Build Them and They'll Come

If we do not learn the lessons of our past, we are doomed to repeat them.

Watching over the battles over who will bring the NFL back to Southern California, and it seems like no one's learned.

We've got two sides warring over which site will be better, which stadium will be better, how each has the plan and so on and so on. No firm decisions. No earth moved. And no team on the horizon.

Seems familiar. Oh yeah, this is what happened last time there was an expansion franchise to be awarded ... which went to Houston. Because they had an owner, a stadium plan and everything in place to get the team going.

So, we have two sides talking a good game, but no one actually giving us much in the place of action (well, except one side selling naming rights to a building that doesn't exist).

If I may offer a solution to the problem we're facing: Build 'em both. AEG can have its stadium in downtown LA and Mr. Roski and partners will have their stadium in Industry.

Why two stadiums? Why not? OK, there are some real reasons why this could (and should) work:

1. Jobs: We're dealing with crushing unemployment in this state. Both sides are promising JOBS, JOBS, JOBS with their projects. Lots of construction people go back to work. Then there will be the maintence workers and concession workers and so on that will get their chance once the stadiums are built.

2. The Market: But can we handle two stadiums, you may ask? This is Southern California, sure we can. This market handles two Major League Baseball teams (and four California League squads), two National Basketball Association teams (and almost a third), two National Hockey League franchises (and the minor league Ontario Reign) and two major college football teams (yeah, UCLA ain't what it used to be). And, didn't we used to have two NFL teams?

Then factor in events such as the X Games, concerts, CIF championship games, more track and field (imagine the Mt. SAC Relays inside Los Angeles Stadium), boxing or MMA cards, soccer matches, Olympic qualifying events ... well, you get the picture.

Do we already have enough facilities to handle it all? Probably, but when's that stopped us in the past?

Sure, no one wants a big, white elephant in their town (like the countries that have to build stadiums for the Olympics or World Cup end up with). But honestly, does anyone think that either of these projects will sit around empty for long?

The list of current teams that would salivate at either of these new stadiums would be long enough to fill them (San Francisco, San Diego, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Buffalo, maybe even New Orleans). And besides, AEG's downtown project is supposed to doubling as convention space, so even if only one team comes, and chooses the Industry project, then downtown would still have enough dates to justify the building. (And hey, can we move the Grammys into there so that the Staples tenants don't have to go on massive road trips each year while we're at it?)

3. Location, Location, Location: The real estate agent's favorite selling point is true for the need for both of these, too.

As I mentioned previously, no matter how much either sells their stadium as the best spot to get people from all over, they're both only going to be partially right. Because we can be a fickle bunch in SoCal, and driving to some locations, well, there are folks who still won't do it.

Downtown LA still carries the stigma of being, well, downtown LA. And Industry, well, it might as well be the sticks for those folks residing at the beaches in the South Bay.

So, that's my two cents. Both sides seem willing and able to sink the money into these projects, so why should they care about the other?

Get to it Misters Lieweke and Roski. We're tired of talk. Let's see some action.