Rose Bowl officials reject stadium's proposed use as temporary NFL home
Operators of the Rose Bowl say they won’t submit a proposal to become a temporary home to an NFL franchise if one moves the Los Angeles area, the Los Angeles Timesreports.
In a unanimous vote, the Rose Bowl Operating Co. refused to respond to the league’s proposal requests to several Los Angeles area-venues in efforts of securing a temporary home for a team or teams next season in case a franchise relocates to the area.
Last month, the NFL sent proposals to the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium and StubHub Center, home of Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy.
Instead of hosting an NFL team, the operating company said that they would pursue an annual music and arts festival for the stadium, which would bring in an estimated $3 million a year in revenue.
2015 NFL off-season report cards
“We believe that a music and arts festival is more fitting with Pasadena's brand and with the future of the stadium,” RBOC president and Pasadena City Council member Victor Gordo said. “With our desire to have certainty of finances of the stadium, and to have a world-class event that's fitting of the city.”
An environmental impact report (EIR) currently being commissioned bans the stadium from hosting an NFL team.
An Aug. 11 meeting in Chicago is scheduled for the NFL owners to discuss the possibility of a team playing in Los Angeles next season.
St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is moving forward with plans for a team in Los Angeles, after he bought 60 acres of land adjacent to the Forum and Hollywood Park in Inglewood last year and teamed up with Stockbridge Capital Group on plans to build a $1.86-billion, 80,000-seat NFL stadium.
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The Carson City Council unanimously approved a $1.7 billion NFL stadium plan, with the new facility to be shared by the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, while San Diego officials are working to complete their own EIR in order to publicly vote on a $1.4 billion stadium in the city.
"An RFP to five stadiums is not an indication that the NFL wants to come here," Rose Bowl board member Nicholas Rodriguez said, "it’s indication of a bidding war."
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