According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, the NFL has all but officially eliminated AEG’s proposal for a stadium in downtown Los Angeles......bleacherreport.
Less than six months after the L.A. city council voted unanimously to support AEG's plan, the concept is essentially dead to the NFL, according to two sources. The problems with the plan are numerous, but the most essential one is the economics.According to Cole’s report, AEG hopes to build a football facility across from the Staples Center, but the cost of such an undertaking would be in the vicinity of $1.8 billion. The NFL believes that figure would make the numbers “unworkable,” according to the league source he quotes.
The NFL is still open to AEG’s plans to build a complex for an NFL team in Los Angeles, though. It just seems the company will have to find a way to make the project more financially sound.
Another limitation for such a project is the inadequate space in which to build a stadium in the area. According to Cole, the league has been entertaining the idea of the project for some time, but the “cramped conditions” that close to the Staples Center would make adding a football facility a difficult task.Last September, Los Angeles City Council approved a potential stadium project with a unanimous vote. Despite the city’s eagerness to bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles—and the league’s reported interest—no real progress has been made (per Cole).
In July, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the league outlining stipulations for relocation to Los Angeles. In the memo, he also stated his desire for any new facility in Los Angeles to be able to house two franchises (per ESPN).
Los Angeles hasn’t hosted an NFL team since 1995, when the Rams and Raiders relocated. The interest to bring back another franchise is present, but the circumstances aren’t right—at least not right now.
