…To Los Angeles’ new palace of a football stadium, which could open as soon as 2016

BRAD CLARK
(Clark started and writes for NFLsFuture.com)

The Los Angeles City Council has historically fought the movement towards an NFL team moving back into L.A.  The City Council’s stance has been the major detractor from the league endorsing any such move, but as of yesterday, that all changed.

On Tuesday the L.A. City Council voted unanimously to approve the framework on the funding and timeline of a stadium in the city’s convention center campus.  Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) will fund the 72,000 seat stadium that is estimated to cost over $1 billion.  AEG has already sold the naming rights of the stadium for $500 million to Farmer’s Insurance and it will be known as Farmer’s Field. 

Groundbreaking will take place as early as next June with the anticipation of a 2016 finish date.  AEG already owns the Staples Center and Farmer’s Field is expected to be built under the same guise as Staples.  Farmer’s will be jam packed with luxury boxes to ensure that the corporate L.A. scene will be taken care of and to ensure financial viability of at least one L.A. team.  Some have speculated that we could see two NFL teams in L.A. in the next decade.  But for now we’ll worry about the one that L.A. still doesn’t have

So, they have a privately funded stadium but who will the fans of L.A. be rooting for when the NFL reemerges in the City of Angels?

Jacksonville, San Diego, Minnesota, Buffalo, St. Louis, and  Oakland have floated around as possible candidates to relocate.

Rumors of a Jacksonville move to L.A. have floated for the better part of three years.  For a team that consistently faces blackouts in their market and is not viable to their fan base they seem the most likely candidate.  Without the fan or financial support logic says that Jacksonville is the odds on favorite for an L.A. uprooting.

The dark horse in this race has become the San Diego Chargers.  The Chargers, unlike Jacksonville, have a solid fan base but they can’t get approval for a new stadium.  They have been working for a decade to build a new stadium but it hasn’t resulted in anything more than paper.  The Chargers have roots in L.A. since the days of the AFL and appear to be closing in on Jacksonville for the most likely team to make a move.  In the coming months the Chargers are likely to emerge as the favorites as they could be moved by next season with a home at the Los Angeles Coliseum.  That’s right we could see the L.A. Chargers (again) as soon as the 2012 season.

The Oakland Raiders have to Los Angeles’ worst nightmare for a possible move, but you can guarantee that somewhere Al Davis and Co. will be lurking to pounce on a ready-made stadium and 16 million fans.  Al Davis never wanted to move from L.A. and would welcome (with open arms) the possibility of one last ride in L.A.  Sad but true. L.A. fans this one is a possibility.

Minnesota, Buffalo, and St. Louis are candidates but not strong ones.  Minnesota and Buffalo are deep in tradition and have roots in their respective cities.  St. Louis is on the incline with Sam Bradford and that fan base will get behind the Rams to help keep them in St. Louis.  They are probably the longest of long shots.

Whatever team lands in L.A. they will be welcomed by a fan base that has had divided loyalties since the Rams and Raiders left.  Their loyalties have been split between the Rams, Raiders, Chargers, Trojans, and Lakers and will once again take their rightful place in downtown L.A. where Farmer’s Field lays.

Photo: Reuters

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