NFL investigating temporary Los Angeles venues
The National Football League is serious about moving a team – or two – to Los Angeles, Calif. by 2016. According to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, the NFL is looking into temporary sites to host games in 2016, with three teams actively looking to move to California if their current situation don’t improve.
The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers issued a proposal in February for a stadium to be shared in Carson, while the St. Louis Rams proposed a 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, Calif., to be built on land that team owner Stan Kroenke already owns.
The NFL is looking into multiple venues, most notably the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Rose Bowl. The L.A. Coliseum was home to the Raiders when they played in Los Angeles from 1982-95, often criticized for the legion of empty seats in the cavernous stadium. The Rams also played there from 1946-79, sometimes in front of more than 100,000 people. The Rams moved to Anaheim in 1980 (although kept the name “Los Angeles”) before moving to St. Louis for the 1995 season.
Chris Hardart, the NFL vice president of corporate development, stated that looking into venues for temporary use while new stadium are built is simply one step, per Williams.
"“It is part of the process, and an effort to understand all of our options and have a well-thought-out plan if a team or teams were to be approved to relocate,” Hardart said."
Los Angeles has not had an NFL team to root for since the Rams and Raiders both left at the conclusion of the 1994 season. Both teams saw dwindling attendance, leading them to other cities.
Should the NFL decide to play games in the Rose Bowl, it would not be the first time. The Rose Bowl, while it has never hosted a regular-season game, has hosted many Super Bowls including Super Bowl XI, XIV, XVII, XXI and XXVII. The stadium was originally opened in 1922, but has recent undergone renovations to increase capacity to 92,542. It would be the largest NFL stadium in terms of capacity other than Cowboys Stadium.