Buffalo Farmers?
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Farmers Insurance Group agreed to put its name on a proposed stadium designed to lure the National Football League back to Los Angeles. The 30-year naming deal with Anschutz Entertainment Group, which plans to build a $1 billion downtown stadium, was announced today at a news conference in Los Angeles. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The Los Angeles Times, citing unidentified people familiar with the negotiations, said the deal may be worth $700 million, breaking the record $400 million New York-based Citigroup Inc. is paying for the right to call the New York Mets’ Major League Baseball stadium Citi Field for 20 years. “This is about jobs, this is about revitalizing the city center,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at the news conference. “The idea that this city, the second-largest media market in the United States of America, does not have a football team boggles the mind. With this announcement today, it is clear — football is coming back to Los Angeles.” The stadium, proposed for a site next to the AEG-owned Staples Center, would be named Farmers Field. The money will come from the Farmers Insurance Exchange, which is owned by policyholders and managed by Farmers Group, Inc., a unit of Switzerland-based Zurich Financial Services AG. AEG is a closely held company controlled by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz. |
That stadium looks silly. Jerry Jones will be pissed if this place out shines his personal trophy.
Buffalo is the right candidate. It is clear that Ralph Wilson’s kids don’t want to run the show when Ralph moves on. They would take a huge pay day. This seems like an opportune time to make a move. I can’t see the NFL expanding more teams (don’t want them to). For that matter I don’t even want them to go to 18 games.
Next year we will all have to focus on UTAH football because there might be no NFL games. This would be solid for me because the Dolphins would not be able to disappoint me.
If there’s a lockout, all the NFL players with a year of eligibility left should return to their respective schools. With the billions of extra revenue generated for the NCAA, they would finally drop the bowls and have a 8 team playoff.