The L.A. Coliseum Commission has been dragging its feet in regards to renovating the old facilty in the hopes of attracting the an NFL team to head up the renovations. So it looks like SC, who is willing to put up 100 million but who also want control of the venue has had enough.
While a deal is not complete, a potential USC lease agreement is on the agenda Tuesday for the regular Rose Bowl Operating Committee meeting.
"Although we have been a faithful tenant of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for 80 years, we must now seek other alternatives for the good of our football program and our fans," said Todd R. Dickey, USC's senior vice president for administration. "The Coliseum has not benefited from substantive physical upgrades or preventive maintenance for more than 10 years because the commission has focused on attracting an NFL team that would renovate the stadium."
USC has offered to fund a minimum of $100 million over 10 years toward the repair and restoration of the Coliseum. As part of that deal, the school would be in charge of running the venue.
The Coliseum Commission has obviously never heard the phrase "a bird in the hand..."
Is it a ploy, you bet, but SC holds the cards here as the Coliseum will sit empty as no pro team is on the radar for L.A. Sure, if the Dodgers were to renovate Chavez Ravine they could use it for a season or two but that is about it.
Obviously, this could also put a thorn in the side of ucla who are the primary tenants of the Rose Bowl but the RB big wigs see a huge increase in profits so you know they would find a way to make it work. SC may have ucla's permission but you can hear them screaming from all the way to Staten Island if it were to take place. I don't think it will happen but the Coliseum Commission is playing with fire if they don't find a way to give SC what they want. You know, like I said a bird in the hand...