What Does It Mean For the NFL? : League Wants to See More Effort

Call it a coincidence, but on the eve of King owner Edward Roski’s announcement that the city of Los Angeles had won round one as site for a new sports arena, key NFL officials were in town plotting the future of football here.

“I think the fact the city was able to mobilize enough resources to get a new arena that will support the Lakers and Kings downtown really says a lot to us about the ability of Los Angeles to bring football back,” said Neil Austrian, NFL president.

If the city successfully follows through on its negotiated proposal with the Kings, Los Angeles wins, and Hollywood Park once again loses at the wire.

In showing off uncharacteristic political unity, Los Angeles has improved its game plan in moving toward a Super Bowl--the city’s next order of business. The NFL will award the 1999 and 2000 Super Bowls during their October owners’ meetings, and Los Angeles currently is a finalist.

The NFL, which has been irritated by the city’s reluctance to make a strong push for football, has let it be known, however, that they might not look favorably on a Los Angeles bid for a Super Bowl without showing some sign of long-range commitment.

Dodger owner Peter O’Malley, who has the reputation and capacity to make such a commitment, announced he would make his football intentions known in June. But to date he has remained mum.

O’Malley has been stopped by the rebirth of the Coliseum and all the political mess that accompanies such talk. O’Malley, who is the NFL’s top choice for bringing the return of football here via an expansion franchise, entered the scene with the understanding the NFL had no interest in bringing football to the Coliseum.

The NFL still has no interest, but Coliseum officials, buoyed by the prospect of a new arena, like the idea of linking the two facilities and creating a sports/entertainment corridor down Figueroa Street. A spiffy presentation is being prepared to deliver to the NFL’s Stadium Committee, and political leaders who had concerns about O’Malley’s plans have new ammunition.

The NFL will let the Coliseum make its presentation, ponder it, and then reject it, while hoping in the process O’Malley doesn’t lose interest and fall to the side. The NFL does not like the neighborhood in which the Coliseum resides, although no NFL official will ever be heard to say it for fear of controversy.

If the NFL is forced to deal with the Coliseum, it will kill Los Angeles’ chances for a Super Bowl. But what if O’Malley became Los Angeles’ champion for a Super Bowl to be held in the Rose Bowl?

In addition to keeping his interest while the NFL goes through the lengthy procedure of rejecting the Coliseum as a viable site for a new football stadium, O’Malley would have the opportunity to unite L.A.’s political interests behind the Super Bowl, which provides a $300-million boost to the local economy.

The NFL, in the past, has shown a willingness to delay its Super Bowl decisions. The NFL could award the 1999 Super Bowl to Miami and then delay the 2000 decision to its annual meetings in March, while indicating it will give O’Malley every chance to unite Los Angeles’ efforts behind the game. If successful in fighting for a Super Bowl, O’Malley will advance his cause in gaining the necessary arena-like cooperation and commitment for a new football stadium.

In fighting for a Super Bowl, O’Malley would have the opportunity to gain a fix on the marketplace and the prospects for selling luxury boxes. A winning effort, which would require rallying all parts of the city, might also convince the NFL to give O’Malley expansion rights to the Los Angeles market.

The bid for a Super Bowl is currently Los Angeles’ only live opportunity for NFL attention. Some observers have suggested tying in tickets to the Super Bowl with the construction of a new stadium. Indeed, whether it’s O’Malley, the Coliseum or Hollywood Park, the return of football to Los Angeles is all about facilities, and the new arena will undoubtedly whet appetites.

“The recognition that the city has had in revitalizing downtown is critical,” Austrian said. “And the fact that they understand that new arenas and the economics of new arenas are what are key to ownership in all sports today, really speaks to the fact that we’re at the beginning of a process which lets us get a new stadium built here in Los Angeles.”

Lose the Super Bowl, however, and Los Angeles loses momentum.