Daily Madden: Will The NFL Return to LA?
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Two development groups are looking to build a new football stadium in Southern California. John Madden told the KCBS morning crew there is no shortage of teams that would like to move to the Los Angeles area, naming the Raiders, Vikings, Jaguars and Bills as possibilities.
"I think not only one will come, but I think eventually there'd be two teams in Los Angeles," Madden said.
Constructing a new stadium is a major challenge, and the rising price tag is a significant barrier.
"Building football stadiums in the state of California is not a very successful endeavor," Madden said, noting the last one was built in San Diego in 1967."There was a time when you could build a stadium for a few hundred million. Now they're very north of a billion...The municipalities aren't going to pay... You have to come up with your own money."
A partnership with another team or teams and event promoters makes the most sense financially, according to the former coach, who said it's hard to recoup the cost of building the facility.
"You only have eight (NFL) home games, and then throw a pre-season game in, nine. You build a stadium for a billion dollars to use only nine times, man you better have a lot of tractor pulls," said Madden.
(8:25)
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