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The New York Times has weighed in on the mounting hysteria surrounding two opposed proposals to build a stadium in L.A. for a pro-football team. Notes the NYT, "Los Angeles has not had an N.F.L. team since the Raiders and the Rams left town 16 years ago. But now it may have the next best thing: a bruising fight over how to reclaim the game."
Majestic Realty Company is proposing a 78,000-seat, $800 million stadium east of Los Angeles in the City of Industry with picturesque views of snowy peaks and rolling hills, while AEG proposes a 65,000-seat, $1.2 billion hometurf in downtown with a retractable dome. These sports moguls, once partnered to build the Staples Center, are now in competition as harsh rivals.
Reports the NYT, John H. Semcken III, a VP of Majestic, said "the A.E.G. plan would come with traffic jams and exorbitant parking fees and would cost taxpayers millions of dollars. And forget about tailgating." Timothy J. Leiweke, the president of A.E.G., "dismissed the criticisms, saying downtown Los Angeles had shown it could handle the traffic of big events."
