The problem with media today is many of the people in it don’t know enough about a particular subject o ask questions. Thus, they out themselves into a position to be rolled. Beware the journalist or blogger or fan who says that someone told them that the NFL would have one or two teams playing football in Los Angeles by 2016.
Their retort is that New York Giants Owner John Mara said it, so it must be true. Well, no, it’s not. Let’s have a sane look at where we are here.
First, no team has joined with a developer to officially break ground on a new stadium. Even then, that process takes two years to complete. Second, we know the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers are all playing in their existing stadiums this year.
Third, for the Inglewood and Carson and new Oakland Coliseum City venues, all are in various parts of their pre-development phase. That means this is that time when architects are hired to make concept drawings and very preliminary financial plans are created. It’s also the time that the media is presented with those products and once it gets a view, assumes the project is done, or close to it.
See pretty picture, above? That’s from Inglewood. No financing for it yet. No ground breaking. Just saying.
That’s where the misinformation production starts, and it happens because there was no one to ask Mara about his claim with respect to the standard development process, or “Mr. Mara, no one builds a stadium that quickly, don’t know mean 2017” So, they just let him talk and in the process, spin an idea that has no basis in development reality.
The only way the San Diego Chargers wind up playing in LA is to strike a deal to play temporary games at The Rose Bowl or LA Coliseum, and so far, they’ve not made any moves in that directions. Same is true for the Oakland Raiders and for the St. Louis Rams. But think about it: then we are talking about a home that is existing, before the new one is built.
Right?
And I remind you of this: we’re talking about California here. And we’re talking about several developer groups, one represented by AEG is not happy that the others are seemingly sailing on with their projects and governments look like they’re about to cave in outside LA.
See that cocked arm? It has a lawsuit in it’s hand, ready to be served. That can slow things down too.
Ok, so why do publications like the L.A. Times write as if the new stadium will be ready by 2016, even with the fact that it takes two years to build a stadium? Well, because the LA Times doesn’t know any better, and on top of that, wants to gin up excitement for the possble return of NFL Football to LA.
Ok, I get that, but it’s still not good to put out false information.
Ok folks, listen: NO NEW STADIUM WILL BE BUILD AND FINISHED IN LA BY 2016. OK?
Got it?
Stay tuned.