Panel addresses potential of NFL stadium

Representatives from the two competing proposals for an NFL stadium in Los Angeles spoke together Thursday about the economic potential a professional team could bring to the city.

The discussion, entitled “The NFL in LA: A Touchdown for Angelenos,” attracted a packed audience at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

AEG’s executive vice president, Ted Tanner, and Majestic Reality Company’s vice president, John Semcken were among a panel that evaluated the possibilities of a long-debated stadium. 

Tanner and Semcken were in agreement that a professional stadium and football team would bring many possibilities for revenue and new jobs to the city.

“It’s going to create six, seven, eight hundred million dollars in one week,” said Semcken, about the possibility of a Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

Despite the possible benefits, the project does not come without local concern.  Residents asked questions about public transportation and traffic delays.

Semcken addressed their concerns, citing the results of a recent National Football League survey taken among focus groups in surrounding counties.

According to Semcken, the survey asked participants to rank the importance of ten different factors affecting their decision to attend a game.  Parking was the most important factor, how good their seats were was voted sixth, the expense of the tickets was seventh, the team’s record was eighth most important, and the convenient use of public transportation was voted last.

“This is Los Angeles.  I’m not saying you shouldn’t encourage it,” said Semcken, noting the efforts made to make public transportation readily available.  “But the public listed public transportation last in terms of importance.”

David Pettit, a representative from the Natural Resources Defense Council, expressed similar ideas and a positive outlook.

“People want to see a football team or see a game or see a Super Bowl or whatever event it’s going to be badly enough, that if there’s decent public transportation I think a lot of them are going to take it if you make it available or if you bargain it well enough,” said Pettit.  “In my view it’s not sufficient to stick with the way things are.  We need to think about the way things could be once we put our heads together.”

Representatives from the Los Angeles City Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and California State University of Los Angeles were also present. 

 

Video shot by Tatum Marshall