Los Angeles stadium officials are assembling a proposal for the University of Southern California in hopes of keeping the powerhouse college program at the Coliseum after their proposal was all but junked by the National Football League, it was reported today.
The news come a day after the NFL estimated earlier this week that it would take $1 billion to revamp the facility to pro football standards.
Los Angeles has been positioning itself for a team over the past few months, but is apparently lamenting the $1 billion price tag. The estimate came just months before the Chargers can begin speaking with other cities about potential stadium deals.
It wasn’t just the stadium officials who called it quits on the NFL’s future in Los Angeles. The editorial page of the L.A. Times also mourned the NFL owners’ reluctance to explore moving or adding a franchise to the area.
Here the paper’s analogy of the city’s elusive relationship with the league:
IF LOS ANGELES WERE a high school cheerleader, the National Football League would be the handsome quarterback. She thinks he’s cute, and he thinks she’s cool. But they never get to the prom because they’re both worried about their reputations. She doesn’t want to seem too easy, and he doesn’t want to seem too eager.