Rose Bowl Committee not interested in being a temp home for NFL

The NFL’s flirtation with the Rose Bowl as a temporary playing site while a long-term Los Angeles stadium is being built is off to a rocky start. And if the committee in charge of the stadium has it’s way, the relationship will end before ever getting started.

The Rose Bowl Operating Committee voted unanimously of Wednesday to reject the NFL’s overtures in being a temporary stadium site beginning in the 2016 season. The league has reached out to various local sites – the Rose Bowl, Coliseum and StubHub Center and Dodger Stadium  – gauging interest in housing one or two teams while a stadium in either Carson or Inglewood is constructed.

The NFL is assessing the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders Carson stadium project and St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s proposed Inglewood stadium plan. A decision on what team or teams relocate to Los Angeles and where they will play could come by the end of 2015 or early 2016.

If one or two teams relocate, they will need temporary stadiums while their new homes get built.

The Rose Bowl figured prominently in the discussion. But it doesn’t look like the interest is mutual.

 

And while the Pasadena City Council has the right to ignore the committee’s decision, obviously this wasn’t the reaction the NFL was hoping.

If the decision stands, the Coliseum figures to benefit. However, don’t rule out the StubHub Center, which has emerged as a serious candidate despite seating just 27,000 – far below typical NFL stadiums.

However, the league – and at least one of the teams in consideration – view the venue as an attractive alternative in that it can create an intimate, acoustic fan experience unlike any other stadium.