News of the Arroyo
Title: | Fight to keep Rose Bowl NFL dream alive |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2006-07-15 |
Summary: | July 15, 2006 - Chris Holden states his case for paving the way for the National Football League in the Rose Bowl |
Author: | Chris Holden |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | THE Rose Bowl is without question Pasadena\'s most recognized cultural landmark. Its sports history is unparalleled among American sports stadiums. As the site of so many memorable national championships, the Rose Bowl became known around the world as the granddaddy of them all. Hosting five NFL Super Bowls, Olympics and World Cup Soccer Championships (mens and womens), the Tournament of Roses annual game and UCLA football makes the Rose Bowl truly a stadium for the ages. Now, after over 80 years, the Rose Bowl and the citizens of Pasadena are at a critical crossroads regarding the economic viability of the Rose Bowl\'s future. The stadium\'s only reliable income is received from the Tournament of Roses Association, UCLA and the flea market. With expenses from existing bond debt, and annual maintenance cost exceeding income, the Rose Bowl has become an economic drain on the taxpayers, losing approximately $2million a year. Compounding the problem, the loss of the Galaxy professional soccer team four years ago caused the Rose Bowl operating company to begin looking at long-term tenant options that would allow the Rose Bowl to begin to not only pay for itself but also generate revenue to benefit the people. Enter the National Football League. A cash flush potential long-term tenant that could solve the economic woes of the operation. They needed a stadium to return professional football to the Los Angeles market, and we needed a cash-positive, long-term solution for the Rose Bowl. A football team for a football stadium - it doesn\'t get better than that. In fact, it does get better than that. The NFL agreed to spend their money renovating the stadium, which the taxpayers would continue to own, and pay rent in addition to that. No taxpayer dollars would go into the renovation, which is expected to exceed $500 million. The net benefits to the city\'s general fund over the 25 year term of the lease will exceed $42 million in contrast to, maybe $2 million, should the NFL option not go forward. These additional revenues could provide for increased education funding, after-school programs, park improvement plans, public safety efforts and other city services. Presently, the City Council\'s non-action of a year ago essentially left the NFL at the negotiating table, questioning why the city of Pasadena invited them to negotiate in the first place. The opposition that influenced some council members was, for the most part, limited to those well-meaning folks who have been naysayers to just about anything proposed for the Arroyo Seco including Kidspace Children\'s Museum and Cirque du Soleil. Kidspace fought back and won. Cirque left for a more appreciative Long Beach. So, there should have been no surprise when they turned their opposition to the NFL proposal, a deal which would have only brought in up to an additional 13 major events per year. And even though a scientific poll showed 78 percent support city-wide for an NFL/Rose Bowl partnership, those results did not sway the council to continue to negotiate. Nevertheless, the opportunity for the voters to turn the situation around will be before them on the November ballot. A \"yes\" vote presents our proposed agreement to the professional football league to consider along with The Coliseum and Anaheim\'s proposals. For those who believe the NFL doesn\'t want to come to Pasadena, consider the facts. The NFL has a familiarity with the stadium and strong opportunities to generate revenue, not to mention that our renovation project is potentially $300 million less expensive to the league than the other two sites. Commissioner Tagliabue has said their process would take until the end of the year, allowing for our election to take place and the Rose Bowl to be selected. At the end of the day, it is very important that we keep NFL \"Plan A\" alive. The benefits to Pasadena are huge if we succeed and devastating to the taxpayers if we do not. Meanwhile, we can continue to explore remaining ideas under a \"Plan B.\" If another regional stadium emerges and no other long-term tenants are identified for the Rose Bowl, we would be crippled in our ability to compete, leaving the Rose Bowl in a position not unlike the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, dying under the shadow of the Staples Center, with the taxpayers holding the bag. Chris Holden is a member of the Pasadena City Council. |
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