Could the NFL be coming to Chavez Ravine?
Several media outlets have reported that Guggenheim Partners, the new owners of the Dodgers, are in talks with the league about bringing a team and stadium to Los Angeles, part of a second round of bids the league is looking at.
Anschutz Entertainment Group's Farmers Field plans for downtown Los Angeles and developer Ed Roski's plans for a stadium in City of Industry have dominated the headlines in recent years, but the NFL has never granted its approval of the plans, according to Sports Business Daily, because the league is not comfortable with either site.
The NFL has soured on the AEG plan, according to reports, due to the fact that AEG put itself up for sale in August. Also, according to Sports Business Daily, via LAWeekly:
The downtown Los Angeles location does not comport to the NFL’s preference that a team control the building. AEG’s approach is to own the building, as it does with Staples Center, where the NBA Lakers and Clippers are tenants. Owning the building also gives AEG control of the sales inventory.
Roski’s site, meanwhile, while only 20 miles outside Los Angeles, is considered by many unglamorous and difficult to access.
Buried deeper in the story is this somewhat ominous passage, one that could have huge implications for Echo Park and its surrounding neighborhoods:
It’s unclear if the league would want the Dodgers to leave Chavez Ravine if an NFL team moved in. Guggenheim is planning to spend a low-nine-figure sum renovating Dodger Stadium, so that would seem an odd investment if the stadium were to be torn down to make way for an NFL venue.
Stay tuned to Patch for updates.
