With all the momentum gaining towards construction of an NFL stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, the league is now saying it prefers Dodger Stadium as the ideal home for one or two football teams.
CBSSports.com reports that at a league meeting last week, there was an update on the four sites the league is considering. Sources say there were considerable concerns about the Downtown site; fears that the next owners of AEG will not want to spend the money it would take to build the stadium. There were also concerns over the lack of parking in the area.
There was also some discussion about the Carson and City of Industry proposals — both terrible ideas that should just be tossed out. If you’re going to bring the NFL to Los Angeles, bring it to Los Angeles.
Then came Chavez Ravine. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called it a “terrific site.” Another source said it has been and still is the “preferred site” for a stadium.
Photo courtesy Curbed Los Angeles
I have no problem building a football stadium in Chavez Ravine instead of Downtown as long as public transit options are built and the area is further developed. But one line in this story concerns me: that Chavez Ravine is a logical option “particularly if the Dodgers were to move Downtown.”
The implication is that the Dodgers would build a new stadium Downtown, Dodger Stadium would be demolished and a new football stadium would be built. That would be a travesty. Dodger Stadium is a jewel and should not be touched. Any plan that calls for the destruction of Dodger Stadium itself should be destroyed.
The stadium is one of the most beautiful in all of baseball. Considering it is 50 years old, it has aged pretty well. Some work is needed to make it more modern, but it does not need to be torn down, to fall victim to greedy developers like so many other long-lost buildings in the city.
Bring the NFL to Los Angeles. Build a stadium next to Dodger Stadium. But leave that field alone.