!) The lost space can be rebuilt to the south east through eminent domain. The major deal with this deal is that the city already owns the land, like Roski already owns his. In my mind, this is a new ballgame but, I like this development so it's not gonna happen. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201055020PM-1.jpg Of course, the entrance to the West Hall should be left intact and integrated into the overall design. The interior stairway can lead to an "access ring" that circumnavigates the Stadium gateways. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201053832PM.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201061727PM.jpg

Kind of old news, but... for those of you wondering if the convention would have a replacement built while the stadium was being constructed, here's an excerpt from this article:

NFL Plans for Convention Center Site? (http://blogdowntown.com/2010/04/5277-nfl-plans-for-convention-center-site)

Given the energy City officials and Leiweke have put into reshaping Los Angeles as a Convention destination, any plan to tear down the West Hall would surely require that a replacement be built first and that there be no disruption to scheduled events.

This can also be seen as a convention center refurbishment and expansion...

^ Can't say I'd miss the West Hall.

If the new stadium would also be used as convention center space like is done at a few stadiums, it could offer the same amount of usable space as the West Hall currently does. Right now, the West Hall has 210,000 sq. ft. of convention space. For comparison, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which is also used for convention center space,, has 183,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms and 15,000 sq. ft. of pre-event space. In total, that's 211,000 sq. ft. of space.

Sorry for bumping this tread...

I can't tell you guys how badly I want the Rams back in LA. The St. Louis Rams are a team in the WEST? That's a sick joke. Why can't the Jaguars just move to St. Louis? They'd be in the AFC South with Indianapolis and Tennessee. Doesn't that make much more sense? And I really don't follow the NFL, but can anyone tell me if the St. Louis Jaguars would benefit from being in the AFC South? Is that a weaker division than the NFC West?

Santa Clara County voters approved Measure J, which allows construction to begin on the new 49ers stadium once there's enough funding. So, it looks like the 49ers are staying in the Bay Area (thank God). The Chargers are looking to build a new stadium in DTSD. I don't think they want to relocate.

I'm telling you guys, Rams to LA and Jags to St. Louis makes every bit of sense! The franchises are just swapping places! Everybody pray that this eventually happens!

well, I wouldn't mind the Rams, but it seems to have a lot more complexity involved, since two franchises end up moving. I'm also not sure that the Jags would have much market improvement in St. Louis, which is presumably somewhat attached to the Rams by now.

SF is probably going to Santa Clara, given the vote in favor. Santa Clara is going forward with land clearance and improvements, setting up parking arranagements, etc. But the Raiders have been making a "nice offensive" lately with Al Davis talking about their natural connection to LA and that he never wanted to leave but was forced out, etc. I think LA is their first choice and sharing in Santa Clara is the 2nd choice.

The Los Angeles Jaguars in the AFC South? That's a joke.

Seriously, give us back the Rams and Raiders! Both clubs are in the bottom rung in terms of attendance!

Comment from Westsidelife, one page back: "Sorry for bumping this tread...

I can't tell you guys how badly I want the Rams back in LA. The St. Louis Rams are a team in the WEST? That's a sick joke. Why can't the Jaguars just move to St. Louis? They'd be in the AFC South with Indianapolis and Tennessee. Doesn't that make much more sense? And I really don't follow the NFL, but can anyone tell me if the St. Louis Jaguars would benefit from being in the AFC South? Is that a weaker division than the NFC West?"


^^ Lately - the AFC South has been tougher than the NFC West, from my perspective. The Indianapolis Colts have consistently been one of the top teams in the league for the past decade. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have been pretty good most of the time too. Houston had been pulling up the bottom of the division - but lately they have also been pretty good.

The St. Louis Rams in the NFC West have been pretty bad the last few years, San Francisco and Seattle have been mediocre lately - although San Francisco seems to be improving. The Arizona Cardinals have had good seasons lately. Although not outstanding during the regular season, they haven't had much trouble getting into the playoffs - and once there, they've done pretty well. Two years ago they made it to the Super Bowl - and they did pretty well in the post season last year as well.

Kroenke: Rams would stay here (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/730C75DCD32D2FBF8625770C001E63A1?OpenDocument#tp_newCommentAnchor)



* = ;)
:lol:

I think LA is probably going to get the Jaguars, which shouldn't be bad. As far as them being in the AFC South...technically LA is in the Southern part (geographic wise) of the US. And if Dallas can be in the NFC East, then LA can be in the AFC South. It would make more sense to move St. Louis' team to the AFC South, and have the Jags replace them in the NFC West. Rivalries might start getting in the way, though.

The serious sports threads assume that the Jags would move to the NFC West. Some also provide for more complex rationalizations if the Vikes or Bills move. If the Raiders also move there would be two AFC teams, which would presumably need to be remedied. But none of this is difficult; teams have changed divisions before and of course, Pittsburgh, Baltimore (now Indianapolis) and others were moved to the AFC at the merger.

The Jaguars are a "new" franchise. That's gross. I want the history of the Rams back.

And I don't think Kroenke was being serious when he said he would keep the Rams in St. Louis. What else was he going to say? Certainly not "If I get the remaining 60% stake, I'm going to move the Rams back to Los Angeles!" Think of how much revenue would've been lost. At the end of the day, money always talks. Moving the Rams back to LA = $$$.

The Jaguars are a "new" franchise. That's gross. I want the history of the Rams back.

And I don't think Kroenke was being serious when he said he would keep the Rams in St. Louis. What else was he going to say? Certainly not "If I get the remaining 60% stake, I'm going to move the Rams back to Los Angeles!" Think of how much revenue would've been lost. At the end of the day, money always talks. Moving the Rams back to LA = $$$.

Start your own history (again) then LA. And the Jags have been around since 96 I think. That's not that new.

Start your own history (again) then LA. And the Jags have been around since 96 I think. That's not that new.

The history of the LA Rams dates back to 1946. During the 48 years they were in LA, they had 21 playoff appearances. That's pretty significant. If we get a franchise other than the Rams or Raiders, we have to start from scratch again.

I don't want the shitty Jaguars.

Guys, think about. Stan Kroenke is a member of the Los Angeles Stadium Working Group. He's now looking to gain 100% ownership of the Rams, a team that once called LA home for 48 years. Can you guys not put the pieces of the puzzle together?

I think the prospect of the Raiders moving to Santa Clara only makes it likelier that they'll eventually move back to LA. Moving to Santa Clara would make Raiders games even more inaccessible to what is already a relatively small fan base. I mean, why be a Raiders fan when you can root for the 49ers? I'm guessing only the gritty parts of the East Bay are Raiders territory. The rest of the Bay Area identifies much more with San Francisco both culturally and socioeconomically.

Guys, think about. Stan Kroenke is a member of the Los Angeles Stadium Working Group. He's now looking to gain 100% ownership of the Rams, a team that once called LA home for 48 years. Can you guys not put the pieces of the puzzle together?

Agreed. All this stuff about Weaver not selling and Kroenke not moving the team....there's not much else they can say at this point.

Honestly don't see the Raiders coming back, their situation is not nearly as dire as it is for the Vikes, Jags, and Rams.

I admit that Kroenke could very well be thinking through options.

But if the Raiders go to SC, it's likely at least a 15 year commitment, with tough penalties. SC and the 49ers will negotiate from strength. More likely, Al Davis won't want to be a tenant with the 49ers, so he may try to get involved in the funding and be a part-owner. Whether that sells with SF I don't know.

And the Jaguars are just so obvious I can't believe they haven't already decided to leave and are just waiting to squeeze a bit more season ticket sales before announcing. Unless Roski is just asking for too much.

The history of the LA Rams dates back to 1946. During the 48 years they were in LA, they had 21 playoff appearances. That's pretty significant. If we get a franchise other than the Rams or Raiders, we have to start from scratch again.

I don't want the shitty Jaguars.

True, but they were most successful in St. Louis. And the Jaguars are a better team than the Rams...easily.

^ Shitty team or not, I just want the Rams back. They have history here.

True, but they were most successful in St. Louis. And the Jaguars are a better team than the Rams...easily.

^^ Is that a girl? Are you a girl?

^^ Is that a girl? Are you a girl?

Is that a girl? Yes. Am I a girl? No.

Him? He's a panda. You're a panda!

...I'm not a big, fat panda. I'm THE big fat panda.

Him? He's a panda. You're a panda!

...I'm not a big, fat panda. I'm THE big fat panda.


Why do I sense your 'Kung Fu' is very strong?

Seriously, give us back the Rams and Raiders! Both clubs are in the bottom rung in terms of attendance!

I don't mind the Rams, but let's leave the Raiders and their culture of violence back in Oak-Town.

Anyone see the the latest episode of Entourage? :lol: Interesting, to say the least.

Also if anyone is curious about whether a retractable roof stadium can fit on the site, here's the site comparison with the Colts new stadium and the downtown site.

Site comparison
http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/sitecomparison2.jpg

Original
http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/westhall2.jpghttp://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/lucasoil2.jpg

If the stadium looks bigger than the site, it's an optical illusion. It actually nestles in there quite nicely.

Yeah, I get more information on Entourage than I do anywhere else about this stadium stuff. The Coliseum can fit in there with some slight overhang and the Coliseum has a mammoth footprint!

Since the Coliseum is not happening this idea of a stadium downtown is a close runner up.

If you didn't catch it, Kroenke just bought the remaining stake in the Rams to obtain full control of the team and this is what he said just hours after the NFL's approval:

When asked Wednesday about keeping the team in St. Louis, Kroenke said, "We are going to work really hard. I know this is an interesting question. I have been around St. Louis and Missouri for a major portion of my life. We worked hard to bring the club to St. Louis and in the expansion process in 1993 where we weren’t successful, but we stayed in there and got an NFL team back into St. Louis. It is not our desire to lead the charge out of St. Louis. That is not why we are here. We are here to work hard and be very successful in St. Louis.

“The realistic part of that is that everybody knows we like to be competitive. Our teams we think are competitive. To be competitive, you have to have revenue. And so we are going to work really hard to have a model that produces revenue where we can be consistently competitive. Anybody can be competitive in the pro sports business every so often, but the real challenge is to be competitive every year. The guys from Denver can tell you, we have been in the playoffs between 70 to 80 percent of the time in Denver. That is the harder part."

Should the CVC elect not to abide by the arbitrator’s decision, the Rams would be free to move after the 2014 season. It would also be likely the team would seek to leave sooner (i.e. 2012), rather than be in a lame-duck situation for two seasons.

Does anyone besides me think discretion isn't one of Kroenke's stronger attributes? :lol: Looks like 2014 (or before) could be D-Day for St. Louis, whether the Vikes or Jags are already here or not...

If AEG is already talking about building a stadium downtown and we all know how powerful AEG is then it's not that much of stretch to believe that a team moving here has not already been talked about thoroughly between the NFL and AEG. AEG doesn't play to lose and if they have even just hinted at building a stadium downtown the process is much further along than what any of us really know about.

If AEG is already talking about building a stadium downtown and we all know how powerful AEG is then it's not that much of stretch to believe that a team moving here has not already been talked about thoroughly between the NFL and AEG. AEG doesn't play to lose and if they have even just hinted at building a stadium downtown the process is much further along than what any of us really know about.

exactly right. AEG gets shit done. btw, the rams and raiders are the two lowest valued teams in the NFL right now. serves em right for leaving LA. If the Rams came back to LA, they would immediately jump to the top 10 or 5 in a matter of a few years.

I still say that the Vikings will be the team to make the move. The 2013 season will mark the first season of the Los Angeles Vikings. As soon as anyone has a stadium ready to break ground in LA, a team will come along with it, whether it's AEG, Roski or someone else.

the name Vikings is better than the rams.. no offense to anyone elses opinion but in my opinion the rams sounds like something out of like Montana or like friken wyoming dont sound hardcore enough for LA .. Because LA is Big and Strong and Rams just dont fit in ..

Not a sports fan at all except during the playoff season but I just saw the Ice Cube documentary Straight Outta LA. For you Raiders fans this is essential viewing. For others the vintage shots of Los Angeles and the emerging hip hop scene is reason enough to sit through this doc. LA was truly the wild wild west!!
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The Vikings ? They are planning to relocate ? Don't they have a stadium proposed or on hold ?

I think L.A. would be rewarded an expansion team, if anything. Possibly Chicago too, they are seeking a 2nd team from what I read. Whispers "If you build it, it will come." ,_ what movie is that from ? ;)

The Vikings ? They are planning to relocate ? Don't they have a stadium proposed or on hold ?

I think L.A. would be rewarded an expansion team, if anything. Possibly Chicago too, they are seeking a 2nd team from what I read. Whispers "If you build it, it will come." ,_ what movie is that from ? ;)

There aren't going to be any more expansion teams. The divisions are perfectly aligned and the owners don't want to split the pie any more ways. I haven't heard a peep on Chicago seeking a second team or any other expansion news.

The Vikings don't have anything close to a stadium right now. They want one, the city and state say "too bad, we don't have the money." That's about it right now.

Sorry to pop out of nowhere and criticize thread management but shouldn't there be a different topic made, one specifically for any future NFL stadium proposal in LA?

I keep thinking there is some new lawsuit regarding Ed Roski whenever I see activity in this thread :dunno:

There won't be any new Stadium for downtown LA. AEG's proposal to demolish the LA Convention Center west hall for a stadium is simply just not doable. If there is any, you can start one right away. And, no new law suit. The City of Industry Stadium is just pending for a team and the financing of the stadium. As the economy is this bad, I don't believe any bank will finance the said mixed-use project at this moment for those retail and office buildings. And, these buildings are the reason why the City of Industry project is doable and Ed is able to pay for the stadium by himself without supports from taxpayers.

West Covina Chamber's guest speaker to discuss NFL stadium

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_15929287

The West Covina Chamber of Commerce is hosting its monthly breakfast meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Sept. 9 at the South Hills Country Club, 2655 S. Citrus St.

Guest speaker, Taylor Talt, project executive for Majestic Realty's proposed National Football League stadium in Industry, will discuss the project's development.

Cost is $15.

For more information or to register, call the Chamber Offices at 626-960-2417

There won't be any new Stadium for downtown LA. AEG's proposal to demolish the LA Convention Center west hall for a stadium is simply just not doable. If there is any, you can start one right away. And, no new law suit. The City of Industry Stadium is just pending for a team and the financing of the stadium. As the economy is this bad, I don't believe any bank will finance the said mixed-use project at this moment for those retail and office buildings. And, these buildings are the reason why the City of Industry project is doable and Ed is able to pay for the stadium by himself without supports from taxpayers.

why wouldnt the AEG proposal be doable? they are the same people that built Staples and LA Live. im willing to bet that they are more likely to build the stadium rather than Roski. The city is pulling in new conventions, the area is redeveloping, and whats better than a new stadium and new convention space?

why wouldnt the AEG proposal be doable? they are the same people that built Staples and LA Live. im willing to bet that they are more likely to build the stadium rather than Roski. The city is pulling in new conventions, the area is redeveloping, and whats better than a new stadium and new convention space?

There's also the fact that this stadium would be in LA so it's likely to get the backing of the city. If a team goes to Roski's stadium, LA gets nothing. If it goes downtown, they benefit. Yes, LA will get some benefits from Roski's stadium, but not near the tax money, business and other benefits of one inside the city.

why wouldnt the AEG proposal be doable? they are the same people that built Staples and LA Live. im willing to bet that they are more likely to build the stadium rather than Roski. The city is pulling in new conventions, the area is redeveloping, and whats better than a new stadium and new convention space?

Hopefully one of those two will complete this mission.

DailyBulletin: Roski remains committed to bringing an NFL team to Industry: ‘It will happen’
James Wagner, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 08/05/2010 08:46:15 PM PDT

INDUSTRY – Majestic Realty Co. CEO and Chairman Ed Roski Jr. said he remains committed to returning professional football to the region and building a state-of-the-art NFL stadium near the junction of the 60 and 57 freeways on the Diamond Bar line.

“It will happen,” said Roski, making his first public comments since the emergence of a competing stadium plan in downtown Los Angeles.

Roski admitted the NFL’s labor stalemate has slowed progress on his proposed $800million, 75,000-seat stadium, which is fully approved for construction.

“Our expectation was to be further along than we are right now,” Roski, 71, said in a wide-ranging interview. “Unfortunately for us, the labor contract right after the Super Bowl became a focus for the NFL. So it definitely has slowed the process down.”

Some experts have said the delay in signing a new labor deal with the players’ union, which could last until next year, has opened the door for rival stadium plans to emerge.

Tim Leiweke and prominent sports agent Casey Wasserman announced in April they hoped to build a $1billion NFL stadium in downtown L.A. behind Staples Center.

Leiweke is CEO and president of AEG, which operates Staples Center, home to the National Basketball Association’s Lakers and the National Hockey League’s Kings – both teams in which Roski is a part-owner. The NBA’s Clippers also play there.

The competing stadium move appears to have set up a battle between L.A. area heavyweights – Leiweke, a well-regarded sports executive who is credited with helping rejuvenate downtown Los Angeles, and Roski, who has a terrific reputation and who chairs the USC board of trustees.

“We’re still good friends,” Roski said of Leiweke. “I try to separate (football) with the other things.”

Roski said there isn’t a rift between him and Leiweke, who has long been interested in building a stadium downtown.

“I have a good relationship with Tim,” Roski said. “And I want to keep it that way.”

Roski declined to talk specifically about the downtown stadium concept, of which few details have been released.

“We are just focusing on our deal,” he said. “We think we have the location that services all of Southern California.”

Roski’s stadium is proposed for 600 acres of barren hills in Industry at the 57-60 junction, with freeway access for residents of San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties.

Roski also added he believes Majestic Realty has the “right” design, way to handle traffic and amenities to accommodate an NFL stadium.

Having competition isn’t new to Roski, who grew his father’s company into a commercial real estate power. In 2003, when Roski was working to bring an NFL team to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a similar venture in Carson was revealed.

“We had the same thing happen when we were doing it last time,” he said.

Roski’s team rushed last year to fight off two lawsuits against his stadium project, hoping to meet deadlines to try to land a team for the 2010 season. But he said that once the lawsuits brought by Walnut and a group of Walnut residents were cleared – thanks to a legislative fix that provided an exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act – they butted up against the NFL labor dispute.

If the project hadn’t been delayed a year by the lawsuits, Roski said, a team could have been playing in Southern California this year.

For the moment, he said there’s nothing anyone can do until the labor deal is cleared up.

“The timing is unfortunate for Southern California,” Roski said.

While Roski said there is no timetable for the purchase of a team and construction of the stadium, he said the 2010 season, which begins in September, won’t see a team in Los Angeles.

“Our target is yesterday,” Roski said.

The billionaire said his group continues to talk with owners who might be willing to sell at least part of their team and move it to Los Angeles, but he declined to discuss specifics.

However, he did address concerns NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has raised in the past about how Roski would pay for his stadium.


Read More: http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_15690142

Edit

I don't know what may happen in the future but the only thing I do know is:

AEG gets shit done!

I still say that the Vikings will be the team to make the move. The 2013 season will mark the first season of the Los Angeles Vikings. As soon as anyone has a stadium ready to break ground in LA, a team will come along with it, whether it's AEG, Roski or someone else.
Co-sign

the name Vikings is better than the rams.. no offense to anyone elses opinion but in my opinion the rams sounds like something out of like Montana or like friken wyoming dont sound hardcore enough for LA .. Because LA is Big and Strong and Rams just dont fit in ..
Los Angeles Vikings has a nice ring to it, and LA used to have the Raiders and since raiders and vikings are both pirates it fits. Not to mention the Vikings wear purple and gold just like the Lakers, so they'd be the perfect team to come to LA.

stack: on that theory we should be looking for the Bucs too!

What happened to J'ville? I thought they were practically a done deal a while ago?

stack: on that theory we should be looking for the Bucs too!

What happened to J'ville? I thought they were practically a done deal a while ago?

I never understood why people were booking the Jaguars as the team to move. They had huge issues selling tickets last year, but not since the NFL/AFL merger has a team moved for any reason other than stadium issues. I think the talk about the Jaguars moving cooled because during the offseason there isn't the constant reminder of their issues selling tickets with all those empty seats on TV and some sense begins to take over. Not that the Jaguars aren't a possibility, but I wouldn't call them the favorite by any stretch as others have.

As of now, it looks like the Jaguars will avoid a blackout in their home opener so that's one of eight avoided. How they play will have a lot to do with whether or not they can keep the stadium full.

As a Jaguars fan, I would LOVE to see them move to LA, but I just don't see them as the favorite or in the top two. I can't get over the Vikings stadium issues and their owner's ties to LA. That situation hasn't changed since the Industry Stadium was first floated and as was the case then, I don't see a reason to think the Vikings aren't the favorite.

After reading this thread it amazes me that a city as populated as Los Angeles has not been able to bring the NFL back to the city in all these years since the Rams & the Raiders departed. Every year we hear the discussions of a possible NFL team, but nothing ever materializes. We can still dream about the one day when we have our own team to cheer for.

Chargers expect blackout Sunday

Very unlikely enough tickets will be sold to broadcast game on local TV

SAN DIEGO ---- Chargers fans anxious to watch their team's home opener on television are likely in for a rude awakening Sunday afternoon.

The Chargers' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium will not be on local television unless the team can sell nearly 8,000 tickets by Thursday at 1:15 p.m., something it's extremely unlikely to do.

The NFL mandates that games not classified as sellouts 72 hours prior to kickoff cannot be televised in the home team's media market. In the Chargers' case, the blackout would extend to the Los Angeles and Palm Springs media markets, as well.

"It's disappointing that the team was 13-3 last season, has a promising season ahead and we're talking about a blackout for our home opener," Chargers Executive Vice President A.G. Spanos said Wednesday. "Those are the circumstances, and we believe the economy plays a huge role in that."

The Chargers have sold out their last 48 regular-season home games and haven't had a home game blacked out since Nov. 11, 2004, though the team needed to request an extension to sell out several games last year. But disposable income earmarked for entertainment is undoubtedly dwindling across San Diego County. The economy wasn't good last season, but a home schedule full of popular teams helped the team sell out every game.

This season the Chargers don't host many teams with wide-ranging appeal. The Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans don't have a national following or a fan base known for traveling to road games. Divisional rivalries in the weak AFC West have become so lopsided in the Chargers' favor in recent years that they don't hold much intrigue for casual fans looking to attend a good game.

That's why Sunday's expected blackout looks more like a sign of things to come than a one-time phenomenon.

"At this point I would only say that one game is truly safe, and that's against New England (on Oct. 24)," Spanos said, "Even that's not (officially a sellout)."

The Chargers claim they saw this coming and tried to prevent it.

"We did a lot going into this game," Spanos said. "We leaned on our media partners. We had ads on local radio and local television. We made a cable TV purchase. We were out there pushing this game, just as we pushed season tickets during the offseason."

Ticket sales still fell short. And unlike during the 2009 season, the Chargers are unlikely to receive a 24-hour extension from the NFL to sell their remaining tickets simply because they aren't close to doing so.

So in all likelihood, a blackout is coming. Only time will if it acts as the scare tactic the NFL designed it to be.

"The blackout policy has proven that it works," Spanos said. "Generally, it increases the (attendance at future games). It's in place to help teams sell tickets."

Even if ticket sales pick up, blackout threats are likely to be a constant for the Chargers this fall.

"You go forward with what you have," Chargers President Dean Spanos said last week in an interview with the North County Times. "... We haven't raised ticket prices in over three years. We have payment schedules to ease the burden on the potential season ticket holder. We're trying to make the game-day experience more fulfilling for the fans. We're sensitive to the economic conditions, and we know we'll have to ride this tough economic period out."

http://www.nctimes.com/sports/football/professional/nfl/chargers/article_3c6f9171-ed03-51d8-8dec-b1205dc6374d.html

I notice that the NFL considers LA and SD part of the same media market as far as the Chargers are concerned. Perhaps they should move their stadium from the southend of the SoCal megalopolis to a more central location in it, such as Industry or DT?

PASADENA - Councilman Victor Gordo, president of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee, will update the City Council at Monday's meeting on renovations planned for the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl Stadium Strategic Plan is a combination of a proposed master plan, including long-term physical improvements, and a financing plan for its implementation. Gordo will speak on the renovation project schedule.


Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_16104404#ixzz0zrEWR4VU

Video may be posted here after the meeting: http://cityofpasadena.net/CouncilAgendas/Video/

I notice that the NFL considers LA and SD part of the same media market as far as the Chargers are concerned. Perhaps they should move their stadium from the southend of the SoCal megalopolis to a more central location in it, such as Industry or DT?

Might this have something to do with geography and the fact that LA doesn't have its own NFL team?

Stupid, stupid idea. I don't want to share.

WSL: arguably, but that logic doesn't work. You would only black out an area that is supplying people to attend the game. Otherwise, you are losing eyeballs for the TV ads without a compensating benefit. And this is something the NFL would study very carefully.

Stan Kroenke is now the sole owner of the Rams. We're one step closer to welcoming the Rams back to Los Angeles!

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/article_32494bf2-b064-11df-970d-00127992bc8b.html

Looks like Kroenke made his money the really hard way: he married it.

I suppose that's a good sign since it simplfies ownership decisions and the Rams issues with their St. Louis stadium are well known.

The problem is the Rams will likely have to wait until 2015 to move. I'd be shocked if we didn't have a team by then so if the Rams do come back to LA, I think they would be the second team. I still think the Vikings will be the team, announcing their move in 2012, although a second team in 2015 would work well because that's probably when the new stadium is finished.

i FCKN HATE the Rams for LA... Sounds like a weak team... GO VIKINGS!

LA Vikings... hmmm, doesn't make sense. then again, neither does rams

Yeah but i mean if it was either that or the Rams then go VIKINGS!

i'm cool with either one. i'm an aries, so rams would be just as good for me

Updated: October 1, 2010, 12:25 AM ET

Tim Leiweke wants to bring NFL to L.A.

LOS ANGELES — The president and CEO of AEG, the company that owns LA Live and Staples Center, said he's still working on getting an NFL team to downtown Los Angeles.

Tim Leiweke spoke Thursday night at a fundraiser for a downtown Los Angeles street car project.

"If things were very fortunate, this particular project would open up right when the NFL returns to Los Angeles," Leiweke said.

Leiweke said he's committed to working with city officials and AEG's Philip Anschutz to make a downtown stadium a reality.

"God willing, if all of that works, we may see a vision one day when you can get on that street car and you can come to LA Live and you can go to an NFL game," he said.

Leiweke wouldn't elaborate on his comments.

Warehouse magnate Ed Roski has permission to build an NFL stadium in Industry, about 15 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles, but has yet to secure a team.

AEG, a subsidiary of the Denver-based Anschutz Co., has released few details about its stadium plans.


Looks like they are still working on it behind the scenes, so once the CBA negotiations are done, maybe they'll have something to announce.

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5635426

LOS ANGELES—The president and CEO of AEG, the company that owns LA Live and Staples Center, said Tuesday that he is exploring a deal for the company to manage the adjacent Los Angeles Convention Center as part of a plan to bring an NFL team to downtown.

Tim Leiweke said at a downtown business forum that he and City Councilwoman Jan Perry have discussed a plan to redevelop one of the convention center's halls into an exhibition space that could double as an enclosed NFL stadium.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_16320293?nclick_check=1

Leiweke said he and City Councilwoman Jan Perry have discussed a plan in which his firm would pay for part of the hall's construction in exchange for the management contract for the complex. A different NFL stadium complex has been proposed for the City of Industry.

Leiweke, who helped bring Staples Center and L.A. Live to the Figueroa Street corridor, said other events such as the World Cup and NCAA Final Four games could take place in the downtown stadium. He said it would help the entire downtown economy.

“Game, set, match," Leiweke said. "Everything else will come. Retail will come, transportation will come and people will move back down here.”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/downtown-development-los-angeles-.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_16320293?nclick_check=1



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/downtown-development-los-angeles-.html

I believe whoever puts a stadium project into major construction first will win. The NFL team will follow. I predict 2013 or 2014 at the earliest for an L.A. team, unless a deal is made earlier with a temporary stadium. (Only two or three exist).

a football stadium can't even fit on either of the convention center lots. the coliseum can't even fit there, so how's a pro football stadium/world cup stadium/convention center going to work?

a football stadium can't even fit on either of the convention center lots. the coliseum can't even fit there, so how's a pro football stadium/world cup stadium/convention center going to work?

actually, a stadium fits perfectly in the area right next to staples center. someone had posted an areal picture a few months ago and it showed how nicely it fits. Obviously AEG has done some research on the matter, and i dont think size is the issue.

i know they probably have done the research. i'd really like to see if they can present plans to the public yet, or if an idea just popped into their heads and are going to start exploring the possibilities

BuHMqQnv5BE

New Website
http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/

what are they waiting for, is it the NFL team to go there? They seem like everything else is ready.

I don't understand why you all want an NFL stadium in downtown. you 1. cause more traffic and congestion. 2. take up valuable space that may someday be used to expand our skyline.

Over half of the NFL stadiums are not even in downtown. Plus if you build it downtown, you are excluding a lot of IE and OC.

^^ 1.Take the bus, light rail, subway, or a taxi to avoid traffic in downtown. 2. There are sooo many vacant lots downtown.

I, for one, would love for it to be downtown. Easy access.

It's pretty damn far from everything IMO

The Rams and Raiders are currently dead last in home attendance -- 31st and 32nd, respectively. It is clear that they are not receiving the proper amount of support from the fanbases in their respective cities. It's time to move both of them back to LA.

BuHMqQnv5BE

New Website
http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/

eh

So now Magic Johnson has sold his Lakers and Starbucks interests and says he wants to bring football back to LA. Any idea who he is supposed to be teaming with? I assume he is either working with Roski or with the new DT group.

Raiders could be coming to LA but there is also talk of them going to Santa Clara with the 49ers. I wonder if moves between North and South California are politically possible if public money or help is involved. I'm not sure what Roski was told about in-state poaching when Industry got state rules relaxed so as to get his permits quicker, and I am going to guess that DT will be wanting some city or state waivers as well.

So now Magic Johnson has sold his Lakers and Starbucks interests and says he wants to bring football back to LA. Any idea who he is supposed to be teaming with? I assume he is either working with Roski or with the new DT group.

Raiders could be coming to LA but there is also talk of them going to Santa Clara with the 49ers. I wonder if moves between North and South California are politically possible if public money or help is involved. I'm not sure what Roski was told about in-state poaching when Industry got state rules relaxed so as to get his permits quicker, and I am going to guess that DT will be wanting some city or state waivers as well.

Magic was asked if he would be interested in a NFL team and he said of course, I'd love to bring a NFL team to LA, but he went on to say that he's not actively involved in discussions, hasn't spoken to the NFL or anything of the sort. The idea excites him, but that's about all. He's not working with any groups right now and while it would be fantastic if he were part of a group to get us a team in the future, it's premature to say he is or that he's working with anyone actively.

AP Exclusive: LA stadium developers seek World Cup
By JACOB ADELMAN (AP) – Oct 11, 2010

LOS ANGELES — Developers of a new NFL stadium on a hilly strip of land east of Los Angeles are sketching out plans for a second high-profile use for the venue: World Cup soccer.

Architects for Majestic Realty Co. said Monday they were tweaking the design of the stadium to incorporate field measurements and bleacher configurations based on guidelines from World Cup organizer FIFA, which wants a width of 68 meters (75 yards).

The news came amid possible competition from sports and entertainment powerhouse AEG, which is deciding whether to build a stadium in downtown Los Angeles to lure an NFL franchise.

Dan Meis, principal stadium architect for Majestic, said he can adjust his plans further to include additional guidelines FIFA may release ahead of the 2018 and 2022 games that are being sought by the United States.

"Because we're building a new stadium, we could incorporate anything FIFA could want," said Meis, who also designed Staples Center in Los Angeles, Manchester Evening News Arena and Japan's Saitama Super Arena.

Los Angeles is among the 18 U.S. cities proposed as sites if FIFA's executive committee votes on Dec. 2 to give the 2018 or 2022 tournament to the United States.

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, site of the 1994 final, is among the proposed venues, and U.S. bidders say there is plenty of time to consider new stadiums in they are built in Los Angeles or the San Francisco area.

Majestic's plan could improve the odds of the U.S. landing the games because the popularity of soccer in Southern California would make its stadiums major World Cup sites, said David Carter, a sports marketing professor at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.

"It certainly couldn't hurt based on the quality and the magnitude of the venues that are already in play, and to add to it an impressive Southern California venue, that would help," he said.

Carter, however, said the revamped plans wouldn't necessarily give Majestic, primarily a developer of industrial projects, an advantage over AEG, which also would likely design a downtown stadium with the World Cup in mind.

The USA Bid Committee for the World Cup includes AEG owner Philip Anschutz, who also owns the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team and co-founded Major League Soccer in the United States, and AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke.

Also on the committee is sports management mogul Casey Wasserman, who was named as a possible investor in AEG's plan.

Messages seeking comment from AEG, FIFA and the USA Bid Committee were not immediately returned.

John Semcken, Majestic vice president in charge of the stadium effort, stressed the project in the city of Industry, was approved and ready to go.

"It will have all the amenities necessary to create the ultimate fan experience for the NFL and soccer," he said in a statement, declining further comment.

Majestic has the necessary approvals to build its 75,000-seat stadium about 15 miles east of Los Angeles but has said it will not begin construction until it secures a team.

AEG officials have not released a formal proposal but have mentioned the possibility of an NFL stadium in public remarks.

The two companies collaborated in the late 1990s on the development of Staples Center.

Meis said Majestic chief Ed Roski tapped him several years ago to design the NFL stadium in Industry then asked him to optimize the design for use as a possible World Cup arena about eight months ago, when the U.S. bid was gaining momentum.

The architect said the primary change would involve a seating configuration that allows spectators to see more of the field than currently possible in NFL stadiums modified for international soccer matches.

Meis said Majestic's difficulty in securing an NFL team during a year when the league was preoccupied with labor negotiations was partly a blessing, since it gave him the chance to adjust his design.

"It's been a bit of a luxury," he said. "It gave us time to think about it."


Read More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hAgYAEoF-e5GqbWbSj0Z3Yfv23gwD9IPQ1D80?docId=D9IPQ1D80

But AEG would not have made its plan known if it didn't have full confidence in its ability to pull it off - financially, environmentally, politically and in a timely fashion. And with the deep pockets of AEG owner Philip Anschutz backing the project, money is not a problem.

Nor does it make sense for AEG to be involved unless there were clear signs the NFL is serious about turning its attention to L.A. once a new CBA is in place.

AEG is being extremely tight-lipped about its plans, and will proceed at the discretion of the league. But it is difficult to imagine someone as connected as Leiweke going this far without some indication the league supports AEG's involvement and plan.

From the NFL's perspective, failure in L.A. is not an option. It's imperative it makes things work, and a large part of that is building the right stadium on the right site.

"There is no doubt it's an exciting possibility," said an NFL executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

And then there is this: AEG's proposal gained a major endorsement recently when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly supported the project - specifically AEG's involvement and the downtown location.

That isn't to say Jones or the NFL would be against Roski's project in Industry. But, clearly, if the league had its choice, the downtown area, where the Coliseum once had the Rams and Raiders, would be the ideal site.

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_16418777

The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome runs out at the end of next season, and after years of battling local government to hammer out a plan for a new stadium, they desperately need local legislators to pass a stadium bill when they reconvene in January. Or else.

"We are concerned, no doubt about it," Vikings vice president Lester Bagley said. "This has been a long, hard battle."

"There will be a team, or teams, in that market eventually," Bagley said. "It's a tremendously viable market. Think about it for a second," Bagley said. "We're talking about the No.2 market in the country, and it doesn't have a team? That is hard to believe."

The Vikings' executive maintains Wilf's preference is to remain in Minnesota, and he's pleased recent signs point to local government finally getting serious about addressing the Vikings' needs.

A new governor will be elected in about two weeks, and all three candidates say keeping the Vikings in Minnesota will be a high priority.

That differs from outgoing Gov.Tim Pawlenty, who was loath to pledge any public money to the Vikings' stadium efforts.

"All three (candidates) say we need to get the stadium done, that it needs to happen in the next session and the state needs to be involved," Bagley said. "And that is something we've never had before."

"We're not really focused on it - our first priority is resolving things here - but we do keep informed on what is going on in the Los Angeles market through the league's NFL committee," Bagley said.

Within the league, there is sentiment the NFL will do everything in its power to make sure the Vikings get their new stadium and stay put.

"You aren't just talking about Minnesota supporting the Vikings, you are talking about the Dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska," said an NFL executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "That is too big a region for the league to just vacate."

The same executive felt Jacksonville and Buffalo were long shots - the Jaguars because the NFL might be opposed to one less team in Florida while adding one more in California, and the Bills because the league values a presence in that part of the country and into Canada.

"I think it's probably closer than you might think," said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a member of the league's Los Angeles Stadium Working Group committee. "There's a lot of very qualified people and energy being expended to get that team in the L.A.area."

Don't let the distance between Roski's plan and Leiweke's fool you. With the NFL focused on hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners, it pushes back any movement on L.A. at least another year. That buys AEG the necessary time to catch up to Roski.

"Nothing is going to happen until the CBA gets taken care of," said a prominent NFL executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Majestic and AEG carry the necessary clout to make good on their promises, although it would seem the NFL is more favorable to the downtown location and might eventually focus all its attention on that project. The good news is the NFL truly understands the importance of bringing a team to the nation's No.2 market.

That's one of the reasons commissioner Roger Goodell is urging the players and owners to set aside money in the new labor agreement to help offset the cost of building a new stadium. Presently, the cost of building a stadium is almost entirely on Roski or AEG. That could change if Goodell gets his wish in the new labor deal.

"That's exactly the kind of investment that if we work together between the Players' Association and the clubs, we can develop a relationship that will allow us to invest in those kinds of facilities," Goodell said at the Super Bowl. "It will generate new revenue. It will allow the game to grow, allow us to get back and engage millions of fans in Southern California, and that would be good for us, and that would be good for the players."

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_16419165

I still believe it will be the Vikings in LA and I think it's in AEG's downtown stadium. Even when Roski first made his stadium plans known, there was never a chance that the NFL would move a team here or move forward with anything of note in LA until the CBA was finalized so we're still in that same place, we just have a competing stadium now.

looks like downtown takes a big lead in the race....

AEG lays out plan to bring back football
VENUE: Staples Center and LA Live owner also would upgrade Convention Center.
By Gregory J. Wilcox greg.wilcox@dailynews.com 818-713-3743 Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2010 06:26:15 PM PDT
Updated: 10/28/2010 06:29:35 PM PDT

Staples Center owner AEG is working on plans to build a downtown "events center" and bring an NFL team to Los Angeles in deals that could be finalized by year's end, the company's chief executive said Thursday.

AEG is willing to invest $1 billion in a stadium complex and $300 million in a renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center, creating a complex that would crown Los Angeles the "event capital of the word," CEO and President Tim Leiweke said.

"We will create an economic juggernaut," Leiweke boasted during a lunchtime speech at the Valley Industry and Commerce Association's annual Business Forecast Conference.

Leiweke refused to divulge details, but laid out the basics of a plan he said could revive the Los Angeles economy by creating thousands of private-sector jobs. A key element of the project is luring a NFL team to Los Angeles for the first time since 1994.

Leiweke said he is in negotiations on various aspects of the plan, which he said could be finalized in 30 to 60 days.

The plan outlined Thursday puts AEG in competition with a proposal by billionaire Ed Roski's Majestic Realty to bring an National Football League team to a stadium that would be built in the City of Industry.

Leiweke told the crowd of 400 that AEG's project - he insisted it was an "events center" and not a "football stadium" - could be used for NFL games, as well as the Super Bowl, World Cup soccer and college basketball's Final Four
Advertisement
tournaments.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello could not be reached Thursday.

The league has previously said it is reluctant to expand but that one or two current franchises might want to relocate to Los Angeles.

"I think it's probably closer than you might think," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a member of the league's Los Angeles Stadium Working Group committee, told the Daily News this month. "There's a lot of very qualified people and energy being expended to get that team in the L.A. area."

But there is belief in some quarters that the NFL has used Los Angeles as bait to get other cities to help fund construction of new stadiums.

Leiweke dismissed that happening in this case, saying that AEG's billionaire owner Philip Anschutz knows all 32 of the league's owners and has their respect.

"The good thing about AEG is we don't get used," he said. "We won't let L.A. get used."

Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, who attended Leiweke's luncheon speech at the Warner Center Marriott, said he supports the company's development plan.

The entire city will benefit if it becomes a reality, he said.

"Everything they touch turns to gold. They have not developed projects that have failed," Zine said. "They are astute business people and they are not asking for a handout."

Leiweke said that his company operates worldwide and the only place now on solid economic footing is China. The rest of the world, including California, remains challenged.

"The economy today is like quicksand. The experts tell us we're not sinking anymore but we're still stuck up to our necks," he said.

Politicians in the coming months will face tough decisions on pension reform, welfare programs and immigration, he said.

There are some bright spots, though. For example, business at LA Live is 30 percent ahead of this time last year, Leiweke noted.

And AEG remains bullish on the region's future.

"There is no better place to do business than in Southern California. It's still the Golden State," he said.


http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16459525

I think im gonna change the name of this thread to LA Football Stadium proposals.

Football stadium? What football stadium? It's an "events center". Drive perceptions and you don't need a real game plan.

The typo on Leiweke's comment is too precious: LA will be "the event capital of the word".

Football stadium? What football stadium? It's an "events center". Drive perceptions and you don't need a real game plan.

The typo on Leiweke's comment is too precious: LA will be "the event capital of the word".


but it is an event center. when you are holding a 100 events a year and only 8 percent of it is football, i think that qualifies as an event center.

right on! Pass the Kool-aid.

I think we already have an events center, if I'm not mistaken? If AEG would like to improve it, without the football stadium, I would have no issues. Let's try not to confuse the two; that's just PR and politicking of the lowest sort.

Reminds me of the Iranians: It is not a nuclear processing plant; it's a recreation area for the people of Iran (with a tiny little processing plant in the middle).

right on! Pass the Kool-aid.

I think we already have an events center, if I'm not mistaken? If AEG would like to improve it, without the football stadium, I would have no issues. Let's try not to confuse the two; that's just PR and politicking of the lowest sort.

Reminds me of the Iranians: It is not a nuclear processing plant; it's a recreation area for the people of Iran (with a tiny little processing plant in the middle).


lets see here. the new stadium is going to be used for conventions. it has to be due to the limited size of the current convention center. how is this politicking? do you just argue for the sake of arguing?

Big dreams from downtown Los Angeles' big developers
-- Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times
October 12, 2010 | 6:31 pm

An exhibit hall that could be transformed into a football stadium and an electric street car that could whisk people up Broadway were some of the big ideas tossed around Tuesday by some of downtown Los Angeles’ most influential developers.

Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad and developers Jim Thomas, Tim Leiweke, Nelson Rising and Tom Gilmore shared their visions of for the next 10 years at a panel at the downtown Marriott, hosted by the Central City Assn.

They admitted that the recession -- which has already stalled some planned projects and left a lot of loft and office space empty -- might slow things down a bit. But they vowed to persevere.

Broad said he would open his new $300-million downtown art museum by December 2012 . Thomas, of Thomas Properties Group, promised to build a 60-story office building by 2015. And Leiweke, president of AEG, shared the details of his company's proposal to redevelop one of the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center into an exhibition space that could double as an NFL stadium.

Leiweke said he and City Councilwoman Jan Perry have discussed a plan in which his firm would pay for part of the hall's construction in exchange for the management contract for the complex. A different NFL stadium complex has been proposed for the City of Industry.

Leiweke, who helped bring Staples Center and L.A. Live to the Figueroa Street corridor, said other events such as the World Cup and NCAA Final Four games could take place in the downtown stadium. He said it would help the entire downtown economy.

“Game, set, match," Leiweke said. "Everything else will come. Retail will come, transportation will come and people will move back down here.”

The Central City Assn. is planning a legislative agenda to help push things forward downtown, said executive director Carol Schatz. The committee may petition the city to make it easier for restaurants to get permits to serve food outside and may advocate for a better transit system to help circulate pedestrians to neighborhoods within the area, she said.

Schatz said other things -- like lane changes on the 110 and 10 Freeways and the proposed "Subway to the Sea" -- might get the association's support because they would make it easier for people to get downtown.

Broad said increasing the number of cultural institutions also will be important. To that end, he said, next month will mark the groundbreaking of the first phase of the contemporary art museum that will house his personal collection. Broad said he knows his timeline for completing the Grand Avenue museum is ambitious.

“The architects think I’m crazy,” he said to laughter.

Broad and the others acknowledged that the future of downtown hinges on the nation’s overall economic climate.

The Grand Avenue Project's plans for a $3-billion, Frank Gehry-designed hotel, condo and shopping complex have been delayed indefinitely because developers have been unable to secure financing. Rising, chairman of Grand Avenue Committee Inc., said he believes the situation will improve with time.

“It’s not going to be heaven in 2011,” he said. “But I think it’ll be keen in 2013.”

-- Kate Linthicum



Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/downtown-development-los-angeles-.html

LASF: no I don't argue for the sake of arguing. And I'll prove it by dropping the discussion after this.

Combining it with a multi-use facility is obviously an improvement, but, again, if you are interested in conventions, just make a true convention center and scrap the football. Like NY, Boston, Dallas, SF, SJ, etc., did. Move the football out where there is parking and minimal traffic on weekends; tail-gating can happen, etc. (also put the convention center in an urban area but NOT in an area that has neighborhood potential, but that's an independent discussion).

Putting it DT is not the worst thing that ever happened, but also far from the best. Time to take a vote and see how the city voters stand on this; too bad it couldn't get on Tuesday's ballot.

LASF: no I don't argue for the sake of arguing. And I'll prove it by dropping the discussion after this.

Combining it with a multi-use facility is obviously an improvement, but, again, if you are interested in conventions, just make a true convention center and scrap the football. Like NY, Boston, Dallas, SF, SJ, etc., did. Move the football out where there is parking and minimal traffic on weekends; tail-gating can happen, etc. (also put the convention center in an urban area but NOT in an area that has neighborhood potential, but that's an independent discussion).

Putting it DT is not the worst thing that ever happened, but also far from the best. Time to take a vote and see how the city voters stand on this; too bad it couldn't get on Tuesday's ballot.

"pest" I think you're very learntetid but you're not being smart about this. As in our previous discussion LA needs to come up with some new tricks as all cities need to from time to time. But this is the time for LA to shit or walk. Following the lead of those other cities by putting the stadium way way out is a mistake. There really is nothing like being in an open air stadium in the city, and downtown is even better. As "slipdog" said it may encourage folks to use pt more often to get to games knowing how congested the streets will be before and after. I see those King fans on the Blue Line and Lakers fans on the Red all the time. And when the Laker Parade happened......poor poor little Blue Line. I only see this as a win-win for DTLA.

Major update with details!! 78,000 seats, retractable roof. They want three superbowls in a decade, first being 2016. about 50 events a year, 10 football. NCAA final fours, world cup finals....Fully privately financed...

Leiweke Hopes to Bring 2016 Super Bowl to Downtown

Anschutz Entertainment Group President and CEO Tim Leiweke hopes to build a $1 billion football and events stadium in South Park. He envisions hosting NCAA Final Four tournaments and soccer’s World Cup final in the building. Photo by Gary Leonard.
*
Game Would Take Place in $1 Billion, Privately Funded Stadium and Convention Complex
by Jon Regardie, Executive Editor
Published: Thursday, November 4, 2010 4:35 PM PDT
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Tim Leiweke, the powerful and politically connected president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, this afternoon laid out a vision that would bring the 2016 Super Bowl to Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the 2022 World Cup final. The plan, which faces numerous hurdles, would also redefine Los Angeles’ role in the events and convention industry.

Speaking to about 60 people at a Biltmore Hotel luncheon hosted by the organization Town Hall Los Angeles, Leiweke described the political and construction process needed for a $1 billion, 78,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof. If it comes to fruition, the building could host about 50 events a year, including, Leiweke hopes, NCAA Final Four tournaments.

Leiweke described a venture that would include razing the West Hall of the current Convention Center and re-creating Los Angeles’ convention hub, essentially doubling its space to about 1.4 million square feet. Convention activities could also be held in the proposed stadium, with a floor placed over the playing field. That would lead to new conventions for Los Angeles and, by extension, the creation of about 25,000 jobs, many of them in new hotels.

Leiweke said AEG plans to announce a new hotel venture in the first quarter of 2011, though he would not provide details except to say that it will be next to L.A. Live.

“It’s a good one, that’s all I’m going to say,” he commented.

The stadium itself, he said, would be privately financed, and only about 10 of the 50 annual events would be football games. He also promised that AEG would back the $300 million worth of bonds the city would need to issue to fund the Convention Center expansion.

“There will be no risk to the taxpayers,” he said, as well as no hit on the general fund. He sought to reiterate the point, saying the financing plan would have “no curtains, no wizards behind the wall.”

About seven years ago, Leiweke partnered with Casey Wasserman and Ron Burkle on an effort to build a football stadium in South Park. That never came together, and in recent years, Ed Roski, who was AEG founder Phil Anschutz’s partner in developing Staples Center, has been pursuing building his own privately financed NFL stadium in the City of Industry. Leiweke referenced Roski’s initiative, but said he has been in communication with NFL brass and thinks the league would prefer the Downtown alternative by virtue of its location and its ability to host associated events.

Construction in 2013


Many NFL observers in Los Angeles have pointed out that the league’s current primary focus is not getting a team to the nation’s second-largest media market, but rather on dealing with a labor dispute that could lead to a lockout or strike before the start of the 2011 season. Leiweke acknowledged that, but sought to use to it his advantage, saying that AEG could now begin pursuing the entitlements necessary to get the stadium built.

Leiweke said he hopes to be ready to have initial city support — he said meetings have already begun with the chief legislative analyst — and agreements from state lawmakers on a stadium’s environmental necessities within 60 days. In his timeframe, entitlements would begin in January 2011 and take a year.

“We’ll have a stadium that’s ready to push dirt” by the time the NFL labor deal is completed, he said.

With entitlements secured, construction on a new West Hall of the Convention Center would begin in January 2012 and take a year, Leiweke said. In early 2013, they would raze the current West Hall and begin building a stadium packed with luxury suites and club seats.

Construction would take about 30 months, he said, allowing a team to begin playing in Downtown at the start of the 2015 season. He specified that he does not have a franchise in mind, saying that is something for the league to determine.

He also said that during the construction, he would meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 team owners in hopes of persuading them to award the 2016 Super Bowl — the 50th installment of the NFL championship — to the Los Angeles stadium. He hopes to have three Super Bowls in a decade.

Other pieces of the puzzle, he said, would include hosting the World Cup finals in 2022 — assuming the United States wins the bid for the soccer tournament. He also envisions the Downtown stadium being a site for college basketball’s Final Four tournament, and said initial talks have been held with the NCAA.

“But we’d have to bid on it,” he said in an interview after the address. “They’re aware of what we’re doing. They’re excited about what we’re doing. They can’t do Final Fours on the West Coast anymore because the last place they could do it was in Seattle and that building is gone. They’re dying to have a place on the West Coast, and I hope we give it to them.”

Contact Jon Regardie at downtownnews.com.

Also, AEG will be announcing a new hotel in early 2011! i think this will drive lots of hotel construction in south park and the financial core. besides Wilshire Grand and the new AEG hotel, i think we will see numerous others come to fruition shortly. I think LA central just became a huge huge project that needs to be done correctly and quickly.

south park definately needs more retail/restaurant and activities that can last 24/7. the stadium brings some activity (at least it's a destination) but more of the little things need to surround it or be built into it. LA Live brought some, but there's an entire block that has nothing but hotel lobby facing it. and the theatre is blank too except for the entrance on the corner.

it would be great if the new hotel proposal came along with more activities at street level. a hangout place would be terrific (like an arcade or mini golf or indoor water park/public pool).

if the stadium could provide space for businesses (hole-in-the-wall or corporate/commercial), the neighborhood will see a lot more much-needed pedestrian activity. even dodger stadium has carls jr and panda express inside along with the dodger dog concessions.

Is the stadium expandable to 80,000? It needs to be to host the World Cup Final, which I think we have a shot at.

oh i think they would take that into consideration. im sure AEG has already had talks with FIFA lol

Well it's not FIFA they have to deal with. FIFA already has their guidelines so there's no negotiating or anything of the sort there. The question is how they're working with the bid committee to position the stadium in the bid. It takes 80,000 to host the Final, but only 60,000 to host the opener and semifinals. I think AEG could pull off getting the Final, but it's a bit of an uphill battle and whether they're even going to both trying to make it expandable to 80,000 under FIFA rules will let us know if they're going to make a run at the Final or if they accepted it going elsewhere.

AEG wants the Finals, its what Liewikie said in his conference.

here are the video links.

click this one and the rest will follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuk2KxfYWO0&feature=BF&list=UL&index=17

Just heard an interview with Tim Liewikie on the radio and he did mention that the seating arrangements can be changed from 65,000 seats to 78,000 or more.

nice. what station?

I didn't hear it, but I'm downloading the Mason Ireland podcast later tonight. That's really our only main local show. Good bet it's there...

ya thats what i figured, or on the Loose Cannons on 570.

http://es.pn/9oF9PK


See if this link works for you. And yes, it was The Mason & Ireland Show

Thanks for posting! I knew he was connected, but I didn't realize Leiweke was that close to the commissioner and all the owners. This is happening.

That said, here's the order of teams that have the best chance at moving here. Not in terms of timeline, but in terms of willingness and likelihood for them to move in my opinion:
1. Vikings
2. Rams
3. Jaguars
4. Chargers
5. Raiders

I hate to say it, because I like the Vikings, but the worse they do this year, the more apathetic the fans will become to pressuring the new legislative session to get something done there.

thanks for the link

AEG CEO meets with NFL about stadium
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Updated: November 5, 2010, 9:03 PM ET

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of AEG, the company that owns LA Live and Staples Center, said Friday he has been meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding bringing a team to Los Angeles.

"We've been meeting with the league for a while. They are aware of our vision, which is how do we create a point of destination that gets multiple sporting events, multiple conventions, multiple exhibitions and trade shows for Los Angeles," Leiweke said to ESPN 710 radio on the Mason and Ireland show.

IT'S L.A., AND IT'S LIVE

ESPNLosAngeles.com For more coverage of the complete Los Angeles sports scene, visit ESPNLA.com. »

Leiweke said the 78,000-seat, $1 billion proposed stadium would be privately funded and would be built adjacent to the L.A. Convention Center and LA Live, but is several years away from becoming a reality, especially while the NFL is locked in collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the NFL Players Association. Goodell has previously said he would not work to bring a team back to L.A. until the CBA negotiations were complete.

"Until they get a CBA, nothing happens," Leiweke said. "We're at least a year and a half to two years away from anything really happening. Under the best of circumstances when they come back from the CBA, they're right into the 2011-2012 season."

Billionaire entrepreneur and businessman Phil Anschutz, a major investor in sports teams and venues including Staples Center and L.A. Live, has pledged to be part of the private investment group hoping to build the downtown stadium.

"When we say a billion dollars, it's not contingent on financing. Phil can do it if he wants to get it done tomorrow," Leiweke said.

However, it was not clear whether Anschutz would seek an ownership stake if a team comes to L.A.

"This is up to the commissioner, so we follow Roger Goodell's lead," Leiweke said when asked about Anschutz's desire to own the team.

A previously-announced mixed-use stadium in the City of Industry proposed by billionaire developer Edward Roski's Majestic Realty included provisions for local ownership if a team moves to Los Angeles. Roski has also said he would not break ground on the City of Industry stadium unless an NFL team commits to move into it.

Leiweke was not as committal.

"You do the entitlement and design without a team commitment. You're not going to be pushing dirt on the stadium for a couple of years," he said.



Read More: http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5769495

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/latimesmag.jpg LEIWEKE TARGETS 2016 SUPERBOWL FOR DOWNTOWN . If Tim Leiweke gets his way, the NFL's 50th Super Bowl will be played just two miles up the street from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the site of Super Bowl I.

The AEG CEO is pushing hard on plans to build a $1-billion, retractable-roof stadium next to Staples Center, and Thursday he said that he believes the timetable works.

He also believes that the project and an associated expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center would create an events complex without equal and drive the construction of five new hotels in South Park. Once that's done, "we go after every big event that exists in the United States and the world," he told those attending a luncheon organized by Town Hall Los Angeles.

Calling the ten yearly NFL games a "centerpiece," Leiweke said that he believes the stadium would host approximately 50 events annually. That could include making L.A. Live the permanent home of the X Games, going after the Final Four and hosting a college football tournament.

Before he can get to that point, though, a number of pieces need to fall into place.

"First, we need to get a deal done with the league," Leiweke said. AEG is pushing for a commitment of three Super Bowl games in the stadium's first decade, one more than the league would typically offer. Leiweke has also previously pushed to bring the NFL draft to Los Angeles.

The second deal would be with the City of Los Angeles, owner of the Convention Center West Hall site where the stadium would rise. AEG is proposing to build a new event hall next to the I.M. Pei-designed main hall, creating a facility with nearly one million square feet of contiguous space.

That would give the facility the ability to attract top conventions and would drive the creation of what AEG believes would be five new hotels. One of them would be the facility that AEG has entitled across Olympic from L.A. Live. Leiweke has previously told blogdowntown that he was in discussions with Hard Rock, Hyatt and W about the space.

Third would come an agreement to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles. "We don't have a team in mind," Leiweke said. "That's not my place. We'll leave it up to the commissioner."

Last would come the need for private funds. While Leiweke said AEG is prepared to self-finance the stadium's $1-billion construction, naming rights and sponsorships would be an important part of making the facility pencil out. He pointed out that his company already negotiates $400 million in suite deals and sponsorships annually.

Leiweke hopes to see the stadium's entitlement process underway in January, a process that would take approximately one year. Construction of the new event hall would get underway in January 2012, and demolition of the old hall would begin in January 2013. He believes that stadium construction can be done in 30 months, allowing the facility to open for the 2015 NFL season. . ERIC RICHARDSON BLOGDOWNTOWN . LEIWEKE IN HIS OWN WORDS (SHHHH, IT'S JUST LIKE BEING THERE- KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN!) . <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UmuWtyBa_lw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UmuWtyBa_lw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> . <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yuk2KxfYWO0?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yuk2KxfYWO0?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> . <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOhRnVNL5Oo?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOhRnVNL5Oo?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> . <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1CT1sDlyw68?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1CT1sDlyw68?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> , <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dm3Y-YofcU0?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dm3Y-YofcU0?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> . RONKAYELA YOUTUBE . I really don't see this .... failing, but are we going to have two venues now?

Yippie! I can't wait to see renditions.

Leiweke is one of the "Big Three" civic leaders in LA, the other two being Villaraigosa and Broad. I love their passion for this city, and in Leiweke's case, it is very palpable in those videos.

AEG wants the Finals, its what Liewikie said in his conference.

here are the video links.

click this one and the rest will follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuk2KxfYWO0&feature=BF&list=UL&index=17

They call the final 32 team tournament the FIFA World Cup Finals so it's still not clear what he's talking about. I wish he would be open to questions on these things, but as long as he keeps working ahead on this, I'm happy.

Does anyone think Kroenke (sole owner of the Rams) is collaborating with AEG on this proposal? Kroenke has business ties with Anschutz and the proposed 2015 date is right in line with when the Rams can opt out of their stadium. Kroenke is also part of the Los Angeles Stadium Working Group and maintains a home in Malibu.

Meanwhile, the Rams continue to be at the very bottom in home attendance and the value of the franchise has dropped 15% from last year. The stars are perfectly aligned!

They call the final 32 team tournament the FIFA World Cup Finals so it's still not clear what he's talking about. I wish he would be open to questions on these things, but as long as he keeps working ahead on this, I'm happy.

I think he may be talking about the final 2 games of the world cup.

THE LOS ANGELES RAMS. STILL HAVE YOUR OLD JERSEY? DOWNTOWN STADIUM AN IDEA WHO'S TIME SHOULD COME . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/LA20CC20AERIAL.jpg . WITH OTHER LOCAL VENUES FADING AND STAPLES CENTER A SHINING EXAMPLE OF WHAT WORKS A RETRACTABLE ROOF STADIUM MAKES SENSE. SORRY, INDUSTRY ...
The Coliseum, Rose Bowl and Dodger Stadium are dumps.

Staples Center, which replaced the North Hall of the Convention Center 11 years ago, has been a tremendous success.

Even the Clippers draw big crowds.

Now there is talk of the same people who built Staples Center building a NFL stadium attached to the Convention Center — where the West Hall now sits.

It makes so much sense.

And, as an added bonus, it probably will force Frank McCourt out as Dodgers owner if his wife is unsuccessful in doing so. But more on that positive development in a moment.

I have been involved in the NFL/L.A. story since the Rams' and Raiders' departures after the 1994 season.

I've taken a look at every stadium proposal, every millionaire interested in joining the NFL fraternity, and understand the secret handshake necessary to gain NFL approval.

Philip Anschutz is the NFL's kind of guy.

Ed Roski is not.

On the local front, Roski is known as a terrific guy who has done terrific things. But a few years back when the NFL tried to give a franchise to L.A., Roski failed to get a deal done.

The NFL dealmaker at the time was Roger Goodell, who then became commissioner. He never took to Roski, and while Roski has a stadium plan for the City of Industry, the NFL's only interest will be to use it as leverage in getting a better deal downtown.

Roski, who was instrumental initially in getting Staples Center built, might be better served to throw in with Anschutz again.

Many of the NFL owners are already soccer partners with Anschutz. And more than that, Anschutz pitchman Tim Leiweke has said the Anschutz Empire will spend its own money to build a new playpen for NFL teams interested in moving here.

The NFL just loves it when someone is willing to spend whatever it takes to eventually make them all a little richer.

We all know Leiweke. He's the man who brought David Beckham to town and told us Beckham would change how we view soccer.

He doesn't always get it right. Go back a few years and Kings fans will be more than happy to explain how he's almost never right.

But there's also no holding Leiweke back when he goes to work. LA Live comes to mind. Even the Kings are beginning to make a case for other newspaper writers here to go watch them play.

No one has probably done more to rejuvenate downtown L.A. than Leiweke. He has used Staples Center and his influence to bring the Democratic Convention here, the Grammy Awards, All-Star games and a who's-who list of concert performers. .
No one is going to spend $1 billion to build a stadium to be used 10 days a year. But what if the stadium has a retractable roof, is attached to the Convention Center and can be used to entice large conventions here the rest of the year?

The Anschutz Empire makes out, adding to the LA Live appeal, which then results in more condos and hotel rooms sold.

There will be objections, of course. Politicians squawked when the city advanced money for the construction of Staples Center. Those objections sound silly right now and the money is being repaid.

Anschutz's AEG will make money from naming rights, as well as a percentage of luxury suites and club seats sold — as they do now in Staples. It's the same kind of deal it struck with the Lakers.

Anschutz also secured a 30% ownership interest in the Lakers and can buy the team if the Buss family ever has to sell.

The same deal probably will be made with the Chargers, with Casey Wasserman becoming the minority owner and the face of the team in L.A.

Wasserman has already partnered with Leiweke, has previous experience working with the Goofs who own the Chargers, and has a close relationship with Goodell.

L.A. lost two teams 16 years ago, and might begin anew with two teams again, including the Rams.

Stan Kroenke owns the Rams, as well as Denver's basketball and hockey teams. He will have to sell his Denver interests unless he becomes owner of the Broncos.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is having health issues. Someone has suggested it makes sense for Kroenke to exchange franchises with Bowlen, taking ownership of the Broncos and allowing Bowlen to move the Rams to L.A.

The Los Angeles Rams. Still have your old jersey?

Now as for McCourt, he just loses again.

McCourt declined to comment Monday, presumably busy collecting aluminum cans to find the money to make good on what he still owes Manny Ramirez.

His plan to renovate the third-oldest park in baseball has been placed on hold. Lack of funds. But put a new dress, makeup and wig on a 50-year-old lady and she's still 50 years old. I know this from personal experience.

The Dodgers are going to need a new stadium. If football comes first, the rich folks here will be putting down serious cash for luxury suites and club seats. Many will have already done so to remain close to the Lakers in Staples Center.

So who buys luxury suites and club seats to a new Dodger Stadium? First of all, who pays for the construction of a new stadium? Hint: There probably aren't enough aluminum cans in L.A.

Without a new Dodger Stadium, how does the team find the money to remain competitive?

By way of comparison, if folks are filling Staples Center and the new football stadium, Dodger Stadium might soon begin to feel like the Sports Arena.
t.j.simers@latimes.com . T.J. SIMERS LOSANGELESTIMES

A nice example of the difference between journalism and analysis. Journalism shoots for the one sentence catchy statement that really has no meaning, but is easy to digest on first look.

Example: he notes that is makes no sense to build a football stadium for 10 games a year. So far, so good. But this will be OK because it will expand the CC and bring new conventions. End of comments; no support; no anything.

In fact, the convention business has been declining for years and excess capacity is enormous. The major convention cities (Orlando, Chicago, LV) have had fewer and smaller conventions. They, and the smaller centers (NY, SD, Anaheim, SF, etc.) are all cutting back budgets and have HUGE amounts of unused space available most of the time. This is presumably due to the recession but also to the increased ability to communicate information and graphics electronically, which makes time and money wasting conventions superfluous.

It is questionable how many conventions will really require display spaces beyond what LA already has. Many of the larger ones will naturally stick to particular areas of the country (farm equipment, industrial equipment, mining, petroleum). In fact, the current trend is for even small and medium meetings to be held locally.

I would like to see some statistics on the economics of the convention center business before putting any money into it. I would assume that conventions are a negative budget item for the city and current space rentals are at “cut-throat” rates, which means the city is losing lots of money on it investment. The winners are the hotels and restaurants in the immediate area, who get more business. That strikes me as mostly LA Live.

btw, a good way to fund such expansions is a tax on local hotels and restaurants who will be the only beneficiaries of the additional conventions. The funds can be used to mitigate traffic, policing, clean-up, etc. (Just this year, Santa Clara, with the hotel's support, voted a hotel tax on business hotels in the area of the new 49er stadium.)

Simers supports it? Crap, if that idiot likes the plan then I think I need to oppose it. It's the surest way to get things right.

Yippie! I can't wait to see renditions.

So if you could build a fantasy stadium, what kind of design would everyone like to see? A rounder stadium like Cowboys or rectangular like Reliant? I'm not too familiar with many NFL stadiums, but are there any unique features of other stadiums you would like to see replicated on this one?

I would suggest that it replicate the basic shape of The Staples Center. Not retangular.

Definitely rectangular. I want the roof to be able to open up wide and not be like the roof at Jerry World that really just opens a little hole in the middle. I haven't seen a more circular stadium that can really open up its roof so it feels like it's inside so I'm going with rectangular.

^^ I agree now. I'm looking at a design that allows people within the stadium to feel like they're in a stadium, not a can with an opening, however, my stadium design is an elipticle within a square. A circle within a square, where the square roof covers the entire stadium, and pulls back on magnetic levitation and reveals only open sky from the field or the stands. This squared off structure that houses the stadium within would be right up against the 110 though, so that side would be encased in glass to expose the structure not unlike Staples Center. I don't know what would be better exposure for the freeway people. Think I'll draw this up.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture11112010122006AM.jpg

So if you could build a fantasy stadium, what kind of design would everyone like to see? A rounder stadium like Cowboys or rectangular like Reliant? I'm not too familiar with many NFL stadiums, but are there any unique features of other stadiums you would like to see replicated on this one?

Well, in this case we can't just think of 'football stadiums", this new venue will be for soccer, conventions etc.

A boxy design would take advantage of the space, but I hate them.

Have we talked about parking?

Well, in this case we can't just think of 'football stadiums", this new venue will be for soccer, conventions etc.

A boxy design would take advantage of the space, but I hate them.

Have we talked about parking?

I actually think boxy designs are the best, but only if they are done right. If they're not then they're hideous and there's nothing that can be done to save them.

Leiwike said that they will make use of the parking they have, encourage people to take public transportation (he really emphasized this point and noted some number on how many AEG employees use it to get to work) and that they would build a new garage. That's all we have on parking so far.

Why do you think boxy is the best? I'm just curious. And give me an example of one/some.

Why do you think boxy is the best? I'm just curious. And give me an example of one/some.

When done right I think the balance of it and how close to the field everything feels is the best. Aside from what I brought up before about it being the best way to have the roof open up widest and make it feel like it is outdoors, that's a big one for me.

Reliant Stadium is one example that I think it fantastic. If you take a look at the interior, everything feels so close to the field and everything feels on top of you for a 71,000+ seat stadium.

http://www.lsse.net/i/soc_05.jpg

In Germany my favorite stadium is the same, Veltins Arena

http://sports.popcrunch.com/wp-content/football-stadiums/pics/veltins-arena.jpg

couldnt agree more! Reliant is very nice and would work nicely for LA.

You sold me on Reliant. Anything to that effect would be perfect.

Oh yeah, soccer. If built, would the Galaxy and Chivas move there? It would be awesome to have our NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLS teams all play on the same block!

Oh yeah, soccer. If built, would the Galaxy and Chivas move there? It would be awesome to have our NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLS teams all play on the same block!

I would doubt that considering that AEG owns the Home Depot Center where those teams play currently.

^ Wouldn't that make a relocation even easier? Am I missing something?

^ Wouldn't that make a relocation even easier? Am I missing something?

They're not going to leave the HDC empty with so little benefit of moving to the new stadium. They average 21k in a 27k stadium right now and that stadium is also expandable. The only MLS matches I can see at the new stadium are friendlies versus big foreign clubs and an All-Star Game.

They're not going to leave the HDC empty with so little benefit of moving to the new stadium. They average 21k in a 27k stadium right now and that stadium is also expandable. The only MLS matches I can see at the new stadium are friendlies versus big foreign clubs and an All-Star Game.

Bingo

Leiweke confirmed AEG is talking to several NFL teams about relocating. Also the RFP sent to architects is due backs in two weeks, and AEG wants field level suites like Dallas. It's also supposed to be less than 2/3 the size of Cowboys and Meadowlands, hence the cheaper cost of $725 million.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2010-11-15/sbj-aegs-los-angeles-stadium-draws-on-cowboys

Great.

If this were stand alone, it would be a very very very big disappointment! Once again n n n n .. L. A. has to settle for less.

There are several NFL franchises that are candidates for relocation. The most-often discussed team is the San Diego Chargers, largely because the team has the easiest route out of its current stadium deal. The Chargers are literally just a check away from leaving Qualcomm Stadium: between February 1 and April 30 of every year from now through 2020, the Chargers can get out of their lease by writing a check to the city of San Diego – this year, the amount is about $26 million, and it decreases annually.

Alex Spanos, who became the club's majority owner in 1984, is now 87 years old and reportedly in poor health. He and his wife now own 36 percent of the club, while each of his four children have 15 percent stakes, and they have hired Goldman Sachs to sell a minority share in the team. Representatives from Goldman have met recently with several wealthy individuals in L.A. about the Chargers' stake, according to people familiar with the matter. (The team, founded by hotel mogul Conrad Hilton, actually came into existence as the Los Angeles Chargers and played its inaugural 1960 season at the L.A. Coliseum. Hilton moved the club to San Diego the following year.)

Mark Fabiani, who has been leading the Chargers' efforts to develop a new stadium, told FanHouse that the Spanos family is looking to sell a stake in the team solely for "estate-planning purposes." Greg Carey, a managing director at Goldman and its point man on stadium and sports deals, confirmed that the company is working with the Chargers but has not been retained by the NFL or AEG to find partners for a potential L.A. ownership group. "Things in L.A. are very early stage, there's nothing concrete," said Carey, who is currently working on the San Francisco 49ers' stadium plan and arranged the financing on new venues for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Orlando Magic.

Aside from the Chargers, other possible relocation candidates include the Jacksonville Jaguars, who've struggled with attendance and sponsorship woes, as well as the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, both of whom play in older facilities. The Los Angeles Times recently speculated that Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who's based in Denver, could swap franchises with ailing Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who would in turn sell the Rams to L.A. investors who would bring the Rams back to the area.

And there's always the Oakland Raiders, who moved to L.A. in 1982, won L.A.'s only Super Bowl in the 1983 season, moved back to Oakland in '95 – and are still dissatisfied with their stadium, which is one of the NFL's smallest and oldest venues. In an interview for a recent ESPN documentary, Davis, whose physical condition has deteriorated considerably in recent years, conceded that he had not ruled out moving back to Southern California.

"As L.A. knows, if they can get a stadium, they can knock on the door," he said.



Read More: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/11/15/aeg-jumps-into-race-for-nfl-team-in-l-a/

Considering all the flack LA gets for being "spread out", it's so ironic to think that one day we might have our NFL, NBA, and NHL (and WNBA, if that counts) teams all play in venues on the same transit-accessible city block.

good projects

L.A. Sports Arena Releases Draft Environmental Impact Report
Paresh Dave | November 19, 2010
Executive Producer
Neon Tommy

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena could be demolished, yielding to either an amphitheater or a soccer stadium under draft plans released earlier this week to reinvigorate the publicly managed, cash-strapped and deteriorating entertainment venue that has been short on programming.

In an under-the-radar fashion recently typical of the the body that oversees the 15-acre Sports Arena campus near Exposition Park, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum Commission released a 347-page draft environmental impact report for the dueling project options on Monday. It's unclear how the demolition and redevelopment would be funded.

The soccer stadium option is the third vision for a new sports facility in Los Angeles County, following Ed Roski's plan for an NFL stadium in the City of Industry and an AEG proposal also released this week for a $725 million stadium that would be designed to house an NFL team and the World Cup.

The Sports Arena has come under scrutiny during recent weeks because its financial woes may have forced the Coliseum Commission to suprisingly rescind a ban on electronic music festivals, more commonly known as raves, at the facility. The festivals have been one of the few steady streams of revenue for the aging facility, likely bringing in a few hundred thousand dollars annually. The release of the draft environmental impact report officially brings the commission to a crossroads.

As early as January, the nine people who sit on the panel will have to decide to do one of three things: go forward with the soccer stadium idea and mount a challenge to proposals of Roski and AEG; construct an amphitheater and hope people make good use of it; or launch a smaller renovation of the existing facility while watching it sink into a deeper operating deficit.

The amphitheater option would feature an 800-square-foot stage backed by an open half-dome shell and a large grass field flanked by flag poles. Not included in the plans are any fixed seats, video boards or fencing. Concession stands and restrooms "may be provided," the report says. Events that could be held here include Farmer's Markets, rallies, festivals, exercise groups, concerts, neighborhood carnivals and special ceremonies.

A very preliminary concept drawing of what the soccer stadium may look like.The other option envisions a 22,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium, offering some competition to the Home Depot Center in Carson. The stadium plan calls for MLS games, exhibition games and USC soccer games to be played there. At the varsity level, USC only has a women's team. Local teams would be allowed to practice there as well.

The plan mentions no outisde retail or dining components--items that may ultimately be needed for financial viability.

The stadium, which would be oriented the same way as the arena is right now, would also hold concerts and rallies. If USC's team moves into this new stadium, it's current field near Hoover Street and 30th Street would likely become available for USC to develop on.

The seven-story Sports Arena opened 51 years ago amid a nationwide boom in arena construction, providing the region its first new sports venue in about 25 years.

Most of the arena's highlights came in its first few years of existence, hosting boxing, basketball, hockey, the 1960 Democratic National Convention and the 1961 Freedom Rally at which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke.

But professional sports franchises such as the Lakers and Kings quickly moved to other location such as The Forum and Pauley Pavilion. Only the Clippers would come play at the arena from 1984 to 1999.

During the past five years, an event has been held there, on average, only once every six days. Nearly all of the events attracted less than 10,000 people. In comparison, the Staples Center held about four times as many events, according to the website of its owner, AEG.

Most of the environmental impacts mentioned in the report are routine ones that one would expect from a major construction project. Lighting and noise may anger residents living along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. But because the Sports Arena is built in a big ditch, the stadium and amphitheater would also maintain low profiles.

The parking and traffic situation would also change very little because even if the Coliseum and Sports Arena held concurrent events, overall capacity would be limited to about the same level as right now. About 20,000 parking spaces exist throughout Exposition Park and USC, and no additional ones would have to be added.

The report states the Sports Arena needs $8.2 million in upgrades--from new seats to new plumbing and heating systems--within the next five years to keep operating. Each of the past five fiscal years, however, has brought operating losses totaling nearly $4 million. Because the commission doesn't receive any taxpayer subsidies, it doesn't have the cash to pay for those fixes. The document notes that even if improvements were made, the Sports Arena would not be any more competitive with venues such as the 19,000-seat Staples Center.

The arena's present configuration allows it hold about 15,000 people for hockey, boxing and basketball events.

L.A. Coliseum Commission general manager Pat Lynch has not responded to several voicemails left by Neon Tommy during the past two weeks. Members of the Coliseum Commission, including L.A. County supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky, L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks and real estate developer Rick Caruso, could not be reached for comment.

The 45-day public comment period on the draft report runs until Dec. 30. It seems wise for public agencies, including the L.A. City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, to ask for an extension of that comment period since it runs right through two major holiday periods.

Either way, comments should be directed to Coliseum general manager Pat Lynch at 3939 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90037. The report is available online, at the previous address and at the Exposition Park Library. The online PDF is also "secured," so text from the document can't be copied and pasted.

Under a joint agreement between the state, city and county, the Coliseum Commission maintains and operates the Coliseum and Sports Arena. That agreement runs through 2054.

Los Angeles voters thrice rejected measures to publicly finance the construction of a Downtown sports arena. Urged on by County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, the state Legislature eventually jumped in, authorizing in 1958 the sale of $7 million in bonds to build the present arena. Before the Exposition Park project was settled on, there were three competing visions of "world-class" arenas across Los Angeles.

The Coliseum has stood since 1923. The commission has existed since 1945.



Read More: http://www.neontommy.com/news/2010/11/la-sports-arena-releases-environmental-impact-report-redevelopment-project

http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/uploads/Screen%20shot%202010-11-19%20at%203.02.32%20AM.png
soccer stadium
http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/uploads/Screen%20shot%202010-11-19%20at%202.54.50%20AM.png
amphitheater

I think the amphitheatere/park idea makes more sense than yet another stadium. Right now Exposition 'Park' is an oxymoron, so more green space would be the natural solution. Plus more tailgate room for USC games would be very welcome.

Not to mention a park would be much less expensive than maintaining another stadium because it would have minimal overhead (which is the exact reason the arena is being closed in the first place). As great as the sports arena has been for LA, that area is desperate for urban renewal, and a park with an ampitheatre could inject much-needed life into the neighborhood.

^^ And get rid of those perimeter parking lots perhaps making all the parking underground, so that they can bring the park/greenspace out to the street, but I dont know how financially feasible that would be but it would definitely help the asthetics of the park.

:( I really don't want to see the LASA go but if they had to do something with the space I'd prefer a park as well...

the park also seems a better option for "electronic music festivals". a stadium limits what the campus can do, plus the coliseum is good enough as an anchor to the grounds it's on.

1) The NFL prefers the Downtown stadium proposal.
2) "The Chargers and Rams are the most interesting options to move."
3) "The Jaguars most likely won't be moving to LA."
4) "The Vikings are more interested in staying in Minnesota with a new stadium."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/21/nfl-says-l-a-void-will-be-filled-with-relocation-not-expansion/related/

---

And there is ZERO chance of the 49ers or Bills moving to LA. So who does that leave? Rams, Chargers, and Raiders!

Except for the downsizing, that looks good to me!

1) The NFL prefers the Downtown stadium proposal.
2) "The Chargers and Rams are the most interesting options to move."
3) "The Jaguars most likely won't be moving to LA."
4) "The Vikings are more interested in staying in Minnesota with a new stadium."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/21/nfl-says-l-a-void-will-be-filled-with-relocation-not-expansion/related/

---

And there is ZERO chance of the 49ers or Bills moving to LA. So who does that leave? Rams, Chargers, and Raiders!


Nice to get the rumor mills on high, but these guys aren't really saying much. Bills have been doubtful for some time, since they fit in with the Toronto strategy. Of course Minn wants to stay in Minneapolis IF they get a new stadium; the question is what if they don't? "Chargers and Rams are the most intersting options". What does that mean? SD and St. Louis basically seem to turn on a new stadium as well, which means once again LA may just be useful for local leverage.

I think the real problem behind these comments is that there is nothing interesting in the NFL this year (no dominant teams or players); probably the highlights are Minn and Dallas doing poorly. As a result, the NBA has been eating the NFL's publicity for lunch (in November!) and the PR flacks are looking to stir things up a bit.

But, I guess that's their job.

You really do like arguing for the sake of arguing.

Bring the Chargers back home to Los Angeles. They were the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 before moving down south in 1961.

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/sdla/lachargers.html

http://www.icehouse.net/hal9000/chargers1.jpg

Arguing? Probably more criticizing, but whatever. The only thing I did was point out that these guys (who have to crank out loads of comments daily) don't seem to be adding anything new.

Denny: I remember the Chargers first year. I was listening on the radio when Paul Lowe ran back the opening kick in their exhibition season for a touchdown. Because of the great offense, my friends were big Chargers (and AFL) fans right from the beginning and didn't change when they moved to SD (probably because their owner was Baron Hilton and he was always interviewed in LA or BH). Their team got really good the next year when they picked up Keith Lincoln.

Yes Pesto, many of us who remember the Chargers during their short time here are still faithful Chargers fans, me included.

Two L.A. groups approach Vikings
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Updated: November 30, 2010, 9:14 PM ET

Two different groups interested in bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles have approached the Minnesota Vikings about possible relocation, Vikings vice president of public affairs Lester Bagley said in a chat on the team's website Tuesday.

"We have been approached by two different groups in Los Angeles -- the Ed Roski group and more recently by former Timberwolves CEO Tim Leiweke and AEG," Bagley said in the chat.

Bagley said that team owner Zygi Wilf and Vikings management toured L.A. Live, an entertainment complex located in the city's downtown area, in 2009. According to Bagley, the group was looking for ideas on building a similiar entertainment district in Minnesota.

The Vikings are in their final year on their lease at the Metrodome and have been pushing to get a new stadium approved.

The Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota football team have both moved out of the outdated building to shiny new facilities of their own. Since 2002, Minnesota has been playing in the Metrodome rent-free, a gesture made to acknowledge the building's difficulty in producing revenue.

Bagley said the Vikings have told both interested groups that the organization is "focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota."

"We feel solid momentum and feel we're well-positioned with the new legislature and governor," he said in the chat. "Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let's keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the state of Minnesota."

Both the Rams and the Raiders were once a part of the nation's second-biggest market in Los Angeles.

Speaking at a fundraiser for downtown Los Angeles in early October, Leiweke said he was still working on getting an NFL team to the area. Leiweke also said he's committed to working with city officials and AEG's Phillip Anshutz, to make a downtown stadium a reality.

Roski has permission to build an NFL stadium in Industry, Calif., about 15 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.



Read More: http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5868477&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

ARE NFL'S CHARGERS COMING TO L A? . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/20070321__20070322_C1_BZ22ANSCHUTZ1.jpghttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/magic-johnson-smiling_nc.jpg PHILIP ANSCHUTZ................MAGIC JOHNSON . RUMORS ABOUND THAT STAPLES CENTER OWNER PHIL ANSCHUTZ HAS TAKEN A STAKE IN THE SAN DIEGO TEAM. MAGIC TOO! .
Laker legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! early Wednesday that he's teamed up with the Anschutz Entertainment Group to bring an NFL team to L.A.

The announcement came after the sports world was abuzz with rumors that AEG owner Phil Anschutz bought a 35 percent stake in the San Diego Chargers with the intention of bringing the team to a new stadium proposed for downtown L.A., where AEG runs Staples Center and LA Live.

Those rumors started with a report on FAN 590, a Toronto radio station, which stated that Anschutz, a Denver-based billionaire, wants to bring the Chargers to an LA Live-adjacent football stadium.

Johnson was coy about the Chargers angle on Kimmel, refusing to name a possible team for L.A.

"Today, and nobody knows this... I teamed up with [AEG CEO] Tim Leiweke and AEG ... and we're going to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles," Johnson announced.

Johnson made headlines in fall when he dumped his share of Lakers' ownership and sold his 105 Starbucks franchises. Observers wondered what he would do with the liquid he gained and what his next move would be.

Leiweke earlier this month put some ideas on the table for bringing an NFL franchise back to L.A., including possibly taking over the city-owned Convention Center and building a new stadium there.

That prospect is competing with plans by Majestic Realty to build an NFL stadium in the San Gabriel Valley, in the city of Industry.

ESPN reports that both L.A. stadium factions, AEG (via Leiweke) and Majestic have expressed interest in the Minnesota Vikings.

And, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers' lawyer denied the rumor that the team was headed north.

But it's been no secret that the Chargers haven't been happy with the age and amenities at Qualcomm Stadium and want a new venue. The team in recent years has also taken advantage of a deal with the city that has taxpayers cover the cost of unsold seats when the stadium is not sold out. . LAWEEKLY . Of course, there are rumors to the contrary ...

The good news is that talk of moving the Jags to LA has died down considerably. Here's to hoping the Jags make the playoffs. Keep the fans interested.

The team in recent years has also taken advantage of a deal with the city that has taxpayers cover the cost of unsold seats when the stadium is not sold out.[/COLOR][/B] . LAWEEKLY . Of course, there are rumors to the contrary ...

This is a very troubled organization. Would LA do any better with them?

Now things are heating up! It seems to be the old themes (get us a new stadium or we move) but with some specific actions. AEG and Magic would have no particular interest in SD, which is not only a small market stand-alone, but is struggling with the two teams it has.

And I do like Wilf's comment that he was checking out LA Live so he could build a similar one in Minn. Sort of like telling your wife that you go to hookers to learn techniques to become a better lover for her.

When will the CBA issue be resolved?

Do the Jags have stadium issues as well? What is the condition of EverBank Field?

When will the CBA issue be resolved?

It expires at the end of the season, but it looks like there will be a lockout so sometimes at the end of 2011 probably.

Do the Jags have stadium issues as well? What is the condition of EverBank Field?

The stadium is fine.

AEG and Magic would have no particular interest in SD, which is not only a small market stand-alone, but is struggling with the two teams it has.


No, AEG has purchased a stake in the team with the intent of bringing it to us downtown. It will be the Chargers. If it's true.

It expires at the end of the season, but it looks like there will be a lockout so sometimes at the end of 2011 probably.



The stadium is fine.

So, if an inadequate stadium is the main reason why teams relocate (as you say they are), then why were the Jags ever at the forefront of relocation rumors/speculation?

2018 World Cup -- Russia
2022 World Cup -- Qatar

The Jags were in the mix due to consistently poor attendance and doubts about the size of their market, especially given the proximity of FSU. But some have claimed that this is irrelevant and teams really only ever move because of stadium issues.

SD seems to have some of each problem plus the Spanos situation (dementia and poor health) and the need for estate planning.

Proposals for the AEG stadium are due today. Let's hope for something good.

2018 World Cup -- Russia
2022 World Cup -- Qatar

Yep, shocking to say the least.

DcAi3GLQyOI

When they build that stadium downtown I hope AEG takes notes on that last stadium in that video (@ 4:40). Something like that would fit in with L.A. Live.

Some of the themes make sense locally but the gay rainbow stadium strikes me as peculiar in Qatar.

LA would probably pick up surfboards, cars, sunglasses or churros as themes in their stadiums.

It was the gay architects and designers of the stadium getting back at the clueless homophobic government for receiving 30 lashes after being caught checking out another guy. Qatar is one of the worst places on Earth to discover that you are a homosexual, it's illegal. You can be arrested and charged.

When they build that stadium downtown I hope AEG takes notes on that last stadium in that video (@ 4:40). Something like that would fit in with L.A. Live.

That would be the one I order out of those examples, but I don't see the City Council greenlighting those video screens next to the Harbor Freeway:)

Klam: can you be arrested and charged without actually performing homosexual acts in Qatar? It seems very likely that there are some gay soccer players that are keeping it quiet but that are known as gay to other players, lovers or family. I assume that prosecution would be unlikely but they would be taking a risk entering the country.

And I admit this is way off subject and won't pursue it any further.

HERE IT IS!! AEG PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS AND DOESN'T DISAPPOINT! . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/china-2008-olympic-stadium-designs3.jpg . LOS ANGELES - Just kidding! But, tell me, weren't you just a little bit happy? Just for a split second?

I guess we are all waiting for the different proposals....

I still like this one ALLIANZ ARENA...Even the name, hopefully they sponsor the LA Stadium
http://www.zeitung-hk.de/wp-content/files/Allianz_Arena_pixelquelle.de2005_simon_benkard.png
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTGyOANlgcw

Milque, that wasn't funny... at all. :hahano:

You almost gave me a heart attack milque. Thank god that's not really what it is.

How dare you!!!! >:(

forreal...Had my Hopes up there for a Split Second

Coming in 2012 — the once and future Los Angeles Chargers?
The way the political winds are blowing, the Chargers figure to be looking to move back to L.A. in 2012, where they could play in the Coliseum (their original home in 1960) until a new downtown stadium is ready. This could happen. Really.
T.J. Simers
10:00 PM PST, December 6, 2010

If Tim Leiweke does his job over the next year in laying the groundwork for a downtown events center, expect the Chargers to announce shortly after Feb. 1, 2012, they will be here to start the 2012 season, probably playing in the Coliseum.

Talk to anyone who has spent time with Chargers owner Dean Spanos — and Spanos already has a pretty good idea of the endgame. Ordinarily, that's a loss in the playoffs, but now it's all about moving to L.A.

The Chargers probably will announce soon they will not be exercising their Feb. 1-May 1 escape clause from their stadium lease next year because they really have nowhere to go.

San Diego's last shot, and probably its only chance to keep the Chargers, rests on a November 2012 ballot measure that probably will never materialize.

City officials and the Chargers would have to agree on the language for such a ballot measure sometime during 2011 and probably no later than early 2012.

If they could find common ground, such a measure authorizing the spending of public money on a new stadium would need strong political backing. Most observers believe politicians will not show such support, instead leaving it up to voters.

If local politicians don't line up strongly behind such a ballot measure, there would be little incentive for the Chargers to spend money on campaigning for such a losing measure.

San Diego has never really embraced the Spanos family, more affectionately known in this space as the Spanos Goofs. The Chargers have failed to sell out home games, leading to local TV blackouts, and management more often than not comes across as a dictatorship exhibiting poor judgment than as a community asset.

In the meantime, Leiweke has to get beyond all the yackety-yak to date.

His interest in an events center featuring a downtown stadium suggests he already has Philip Anschutz's approval to commit $1 billion to such a project. Or Leiweke has more money than anyone might think.

Leiweke will need to start schmoozing with Sacramento to make the environmental impact process easier, while at the same time working local politicians to avoid any roadblocks.

There are some who believe Leiweke has no choice but to make this happen, calling facets of L.A Live — such as condo sales — challenging. An AEG spokesman said all area businesses showed an increase this year and hotel occupancy has exceeded expectations.

All are in agreement, though, an events center would only maximize L.A. Live's effectiveness and lead to further development.

"The Microsoft convention this July will be the largest to date — 45,000 hotel-room nights total, and that would not have happened without building this hotel in L.A. Live," said an AEG spokesman. "An event center would provide for more convention space and more hotels built downtown."

Any time anyone mentions a new stadium around here, the uneducated become alarmed, figuring public money would be spent on such a playpen.

No public money was used in the building of Staples Center. It's true more than $70 million was committed to the area surrounding the arena, where L.A. Live now sits — $58 million in bonds currently being repaid. Another $12 million in redevelopment money was committed to the project.

When the bonds are paid in full, it's expected the interest paid will match or exceed the $70-million contribution, allowing AEG to say the city essentially paid nothing for the downtown facelift.

Leiweke has told folks in public gab fests no public money will be used on the events center. He's counting on Anschutz and a contribution from the NFL.

AEG will need $300 million in city bonds to tear down the West Hall of the Convention Center and then rebuild it in another Convention Center location. Since it is not AEG-owned property, it would have to be a city-financed project.

Leiweke has said if for some reason those bonds are not repaid, AEG will do so — once again the city losing nothing in public money spent on the project.

Leiweke has only talked to date, which is why it's on him now to take advantage of the Chargers' 2012 escape clause.

If he's on his game, the Chargers will be calling the Coliseum their temporary home — a return to their roots, having spent the first season of their existence playing there as the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960.

Leiweke's attention span, or lack of it, will be his biggest hurdle. It might help if he's constantly reminded he's playing with $1 billion of his boss' money.

I don't mind reminding him on behalf of Anschutz because it would make for great sport bringing the Spanos Goofs here. We'll need someone to replace the McCourts.

IN RETROSPECT, the brawl before the USC- UCLA game the other night was probably a decent dress rehearsal for the Oakland Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers game to be played here two years from now.

THERE WAS only one good reason to attend the Clippers' game Monday night —- the chance to bump into Sacramento broadcaster Bill Walton.

IN HIS USC-UCLA postgame comments, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel offered this telling remark: "I'm sick about Kai [Forbath] not getting a chance to kick a field goal. He came up and said, 'I need one more.' How can I kick a field goal at the end of the game when you're down 21 points? Kai understood. He's a great Bruin."

Forbath needed one field goal to tie a school record, but make that a great selfish Bruin, who required an explanation from his coach before he understood the game wasn't all about him.

UCLA passed out printed copies of Neuheisel's postgame remarks, but did not include Forbath's comment, "I need one more," as quoted by Neuheisel.

Funny that Neuheisel needs to be censored and apparently Lane Kiffin does not.



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1207-simers-20101207,0,7255799.column

Most of the analysis sounds pretty reasonable. But I don't think a new stadium would get much support from voters in LA or SD, and I think that the city councils are unlikely to go ahead without some public support.

Getting state cooperation in a raid of SD's football team sounds tough as well. As they say in Minnesota, even Vikings didn't raid other Vikings.

Anschutz Aims for NFL Decision on Los Angeles Team in Next Three Months
By Andy Fixmer - Dec 8, 2010 5:26 PM PT
BLOOMBERG

Anschutz Entertainment Group aims to reach an agreement with the National Football League in three months for a Los Angeles-based team, said Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke.

The closely held company, controlled by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, will privately fund construction of a $1 billion NFL stadium and lure one of the league’s 32 teams, Leiweke said today at a lunch for downtown Los Angeles businesses.

AEG wants to build a 65,000-seat stadium on the site of the western hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center, adjacent to the company’s L.A. Live entertainment district, Leiweke said. AEG is in talks with city officials and in January will submit plans and begin the permit process, he said. The company would replace the convention space displaced by the stadium.

“We’re going to give this our best shot over the next three months,” Leiweke told the audience at the JW Marriott Los Angeles hotel. “This is the second-largest marketplace in the United States and we’re going to act like it.”

AEG’s announcement comes as NFL team owners are looking for ways to reach a new labor agreement with players. Teams are preparing for a possible disruption of next season if those efforts are unsuccessful, Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters on Oct. 13.

The downtown Los Angeles stadium also faces competition. Majestic Realty Co. Chairman Ed Roski Jr. has agreed to build a stadium in City of Industry, California, as soon as he can lure a team to Southern California.

Leiweke said AEG will narrow 12 proposed designs for the stadium to two or three by January. AEG will add 4,000 parking spaces, bringing the total in the area to more than 32,000, and incorporate light-rail connections, he said.

Sales at AEG’s L.A. Live entertainment district, which includes restaurants, nightclubs, the Nokia Live Theatre and the Staples Center arena, will exceed $100 million this year, Leiweke said. The JW Marriott, which AEG financed, is averaging 87 percent occupancy, he said.



Read More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-09/anschutz-aims-for-nfl-decision-on-los-angeles-team-in-3-months.html

AEG got it going on! This is a much much better proposal than that City Of Industry stadium. I especially like the enhancement of the Blue Line in this project.

I just fckn Pray that the Design is Out of this World Badasss!!! it better not settle for some cheap simple boring shitt....

Maybe they could look down Fig a couple of miles for a new design. SC seems to want to buy the Coliseum, which would seem to imply some renovation and....maybe a tenant from down south or maybe the midwest?

In any event, simplifying the ownership and control of the Coliseum, Sports Arena and surrounding land and parking would be a plus no matter what happens.

AEG's Leiweke lays out NFL in L.A. plan
By Arash Markazi
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Updated: December 9, 2010, 1:19 AM ET

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles has been waiting for an NFL team for the past 15 years. Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of AEG, doesn't want to wait much longer. He is hoping to reach an agreement with the City of Los Angeles and the NFL for a team to move into a new $1 billion stadium in Downtown Los Angeles in the next three months.

"I am very focused on this," Leiweke said during a luncheon for Central City Association of Los Angeles. "I spend most of every waking hour on the NFL. I'm going to tell you this; we're going to give this our best shot in the next two to three months."

Los Angeles real estate developer Ed Roski has been trying to lure an NFL team back to Los Angeles for the past decade and currently has a competing proposal for a stadium in The City of Industry. Artist renderings of the proposed $800 million, 75,000-seat stadium, which has been fully entitled, have been around for over two years.

Leiweke announced AEG is currently in the process of an architectural review for a retractable roof stadium and expects to cut the current list of 12 submitted designs to two by next week before choosing an architect in January. Leiweke, however, promised he wouldn't be showing off models and drawings of the proposed stadium for the next couple of years while the city and league continue to drag their feet.

"I applaud [Roski] for his ten years worth of this vision but we're not going to hang around for 10 years," Leiweke said. "We're going to try to get this done in the next three months. If we can get an agreement with the city and if we can get an agreement with the NFL and if we can identify a team, we'll take risks on the vote of the [NFL] owners a year from now or two years from now on whether that team can move here. That's a risk we'll take. But if we can get the first three -- an agreement with the city, an agreement with the league and at least an understanding of the team we're going to do this."

Leiweke's vision is to build the stadium where the current West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center is and have it sit between the Staples Center and a renovated Cherry Street parking garage with Pico Boulevard and 11th Street completing its boundaries. A new $350 million convention wing attached to the modern convention center would be completed before the West Hall was torn down.

"A 65,000-seat stadium fits quite nicely on that site," Leiweke said.

Leiweke said he is currently negotiating the deal with the city and is optimistic it will get done and expects to begin the entitlement process for the stadium in January.

"We have to come to an agreement with the city and we are negotiating with the city," Leiweke said. "It's not a difficult negotiation."

What has proven to be a difficult negotiation in the past has been getting the NFL onboard with getting a team back to Los Angeles. Leiweke said this won't be a problem with AEG head and billionaire investor Philip Anschutz behind the project.

"We are partners with most of the NFL owners," Leiweke said, citing AEG's involvement with Major League soccer and various sports and entertainment events in venues owned by NFL owners. "[New England Patriots owner] Bob Kraft and Mr. Anschutz saved soccer in this country. Trust me when I tell you [Kansas City Chiefs owner] Clark Hunt, the Kraft family and Mr. Anschutz have a great deal in common with the way they operate business. They would love to have Mr. Anschutz in the league. They're helping us carry this vision out. We're close to [Dallas Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones and he has adopted our vision and get's it and he's very involved. We deal with most of the NFL owners."

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Leiweke would like the stadium completed in time for the 2015 NFL season and ready to host the 50th Super Bowl, after the first Super Bowl was hosted down Figueroa Street at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Leiweke understands no NFL team will move to Los Angeles until their current labor dispute is resolved. It will be at least a year before the league could approve a transfer but Leiweke simply wants to have a framework in place to get started on the project.

Leiweke said AEG doesn't need to own an NFL team to start construction on the downtown stadium and shot down reports Anschutz had purchased a percentage of the San Diego Chargers. AEG, however, certainly isn't averse to an ownership role in whatever team moves to Los Angeles with Magic Johnson and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman partnering with AEG to serve as the prominent local owners the NFL would like to have in Los Angeles.

AEG has other interests in mind by building a new multi-purpose stadium, which would not only serve as the home of an NFL team but also Super Bowls, Final Fours and conventions. After spending $1 billion on a 54-story JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hybrid tower, which encompasses hotel rooms, residences, convention space and restaurants, AEG would like to see Los Angeles become one of top event and convention destinations in the country. If they can get an NFL team while they fill up all the rooms and restaurants they've built at LA Live, well, that's great too.

"I'm a huge fan of [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell but we believe in the event, convention and tourism business even more," Leiweke said.

Leiweke, however, knows the stadium cannot get done without the NFL and believes he can accomplish in three months what countless others have failed to do since the Rams and Raiders left town in 1994.

"I believe what we need out of the NFL we can get out of the NFL," Leiweke said. "I do not think they will be an issue because they understand the risk of putting up a billion dollars to privatize a stadium here. They want to help and they want to get it done. They want to come back to LA. We'll get a deal done with the NFL."



Read More: http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5901325&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

HKS, HNTB, Gensler Finalists To Design AEG's Proposed L.A. Venue
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/144197

^ My guess is it'll come down to either HKS or Gensler. I prefer Gensler's designs, but the new Cowboys Stadium is gorge.

If thats the case, "BORINGGGGGGGGGGGGG" All those firms build "DULL" looking stadiums from the outside.

I'm dissapointed by this news.

^ My guess is it'll come down to either HKS or Gensler. I prefer Gensler's designs, but the new Cowboys Stadium is gorge.

Gensler designed the Ritz next door which has a fantastic design. It would be great if the stadium echoed that same multi-shaded glass panel look on the hotel.

^ My guess is it'll come down to either HKS or Gensler. I prefer Gensler's designs, but the new Cowboys Stadium is gorge.

Disagree. Cowboys Stadium is ugly.

I have a feeling that the stadium will be more square in design.

Kind of like Reliant Stadium in Houston.
http://aedesign.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/reliant-stadium.png


Or the cancelled New York 2012 Olympic Stadium.
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/50852267.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD15CBD8E3FFD584A6A78DE1FA443D5A6B8D45E96DB2805E44F06BF04B24B4128C

But Reliant is more of a 'squared circle.'

Will the collapse of the Metrodome's roof be the impetus needed to get a new stadium built?

The Vikings need a new stadium yesterday. I think this is the third time the roof has collapsed at The Metrodome.

^ Third time's a charm. :lol:

Yes the Cowboys stadium is UGLY from outside....All I can see is CONCRETE everywhere. AEG should have ask the architecture firms designing the WorldCup Stadiums for Qatar!!!!

Holy shit.

kh5iE5FA84g

wow

They should rename the team the Minnesota Avalanche.

If there had been a game at the time, every seat in the place would be brown.

Renderings have been released!

http://blogdowntown.com/2010/12/5944-renderings-unveiled-for-nfl-stadium-next

I think Gensler has this one in the Bag....Translucent Roof and it works better with the area around it.

I like the shape of HKS also, its the design that would be in China or any other country that is currently designing things out of this world.

#3 looks like NYC Olympic stadium, I like the roof and see through wall :D:

i like the first 2 pics. #3 kinda confuses me. the last two look a little dull, but hopefully the ground has something going on for pedestrians.

My order of pref:

1) HNTB: Love it. This is exactly what I had in mind. Love the glass wall and the open, airy feel of the roof, reminds me of the architecture at the Air Force Academy

2) Gensler: Pretty good interior, not thrilled about the exterior, looks like a European soccer stadium and actually kind of clashes with Staples Center a bit

3) HKS: Again, the overall architecture doesn't do much for me, looks as if it could be pretty dark in parts of the stadium, especially when the sun shifts. Neither render gives you a very good idea of what the final design will actually look like, but I think even then it would come in last for me.

^^ LOL funny that you think HNTB design reminds of the Air Force Academy thats what i thought immediately too hahahaha. HNTB looks like it would belong in the mid-west somewhere like Minn., Nebraska or Indiana lol btw those red lights are fugly!! I dont know why I totally get that "mid-western" vibe from that one. I would go with Gensler because its airy and more opened space does look like a Euro soccer field. I like HKS because its bold and daring and pushes the envelope of traditional stadium architecture. But I don't know I guess overall I'd go for Gensler but I would want to see more renderings overall also.

GENSLER
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58295946.jpg

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58295980.jpg

HKS
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58296001.jpg]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58296031.jpg

HNTB
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58296044.jpg

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58296052.jpg

Gensler picked a nice sunset for the sky shot, but if you take that away, the stadium looks just kind of average to me. Put the same sunset behind the glass wall of HNTB (instead of that 'boring' blue sky), and it might look a little different in your eyes. My entire thing from the beginning was open and airy, and this one definitely fits the bill. Not to mention it looks like it will have a nice mountain shot of the Hollywood Hills

http://www.thelaeventcenter.com/

The Stadium new website. Including very high resolution PDF downloads of each architects.

I'll take Gensler.

What is the status of the Vikings' new stadium proposal? The Vikings are the only obstacle to the Rams returning to LA, since they are the only other NFC team that is a candidate for relocation. IMO, it doesn't help that these gorgeous renderings are being released just days after the collapse of the Metrodome's roof.

The collapse may do one of two things. Either it finally gets the MN legislature moving on a stadium bill this session, or Wilf has already reserved himself to leave town anyway. We'll see if the newly elected GOPs there will go for it.

I know Bleacher Report is not a credible source, but this is a good read:

NFL Rumors: St. Louis Rams To Return To Los Angeles By 2015 NFL Season
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/545319-hollywood-dream-team-st-louis-rams-to-return-to-los-angeles-by-2015-nfl-season

Imagine the traffic it will cause :D

Anschutz has so much confidence that he can get an NFL team to Los Angeles, though none have publicly committed, that he is willing to spend $1 billion on a new stadium.

Kroenke was so interested in the St. Louis Rams, who have been a floundering franchise (not positioned in an ideal sports market) that he gave up control of two major professional sports teams in order to acquire them.

And the two men have a long history of business dealings.

Add in the fact that an anonymous source from within the Anschutz Entertainment Group brought all of this information to my attention in an effort to support their claim that the two men were working together and NFL fans can only come to one conclusion: The Rams are coming home to LA.

Interesting comment. Take it for what you will. I would love to get the Rams back, Sam Bradford is going to be a freaking stud. Other choices are the Vikings and Adrian Peterson, the Jags have MJD, and the Chargers have Rivers, but really c'mon let's bring back the RAMS!

I don't think it's a coincidence that the AEG proposal surfaced only after Kroenke got sole ownership of the Rams.

I am confident that the Rams will return to their rightful home of LA. AEG says that they want to have, at the very least, assurance from the NFL that a team will eventually return. But I have a feeling that they want a specific team identified before they begin construction. Personally, I don't see the Vikings' stadium issue being resolved in the next 90 days.

With regards to the team, all AEG will need is a handshake and a wink (from Wilf/Spanos/Kroenke/Goodell). And it's possible that whichever team it is won't even be playing the 2011 season anyway due to the lockout. Then they would have over a year to move their operations west, and would be nicely settled well before the start of training camp in 2012. They would never come and say it publicly, but I have a strong feeling both Wilf and Kroenke are jockeying for position to be the NFC rep for LA.

^ But the Rams' stadium lease doesn't expire until the end of the 2014 season.

AEG reveals L.A. NFL stadium designs
By Arash Markazi
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Updated: December 16, 2010, 5:59 PM ET

LOS ANGELES -- A week after Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, formally laid out a timeline and proposal to build a $1 billion football stadium and events center in downtown Los Angeles, AEG revealed architectural renderings of the proposed venue from three design firms.

The three firms were picked from an original field of nine and AEG will choose a design and work on the entitlement process with the City of Los Angeles within 30 days.

AEG has hired ICON Venue Group, a project management firm that worked on Denver's Invesco Field, to act as AEG's representative in the process after working with the group to build the 02 Arena in London.

Tim Romani, president of ICON Venue Group, said Wednesday the project would be built within AEG's $1 billion budget and on the proposed site, which is where the Los Angeles Convention Center's West Hall currently sits. The plan is to first tear down the West Hall, build a $350 million replacement and then begin construction on a 75,000-seat retractable roof stadium. If all goes as planned, construction on the new stadium would begin by 2012 with the stadium ready to be opened in time for the 2015 NFL season. AEG is also hoping the new stadium will host the Super Bowl in 2016, which would be the 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl, which was held at the nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Each design firm's vision for the stadium was as distinct as their backgrounds. The first firm, Gensler, has never designed an NFL stadium but worked with AEG on the Staples Center as well as the L.A. Live campus, designing the new 54-story JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hybrid tower across from Staples Center. The second firm, HNTB, designed Invesco Field but almost as importantly in the eyes of AEG, HNTB is also working on the Las Vegas Convention Center renovation and expansion. Leiweke said last week that as much as he wants the NFL to return to Los Angeles, increasing Los Angeles' convention and tourism business is even more important to him. The third firm, HKS, has the most experience in designing NFL stadiums, having designed the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the host sites of the next two Super Bowls.

"I'm blown away by the amazing creativity and different approaches," said Ted Tanner, executive vice president of AEG Real Estate Development. "That's what's so exciting about this process."

Tanner reiterated Leiweke's stance last week that AEG is hoping to reach an agreement with the city, an agreement with the NFL and at least an understanding of the team that will be moving to Los Angeles within the next three months. Although no NFL team can move to Los Angeles until the league's current labor dispute is resolved and it will be at least a year before the league can approve a transfer, Tanner said AEG would begin construction if they received strong enough indications a team would move to the new stadium.

"That's the intent," Tanner said. "Conversations would continue."

If construction on the new downtown stadium begins, it seems the countdown to the return of the NFL to Los Angeles can commence as well. While AEG will not be able to officially announce which NFL team will be playing in their new stadium, all indications are the stadium will not be built without at least some assurance that an NFL team will be playing in it once it opens. Asked if a stadium would be built without an NFL team, Tanner said, "I don't think so."



Read More: http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5924910&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

^ But the Rams' stadium lease doesn't expire until the end of the 2014 season.

And while it's not very probable he could break the lease early, he could have a mutual understanding with the NFL to make the move once the lease is up, provided the Vikings somehow get a stadium deal to stay in MN. Which makes sense since this stadium will open in 2015, the Rams wouldn't have to play in a temp facility. Now assuming MN gets a stadium, then the Chargers and Jags (only if new Jax ownership) would move to the forefront of the discussion to be the team in 2012. I don't have all the answers, but the NFL definitely wants this project to happen, and I believe they will work the boardrooms in order to find a team willing to do it on AEG's timetable. Otherwise, we're stuck out in Industry.

Imagine the traffic it will cause :D

This is a dumb statement for a few reasons.

1. Football games are almost always played on a Sunday. Aside from the occasional Monday/Thursday game. More often than not, downtown LA is a ghost town on a Sunday. Traffic will be a non issue. And if it does, this is where number 2 comes in.

2. DTLA will be served by all sorts of new forms of transportation in 2015 (if we are to assume that they move forward smoothly): The downtown streetcar, as well as the Expo Line to Santa Monica. Not to mention the Red, Purple, Blue, Green, Gold, Orange, Silver, and Metrolink lines. This will be one of the best stadiums in the NFL in regards to getting to via mass transit.

3. People are making a big deal of 'OMG the traffik will b killerz' but the LA Coliseum is right down the road and seats 93,000 people with no problem.

I find this person's response in the LA Times' (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-stadium-design-20101216,0,5294746.story) article to be basically offensive:


khreinert at 5:58 AM December 16, 2010
Who says the stadium design has to be groundbreaking? Why can't it just be a good place to watch a football game? I'm talking easy access, comfortable seats, ample restrooms, and good sightlines. And oh yeah, lots of parking so that fans can tailgate.

All of the designs are perfectly adequate; they are kind of standard modern NFL stadiums, neither bold nor retro. As someone noted, they could be in the midwest or pretty much anywhere and get the job done.

As the designs progress it would be nice to see something distinctive that reflects LA specifically; or, alternatively, something so unique that it would become a new icon for LA.

For the Gensler design, I think it would be cool if they incorporated electric frosting glass to the entire exterior. They can create some pretty cool patterns that can add another element to the design. It would also have a practical use if the glare from the sun interferes with any of the football games or conventions.

http://www.smartglassinternational.com/

Yeah I agree, all the designs are perfectly reasonable.

But I think we'd all agree that LA deserves something better

Yeah I agree, all the designs are perfectly reasonable.

But I think we'd all agree that LA deserves something better

Supposedly all the renderings were rough drafts. The final drafts will be more detailed.

NFL Downtown Los Angeles

These images provided by AEG Digital Group shows an artist's rendering of the proposed football stadiums, to be called the LA Live Event Center in downtown Los Angeles. AEG and ICON Venue Group, the developers who want to build an NFL stadium near downtown Los Angeles' convention center unveiled these renderings of the sports and convention complex and discussed an early cost analysis Wednesday Dec. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/AEG Digital Group)

1. GENSLER'S STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://media.bakersfieldnow.com/images/NFL+Downtown+Los+Ange_Smit.jpg
http://assets.bizjournals.com/losangeles/images/AEG-LAStadium-Gensler2.jpg?v=2

2. HTNB'S STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://media.bonnint.net/apimage/51db6d6e-ca14-4a9d-bce7-a48825a9a00f.jpg
http://assets.bizjournals.com/losangeles/images/AEG-LAStadium-HNTB2.jpg?v=2

3. HKS' STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://ronkayela.com/HTNB.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/nfl.fanhouse.com/media/2010/12/stadium.jpg

Interesting, didn't know about this...

At one time, the land was within the Central Business District redevelopment area, but that has been shut down.

It is located within a state enterprise zone, which would make AEG eligible for hiring tax credits of $36,000 for five years for each new employee hired, sales tax credits of up to $20 million a year, accelerated expense deductions and carrying over net interests and net losses.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_16875003?nclick_check=1

Also, confirmation on closing some streets...

The space needs of the stadium and adjacent new facilities would take up and shut down Cherry Street and Chick Hearn Court downtown, according to the "request for proposal" that went out to the design firms.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2010/12/la_nfl_stadium_plan.php

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/la%20stadium%20rfp%20plan.JPG

YIKES! HERE'S SOME LARGER VERSIONS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE ... . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/Fullscreencapture1229201023618AM.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/Fullscreencapture1229201023628AM.jpg . I didn't waste my time with the others. This one looks like it would be relevant for about 8 years. Starting right now of course.

"IT ISN'T AS THOUGH AEG NEEDED TO SCOUR THE GLOBE TO FIND TALENTED AND INNOVATIVE STADIUM ARCHITECTS!" CHRISTOPHER HAWTHORNE/LATIMES . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/AEG-LAStadium-HKS1.jpghttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/NewDallasCowboyStadium.jpg HKS LOS ANGELES...........................HKS DALLAS THERE'S NOTHING GROUNDBREAKING IN DOWNTOWN L A STADIUM DESIGN PROPOSALS Safe, sleek, inoffensive corporate architecture is offered that does little to elevate the conversation about the kind of large-scale civic architecture we want or need in downtown and region. . If the three competing designs for a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles released Wednesday were an NFL division, they'd be the NFC West.

As is the case with that sorry division — which is now led by a pair of teams with losing records, the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams — one of the stadium proposals eventually will win the design competition put together by entertainment giant AEG.

But that doesn't mean it'll do much more than limp to victory — or to elevate the conversation about the kind of large-scale civic architecture we want or need in downtown L.A. and across the region.

Safe, sleek, inoffensive corporate architecture was the order of the day at AEG's Wednesday news conference, at which the company announced that after soliciting designs for a 72,000-seat, $1-billion stadium from eight firms around the country, it has shortlisted three: HKS, which designed the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas; HNTB, architect of Invesco Field in Denver; and Gensler, which designed the new hotel and condo tower at AEG's L.A. Live.

As a site for this kind of facility, downtown, with its existing parking, freeway and transit infrastructure, makes more sense than City of Industry, where developer Ed Roski has been pushing a competing stadium proposal. But none of the designs shortlisted by AEG is a match for the energetic design Roski commissioned from L.A. architect Dan Meis, who now works for giant firm Populous. And Meis' design is itself hardly world-beating.

The HNTB scheme calls for a barn-like structure that seems oblivious to the urban character and architectural form surrounding it. The top-heavy HKS proposal would enclose the playing field beneath a pair of awkward sail-like forms on the roof.

The Gensler design, while doubtless the strongest and most fully developed of the three, with elegant trusses supporting a roof covered in lightweight, translucent foil panels, has the same placeless, generic quality that marks Staples Center and L.A. Live.

To a large extent, the lack of architectural ambition evident in the designs comes as little surprise. Anyone who has spent much time downtown knows AEG is hardly a patron of innovative architecture.

But there were glimmers, when AEG began to explore the idea of building a stadium downtown, that it might take a more active interest in architecture and urban design this time around. In part this had to do with the involvement of Casey Wasserman, who has teamed with AEG's Tim Leiweke and Ted Tanner on the stadium planning and who is fairly savvy about contemporary architecture. Early in the process, AEG held preliminary conversations with a small number of architects who are significantly more adventurous than the ones it later engaged formally. But conservatism won out in the end.

The proposals for the stadium — which will be squeezed between Staples Center and the L.A. Convention Center, and require some convention facilities to be rebuilt, presumably on AEG's dime, along Pico Boulevard — fall short on more than just aesthetic grounds. They are also fairly timid in their thinking about the future of downtown.

The Gensler plan, at least, makes clear that a strong pedestrian axis could be created leading west from Figueroa Boulevard along Chick Hearn Court toward the stadium entrance. But none begin to suggest how the stadium might manage the tough trick of creating an architectural presence bold enough to hold its own when seen from the Harbor Freeway while also creating a more modest and welcoming scale for pedestrians approaching from various parts of downtown. The design renderings AEG showed Wednesday — two each by the remaining three firms — also revealed little about possible connections between the site and nearby Metro stations on the Red and Blue lines.

Around the world, stadium design has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. The "bird's nest" Olympic Stadium in Beijing, by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, is the best known of these new high-design sports facilities. But it has been joined by breathtaking designs for sports venues from Portugal to Qatar, where several new soccer stadiums are planned for the 2022 World Cup. You could make a case, in fact, that stadiums have replaced museums in the last decade as the leading site for architectural innovation at a large civic scale.

And it isn't as though AEG needed to scour the globe to find talented and innovative stadium architects. Hitoshi Abe, the chair of the architecture department at UCLA, made a name for himself with a remarkable design for the Miyagi Stadium in northern Japan. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/untitledjaaa-2.jpghttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/hittheground-1.jpg HITOSHI ABE AND HIS DESIGN .

Rather than tapping into that kind of design talent, AEG, in collaboration with the project management firm Icon Venue Group, solicited designs in a narrow architectural range, from firms that tend to produce stadiums indistinguishable from the work of their closest competitors. In addition to the three shortlisted firms, AEG considered designs from AECOM Ellerbe Becket; 360 Architecture; NBBJ; Manica Architecture; and Rossetti Architects. With the possible exception of Manica, which is developing stadiums in China and elsewhere, none could reasonably have been expected to push AEG to raise its level of design ambition significantly.

In a broader sense, the process AEG has followed in choosing an architect has to be counted a disappointment even in a vacuum — even if it leads nowhere and fails to land an NFL franchise. Proposals for sites as large and significant as these are not simply economic-development vehicles. They are also opportunities to elevate the discussion about architecture and design in Los Angeles, and to help build a constituency for enlightened urbanism here. . CHRISTOPHER HAWTHORNE LOSANGELESTIMES

Yup, I'm not crazy about any either, I guess Gensler's is the least "bad" of the three, but, eh!

Critic's Notebook: Los Angeles needs a game plan
AEG's plans for a new football stadium in downtown Los Angeles point to bigger problems: The city follows, not leads, and allows developers to shape Los Angeles one mega-project at a time.


By Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times Architecture Critic
December 30, 2010, 3:09 p.m.



Is this any way to build a city?

Earlier this month, when entertainment giant AEG released three designs for a downtown football stadium, the response from the media and the public focused mostly on the quality of the architecture. That was hardly surprising: The stadium proposals — by Gensler, HNTB Architecture and HKS Architects — were resoundingly mediocre. We were blinded by the bland.

But the stadium story has dimensions that go beyond design, and they're worth examining even while keeping in mind that AEG's NFL dreams may ultimately amount to nothing more than hype. Among the most significant is the path that AEG has taken to smooth the way for the stadium's potential approval by city officials. It is not an approach that inspires much confidence about the way we think about and plan the Los Angeles of the future. It also rings with echoes of failed development plans of L.A.'s past.



Two parts of the deal, in particular, are depressingly familiar. One is that City Hall finds itself in the familiar position of reacting to, rather than guiding with any real foresight, a major development proposal that seeks to rewrite the planning rules downtown.

Another is the sheer overwhelming scale of the $1-billion stadium. Even as city planners have made a point of focusing, at least in theory, on a finer grain of civic improvements, such as urban-design guidelines released in 2009, in practice they continue to allow developers to shape downtown one mega-project at a time.

Along Grand Avenue, where construction crews will soon break ground on a new museum to hold Eli Broad's collection of postwar and contemporary art, the drawbacks of that strategy — build a huge flashy project or build nothing at all — are clear. On the site at Grand Avenue and First Street where two residential towers by Frank Gehry were supposed to rise, for example, what we're left with, as that development remains in credit-crunch limbo, is a flimsy-looking parking structure known as the Erector Set. Built in 1969, it was supposed to be temporary.

Now, in South Park, Tim Leiweke, AEG's president and chief executive, has teamed with 36-year-old businessman Casey Wasserman on another high-stakes development gamble, in this case hoping a new retractable-roof stadium downtown will help lure the NFL back to Los Angeles. Though part of the site they have in mind — a 15-acre parcel between Staples Center and the Harbor Freeway — occupies city land, it was AEG, in private, that solicited design proposals from eight architecture firms, none of them particularly innovative. And it was AEG that trimmed that list of eight firms earlier this month to three.

It was Wasserman and Leiweke who settled on the site in the first place, though in recent weeks they have certainly kept city officials up to date on the progress of their stadium plans.

And those officials, eager for momentum on any major real-estate venture as the economy continues to sputter, have been receptive, to say the least. This is the case despite the fact that a section of the stadium site is already filled by the West Hall of the L.A. Convention Center, which would have to be relocated.

When I joined new Los Angeles planning director Michael LoGrande for an onstage conversation earlier this month at Occidental College, he brought up stadium talks between the city and AEG before I even had a chance to ask. It is clear that the planning office, though gutted by staff cuts this year, has been spending a significant amount of time weighing the downtown stadium proposal — even if that proposal is speculative at best, given that L.A. is still without an NFL franchise.

Once again, when it comes to the future of downtown, the city finds itself playing catch-up, responding to an ambitious private plan rather than putting intelligent, far-reaching planning rules in place that developers are then obliged to follow. For decades, of course, Los Angeles has shaped its architectural future in just this manner, with an absence of strong and coherent planning creating a vacuum into which powerful individuals — developers, moguls, patrons and even architects — have rushed. Even if the land in question is public, the initiative is usually private.

There are occasional exceptions to this rule, elected officials who move aggressively to build well-designed civic space. But for every Kenneth Hahn or Tom Bradley there always seem to be three or four Eli Broads or Rick Carusos putting an indelible if uninspired stamp on L.A.

By contrast, other cities, notably New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Portland, Ore., have breathed new life into the public sphere not by chasing giant developer-driven projects but by tending carefully to transit, bike paths, parks and other human-scaled improvements.

In certain ways the reactive planning Los Angeles is known for has benefited the city and its architects. It's unlikely that the work of Gehry or Rudolph Schindler, to pick two examples, would have been able to develop as it did in a city with a more insistent kind of planning culture or a more actively engaged populace. As emerging architects they and many of their colleagues had a chance to build experimental projects largely out of public view. They took advantage of an architecture scene that was unusually resistant, if not entirely immune, to the leveling influence of philistinism.

But that Los Angeles no longer exists. The city has grown more congested and more vertical. What we need to boost civic life now is not a collection of groundbreaking individual buildings as much as a more sophisticated approach to urban design, public space and mobility. And stand-alone masterpieces grow scarcer in any case: Very little land remains open for new architecture within the city.

The unbuilt real estate that is available tends to be on the extreme outskirts of urbanized L.A. One such parcel is the site in the city of Industry, roughly 20 miles east of downtown, where developer Ed Roski is working on a rival NFL stadium plan with architect Dan Meis.

This changing Los Angeles requires a new planning philosophy, but so far the city, particularly under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has been slow to develop one. He and his planning directors — first Gail Goldberg and now LoGrande — have begun the painstaking work of overhauling the city's many community plans, among other urban-design initiatives. But the mayor and his top advisors have also proved vulnerable, even more than politicians elsewhere, to the distracting appeal of the flashy mega-project.

As a result, over the decades, the extra-large deals always seem to get hammered out — particularly downtown — while a more thoughtful, forward-looking and comprehensive brand of planning continues to lag behind, underfunded and undervalued.

christopher.hawthorne@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

Critic's Notebook: Los Angeles needs a game plan

By contrast, other cities, notably New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Portland, Ore., have breathed new life into the public sphere not by chasing giant developer-driven projects but by tending carefully to transit, bike paths, parks and other human-scaled improvements.



It's Chris Hawthorne! Who'd of guessed? The New York City under Iceberg is a very different NYC that existed particularly pre-9/11. As far as big developers they were defitnetly courted throughout the 90's to get the city up off its knees after the 70's and 80's....Disney in Times Square? But the difference as far as large developments is that Manhattan is already built out. Besides excavating huge swaths of land and people to make way for some ginormous development (as was done in the 70's...Battery Park anyone?) major developments have to fit into the fabric of its surroundings. Constrast that with DTLA and the surroundings of LA Live which are parking lots. Isn't this the reason why a football stadium is not being proposed for the Historic Core or Little Tokyo? And I'm also not making the connection between major developments, bike lanes and transit. If anything in the city major development has actually worked with transit by operating joint ventures with the MTA in building transit accessible residential and retail.

Rams miss the playoffs! Another step closer to returning to their rightful home of Los Angeles! :cheers:

Rams miss the playoffs! Another step closer to returning to their rightful home of Los Angeles! :cheers:

I don't know why you're so hung up on the Ram's coming back to LA. They have never been that great of team to begin with. And they were originally in Cleveland before they moved to LA.

I don't know why you're so hung up on the Ram's coming back to LA. They have never been that great of team to begin with. And they were originally in Cleveland before they moved to LA.

Because they played here for 49 seasons. That's why.

And I don't care how much success they had during their time here. They were LA's first football and pro sports team. They have history here.

And we like their helmets :) . That other article about Los Angeles not leading is what I read and agree with. I guess beggars can't be choosers. Which is sad, what with having no funding contribution to these projects. I don't remember about our skin in the game with Staples Center, or if we even had any, but we lucked out with that one. We won't be so lucky this time.

Maybe we should have Staple's Roski come in and choose the project? Huh? ahem ...

NFL Downtown Los Angeles

These images provided by AEG Digital Group shows an artist's rendering of the proposed football stadiums, to be called the LA Live Event Center in downtown Los Angeles. AEG and ICON Venue Group, the developers who want to build an NFL stadium near downtown Los Angeles' convention center unveiled these renderings of the sports and convention complex and discussed an early cost analysis Wednesday Dec. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/AEG Digital Group)

1. GENSLER'S STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://media.bakersfieldnow.com/images/NFL+Downtown+Los+Ange_Smit.jpg
http://assets.bizjournals.com/losangeles/images/AEG-LAStadium-Gensler2.jpg?v=2

2. HTNB'S STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://media.bonnint.net/apimage/51db6d6e-ca14-4a9d-bce7-a48825a9a00f.jpg
http://assets.bizjournals.com/losangeles/images/AEG-LAStadium-HNTB2.jpg?v=2

3. HKS' STADIUM IN DOWNTOWN L.A.
http://ronkayela.com/HTNB.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/nfl.fanhouse.com/media/2010/12/stadium.jpgone word....."wow!!!!"

They must demolish a part of CCLA? The stadium looks great yeah but I think it's a little bit close...

What were folks saying about building Staples Center in the then "very scary downtown LA"? Were there as many naysayers as their are about this stadium?

Because they played here for 49 seasons. That's why.

And I don't care how much success they had during their time here. They were LA's first football and pro sports team. They have history here.

LA's first football team was the Dons.

At least the Raiders won a Super Bowl. The Rams didn't win one until they moved to St. Louis. The Rams have always been a good but never great football team. The Rams did nothing for LA. They didn't do anything for Orange County for that fact.

Why is it such a big deal to you, anyway? Let me be.

I don't care how much success they enjoyed in LA. Generations of Angelenos grew up watching the Rams. They are part of our civic culture. As are the Raiders. I'm also a Raiders fan. I would love for them to return as well.

Rams WERE football in Los Angeles. Raiders were only a novelty.

1) Chargers in 2012
2) Rams in 2015

Make it happen!

Why is it such a big deal to you, anyway? Let me be.

I don't care how much success they enjoyed in LA. Generations of Angelenos grew up watching the Rams. They are part of our civic culture. As are the Raiders. I'm also a Raiders fan. I would love for them to return as well.

How are the Rams a part of LA's civic culture? I was never a fan of them but the Raiders meant more to Los Angeles than the Rams could ever hope to. The Raiders made the LA Kings change their colors (from purple and gold to silver and black) to cash on the marketing frenzy that was Raider colors. You would see kids in Compton wearing Kings jerseys only because they were in silver and black. The Raiders were a reflection of Los Angeles in the 80's and early 90's: unapologetic, brash, and misunderstood. The Rams, while good, never had the same impact as the Raiders did.

How are the Rams a part of LA's civic culture? I was never a fan of them but the Raiders meant more to Los Angeles than the Rams could ever hope to. The Raiders made the LA Kings change their colors (from purple and gold to silver and black) to cash on the marketing frenzy that was Raider colors. You would see kids in Compton wearing Kings jerseys only because they were in silver and black. The Raiders were a reflection of Los Angeles in the 80's and early 90's: unapologetic, brash, and misunderstood. The Rams, while good, never had the same impact as the Raiders did.

I repeat: 49 seasons.

It has nothing to do with success. Are the White Sox more representative of Chicago than the Cubs?

You think the Raiders are more representative of LA only because you're in your 20's. What about older generations who grew up watching the Rams?

I really don't understand why you're nagging me. The Rams and Raiders play in different conferences; they are mutually exclusive. One moving here doesn't preclude the other from following suit.

What were folks saying about building Staples Center in the then "very scary downtown LA"? Were there as many naysayers as their are about this stadium?

about a 100 times more. i was shocked when it got the approval. Joel Wachs was hell bent on derailing the project.

Wow, that seems like so long ago ..

Tell me more!

AEG, Farmers Insurance close to naming-rights deal for downtown NFL stadium
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-aeg-nfl-stadium-20110109,0,3037594.story

We can just call it The Farm. I like it.

hah

We can just call it The Farm. I like it.

perfect! i think that will catch on asap.

also, this is certainly good news regarding the stadium.

Laist.com asks, "Could this be the final piece for AEG securing a NFL arena downtown?"

So I'll ask it here. Does this move mean anything significant regarding the stadium proposal downtown?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/01/aeg-live-nation.html