15 replies to this topic

[DTIII™]

LOS ANGELES -- Stadium developers cleared the final political hurdle to bringing the NFL back to Los Angeles on Friday when the city council unanimously approved plans to build a $1.5 billion football stadium downtown.

The next step before construction can begin, potentially next spring, is to convince an NFL team -- or maybe two -- to move.

"We're not trying to steal a franchise and we're not trying to force them to move before they make a decision to move," said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, the company behind the project. "That's up to the individual owners out there today. But we will be very active in letting them know, despite what a lot of people thought, we have a deal with the city, we've gone through this process and we are shovel-ready."

The city council's approval, which was widely anticipated, came in a packed council chambers at city hall. Among those in attendance were Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, ex-USC quarterback Rodney Peete, two local high school football teams, a large contingent of Rams fans and dozens of union workers.

If NFL owners approve a team's move to Los Angeles next spring, the city will issue bonds to pay for a projected $314 million convention center building next door to the stadium. Those bonds eventually would be repaid by AEG.

It could take about four years for the stadium and adjoining convention center to be finished, but an NFL team could move to Los Angeles before then and play in one of the existing stadiums in the city.

Leiweke signed a five-year extension with AEG last week, sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi, and Leiweke said he intends to be with the company until Farmers Field is built.

Via ESPNLA

[bigfetz]

Great news. Hope the chargers go there.

[SoCalSpider]

Great news. Hope the chargers go there.

If they do, hope they leave their lame ass color scheme and logo in SD and get a makeover to fit LA.

Raiders.

[Thanatos]

We can always give the Clippers as compensation to whichever city loses an NFL team to LA.

[DTIII™]

Might be the Jaguars, we'll have to wait though.

[underworldmike]

dont forget my rams

[Hollywood]

Damn we are getting the worse teams haha. Its like sending the Wizards or Bobcats to seattle.

^ Not the Raiders. They actually have a storied franchise with a storied history of superbowls.

[Hollywood]

Yeah but when was the last time they where even rellevant?

^ Like it or not, I guarantee you they'd be relevant if they came here, even more than the Chargers (even if they're winning more). Sounds crazy, but I'm serious. I'm that certain of it.

[Hollywood]

They would be for the worng reason though. Being ridiculed for being a bad team is not really a good thing.

[Busty Bluth]

Need a team now.

If its the raiders, I'd never go to a game.

Edited by WhatUSaid, September 30, 2012 - 11:42 AM.

[ace™]

I don't want the Raiders either.

Obnoxious fans, too many gangs affiliated with them, and they're terrible.

[Busty Bluth]

I don't want the Raiders either.

Obnoxious fans, too many gangs affiliated with them, and they're terrible.

Pretty much sums it up.

Who do you think it should be?

I'm thinking St. Louis. Already play in the NFC west.

[ace™]

Pretty much sums it up.

Who do you think it should be?

I'm thinking St. Louis. Already play in the NFC west.

Don't know of the teams "rumored" to be candidates tbh. What have you heard?

Also, what are the chances that it can be an expansion team? Fresh team, fresh start.

It would take some years of building a great team via free agency, trades, and the draft, but i'm guessing whatever owner/ownership group wouldn't wanna waste any time and build a championship contender asap. After all, it's not just any city, it's Los Angeles.