The Rose Bowl has been home to the Turkey Tussle for as long as anyone can remember. It’s a Pasadena tradition that’s unmatched by any other because this particular rivalry has a unique element: it’s played in one of the most recognized stadiums in the world. Well, how do you feel about the Turkey Tussle possibly sharing that unique element with the East L.A. Classic, which pits Roosevelt and Garfield? The East L.A. Classic is billed as the biggest high school football game west of the Mississippi River. That’s arguable, but why play the East L.A. Classic outside East L.A.? For a while the Classic was played at the Coliseum, but East L.A. College has been home for some time now. But in an ESPN Los Angeles story, school officials are thinking about making a switch from East L.A. to Pasadena:
The game has been played mostly at East L.A. College Stadium after it was built in 1951 and has attracted capacity crowds of 20,000 since the 1960s. After a brief four-year run at the Coliseum, the east side rivals reluctantly returned to East L.A. in 2004 and have played there since.
Both schools are unhappy with the costs of playing the game there, which includes rent and city permit fees for police and traffic enforcement assessed by the city of Monterey Park, where the college is located. The schools have also complained that they don’t share in revenue from food and beverage concessions and parking.
