Just when you think you’ve seen everything, news breaks that two NFL franchises are working together to build a new stadium that they could share.
The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, rivals on the field, are moving forward together on a plan to build a $1.7-billion NFL stadium in Carson that they will share.
The Chargers and the Raiders are working together. That sounds interesting. Of course, their cities are 500 miles apart. So how is that going to work?
The Chargers and Raiders will continue to seek public subsidies for new stadiums in their home markets, but they are developing a detailed proposal for a privately financed Los Angeles venue in the event they can’t get deals done in San Diego and Oakland by the end of this year, according to the teams.
Wait a minute, so does this mean that Los Angeles could possibly go from having no NFL franchises to having two?
In a statement given to The Times on Thursday, the Chargers and Raiders said: “We are pursuing this stadium option in Carson for one straightforward reason: If we cannot find a permanent solution in our home markets, we have no alternative but to preserve other options to guarantee the future economic viability of our franchises.
Is this more of a threat to the locals, something that they are serious about or a combination of the two?
This latest high-stakes move was precipitated by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who announced in December his plan to build an 80,000-seat stadium on the land that used to be Hollywood Park.
That put pressure on the Chargers, who say 25% of their fan base is in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The Raiders, among the most financially strapped NFL teams, joined forces with the Chargers because they don’t have the money build a stadium on their own.
L.A., which has been without the NFL for two decades, now finds itself with three teams that could relocate here and four stadium proposals, including the Farmers Field concept downtown and developer Ed Roski’s plan in the City of Industry.
It can be heavily debated if the city of Los Angeles deserves an NFL team, but it certainly looks like it’s going to get one soon with so many franchises flirting with the City of Angels.
All signs point to the Chargers and Raiders — like the Rams — targeting the 2016 season for relocation, should those teams not get acceptable deals to remain in their current cities. The NFL has long held that L.A. is a two-team market, and it’s almost inconceivable that the league would allow three teams in such close proximity.
The NFL has ruled out any teams’ relocating this season, and is strongly opposed to a franchise’s enduring more than one lame-duck season in a market about to be vacated. A team or teams moving to L.A. would play for at least two seasons in a temporary home — most likely the Coliseum, Rose Bowl or possibly Dodger Stadium — while a new stadium was under construction.
[LA Times]
