Ball 3

I recently wrote a rambling, 2,000 word, mostly critical review of USC’s proposal to renovate the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, it isn’t fair to simply sit back and criticize carefully-thought out plans without giving feasible suggestions. There have been many Coliseum renovation plans presented before, but the vast majority have been entirely unrealistic or too expensive . In addition, previous plans haven’t viewed the Coliseum in the same way that the USC Athletic Department seemingly does - as a historic stadium in need of a general facelift and a few modern amenities. Thus, I set out to create an alternative that accomplishes everything that USC’s proposal does, but in a more aesthetically pleasing and flexible way. *I should note that I’m not an architect. I am someone who has traveled to see approximately 70 professional and college stadiums and who has a near-encyclopedic memory of hundreds of stadiums around the world. My drawings may not be 100% to scale, bu...

*Before I begin this review, it should be noted that my comments are in regards to the renderings and plans released by USC on October 29th. Architectural drawings have likely progressed or changed since this date.* On October 29th, USC unveiled their proposal for a comprehensive renovation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With an estimated cost of $270 million and a scheduled completion in 2019, USC’s plan would begin a modernization process for the stadium that first opened in 1923. The renovated Coliseum would place a new suite/club tower on the south side of the Coliseum, restore the historic peristyle, replace all seats, add new aisles, and build 2 new video boards in the east corners. In this post, I’ll take a look at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the unanswered aspects of the planned renovation. THE GOOD -The peristyle would be restored to more closely resemble its original design. The peristyle is the most prominent visual feature of the Coliseum, but in r...

A frequent topic of conversation at USC games this season has been the school’s plans for renovating the Coliseum. With the athletic department sending out a questionnaire to donors and season ticket holders this past summer, many people have become concerned about the possibility of personal seat licenses (PSL’s) being used to finance the improvements. USC, under its agreement with the city, county, and state governments, is required to spend at least $70 million on improvements to the Coliseum. However, in looking at other stadiums that have recently been renovated in the PAC-12, it becomes clear that this number will likely be much bigger. The University of Washington spent $280 million for a gut renovation of Husky Stadium that opened last season. The Rose Bowl spent $170 million on renovations that were largely tied to infrastructure and premium seating. The Coliseum is in worse condition than both of these venues were before they began their projects. In the past decade, c...

The Coliseum has some of the worst sightlines of any major college football stadium in the country.  This draws from the fact that, when the sun deck was added, capacity was supposed to be limited.  This would create better sightlines, ensure sellouts for the Raiders, and create a more pleasant fan experience.   Note how the corner seats are tarped off However, when the USC football program returned to dominance in the early 2000’s, sellout crowds of 90,000+ became common.  This resulted in fans sitting in the corners near the Peristyle.   Visiting fans get this view at the Coliseum As food for thought, I decided to see what the Coliseum would look like if the sun deck was removed, seats were again placed in the Peristyle end, and the field was centered: The black line represents the current 50 yard line.  As you can see, the seats on the ends would be pretty far from the action.  However, I think this would be a much better way of s...

This past week, Minnesota lawmakers voted against a proposed stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.   The Vikings current stadium, the Metrodome, has been in disrepair for the past decade or so and the team has been lobbying for a new facility.   Soon after this decision by the legislature, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell flew in to St. Paul to remind them that Los Angeles doesn’t have a team.   That same day, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf’s jet was spotted in LA .   Sure enough, the legislature got a potential stadium deal back on track the next day. The Metrodome after its roof collapsed in a snowstorm There is very little argument against the fact that the Vikings need a new stadium.   However, the NFL is once again exerting its influence to get cities and states to put up public money to aid billion-dollar franchises.   You can’t exactly blame the NFL for this; they are simply doing what is best for the league and its franchises.   But ...