In the history of the NFL there have been a lot of stadiums that have come and gone creating the illusion that building a new stadium is an easy feat. Many NFL teams have been awarded with their dream stadiums, but every stadium starts out the same. A proposed idea usually by some powerful figure, the team itself, or sometimes even a city who lacks an NFL team, and hopes a stadium would attract one.
Although sometimes these stadiums never become anything more than a proposed idea that slips through the cracks. Because of location, costs, or just the lack of no team wanting to call the stadium home. Here are 10 NFL Stadiums that never got built.
West Side Stadium
West Side Stadium was supposed to be home to the New York Jets who at the time was playing at Giants Stadium located in Easter Rutherford, New Jersey. The NFL football team was sharing the stadium with their counterpart NFL team the New York Giants. The stadium’s design included a retractable roof allowing it to not only withstand any weather conditions, but act as an indoor convention hall and a 85,000 indoor-outdoor sports stadium. It was a battle from day one trying to get the proposed stadium off the ground, and it would end up turning into a political war. New York’s Governor George Pataki, New York’s City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Congressman Charles Rangel all banded together to back West Side Stadium, but were opposed by most of the elected local officials who represented the area. The stadium would be located in the West Side, Manhattan, and many residents of those areas weren’t happy with the idea of the stadium being built there. If the West Side Stadium had been built in time then it would’ve had the honor of hosting Super Bowl XLIV, and could’ve been the potential landing spot for the 2012 Summer Olympics. New York and New Jersey both wanted to see the Olympics come to the state, but the residents didn’t want to have to deal with the repercussions of hosting such a huge event. Things like traffic congestion and running out of resources in a city that was already overcrowded.
The cost of building the stadium was another reason so many opposed the idea. No doubt some of the financing for the project would have to come from the public, and others believed that the money spent on the stadium could be used in better ways. It was believed that it was going to cost at least 1 billion to build the stadium. The fight led to a major bidding war between three parties over the rail yards where West Side Stadium was set to be built. The rail yards were owned by Metropolitan Transportation Authority who already was in private talks to sell the property to the New York Jets, but then Cablevision the sixth largest cable company in the U.S. and the owners of Madison Square Garden at the time came in to make an rival offer. A power company Transgas also made a play for the property but in the end MTA ultimately decided to accept the Jets offer bid. Which infuriated Cablevision who was offering more upfront cash, and they filed a lawsuit challenging the decision. Cablevision and other media outlets accused MTA of only accepting the Jets offer to please the Governor George Pataki, rather than doing what was best for the public. This is where things started to get political in the fight to get West Side Stadium built.
In the beginning Cablevision was on board with the idea of the new stadium, but once they realized the stadium wouldn’t meet their needs. They started to oppose the idea which led to the city and the stadium trying to go through the idea without them. The only problem was that West Side Stadium was going to be built right next to Madison Square Garden making it harder for older venues to secure high profile events. The NFL would end up moving the 2005 NFL Draft from MSG to Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in response to Cablevision fighting so hard to prevent the stadium from being built. The war will spill over onto television with both the Jets and Cablevision paying top-dollar to run ads. Cablevision was accused of running harmful and deceptive ads opposing the stadiums, but the company stated they were presenting arguments others had already made, and were within their legal rights. Cablevision also refused to run any ads on its local cable tv channels in support of the stadium. Other state representatives also felt like there were better locations for the stadium to be located like Queens. There were large open spaces available in that part of the city, and other sports facilities located there as well. Although the Jets owner turned down the idea because he felt like if West Side Stadium was located anywhere but West Side, then it would be the same as keeping the team in New Jersey. What truly ended up killing the dream of West Side Stadium was when the state’s Public Authorities Control Board had to come together to vote on. The 300 million dollar state funding and the transfer of land from MTA to the Jets, both decisions had to be unanimous of the three members voting on them. The three voting representatives were the New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and the governor George Pataki. Unfortunately while Pataki voted in favor of both decisions, Bruno and Silver decided to not vote at all. Sheldon Silver would go on to comment that the idea of the stadium was never alive, when asked if West Side Stadium was now dead.
National Car Rental Field
National Car Rental Field would’ve been home to the St.Louis Rams located in St.Louis, Missouri, but the number one factor that got in the way of this stadium being built was who was going to pay for it. The stadium was going to cost anywhere from 998 million to 1.1 billion. This stadium was proposed by President Anheuser-Busch Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz in an attempt to keep the St.Louis Rams from relocating to Los Angeles. When the Rams initially made the move from L.A. to St.Louis in 1995 the team was promised the Dome would be a top tier stadium by 2015, and if it wasn’t the NFL team could opt out of their lease. The requirements weren’t met in time, and the Rams were given the okay to relocate if they chose to. On January 5, 2015 the Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced the team would be making the move back to California, and that they would be getting a 1.86 billion dollar stadium in Inglewood. Three days later Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz would unveil their plan for a 985 million dollar open-air football stadium to be built on the riverfront of St.Louis. That stadium would be National Car Rental Field and would also be the home of a future soccer team. The Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber was a fan of the proposed stadium. The plan to pay for the stadium was to get a number of groups to come together to foot the bill. 250 million from the Rams, a 200 million loan from the NFL, 130 million from personal seat license sales, 55 million in tax credits, and other public incentives, and 350 million from state bonds that were originally promised for the construction of the Edward Jones Dome.
The decision to use the state bonds led to a lawsuit filed by St.Louis Regional Convention, and Sports Complex Authority who were in charge of Edward Jones Dome. The RSA wanted the court to overturn a city ordinance set in place in 2002 requiring all new stadium financing to be approved by voters. On August 3, 2015 a judge ruled in favor of the RSA letting the plan for the stadium go through without a public vote. The stadium would still meet opposition from six senators who were acting on the behalf of Missouri’s taxpayers. The fight would be led by Robert Schaaf and the group would file a lawsuit against the RSA and governor Jay Nixon calling the financing plan illegal. In the end Nixon would be dismissed from the lawsuit, and RSA would end up winning the lawsuit keeping the plan alive. Robert Schaaf swore he wouldn’t give up his fight, and he wasn’t the only one who had a problem with the finance plan. In October the plans for National Car Rental Field would be presented to the NFL who opposed the funding of the stadium. Especially since it required the NFL to provide an extra 100 million dollars for the stadium which went over the regular maximum contribution. NFL teams weren’t allowed to ask for more than 200 million without requesting it beforehand, and letting three quarters of NFL owners vote on it. In the end while the stadium would get all of their state funds approved in the next coming months, Roger Goodell would send out a letter confirming the NFL couldn’t guarantee the extra 100 million. This would be the turning point for the proposed idea, and the National Car Rental Field wouldn’t ever be more than an idea.
Carson Stadium
Carson Stadium was another proposed stadium idea in 2015 and was going to be the home of both the Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers who were planning to relocate to Los Angeles. If they were unable to secure new stadiums in their hometowns. The stadium was going to cost 1.7 billion dollars and was set to be located in Carson, California. The Chargers were backed into a corner after trying desperately to have a new stadium built in San Diego, but were opposed by politicians, hotel owners, and taxpayers. Who claimed the building of a new stadium would threaten the expansion of the San Diego Convention Center, and major events like comic con. The Raiders had proposed an idea to build a new stadium for not only them but the Oakland’s baseball team who shared the Oakland Coliseum, but in the end the team didn’t have enough funding for the project. The Raiders were going to put 300 million forward along with a 200 million dollar loan from the NFL, but that left the other 500 million unaccounted for. The Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was against the idea of using public funds for the project, so the plan for the stadium never came to life. The failure to secure new stadiums led to both the Chargers and the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles. On February 9, 2015 the Chargers and the Raiders announced the plan to build Carson Stadium which would be privately funded. The stadium was going to be open-air with natural turf with the design inspired by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a tower that was going to rise above the main concourse. Lightning bolts would be displayed for the Chargers, and a flame in honor of the late Al Davis for the Raiders.
Everyone seemed to be on board with the new stadium the Carson City Council voted and came to an unanimous decision to put bypass on the public voting for the stadium. The council also approved putting in 50 million dollars to help with the environmental clean up of the site. On May, 19, 2015 both teams announced the deal to secure the land for Carson Stadium had been finalized, but there were still loose ends to tie up. The City Council had voted without thinking about a number of issues at hand. Which team would be financing the stadium, how the land swap between three parties would work, and how could that compensate for the rest of the revenue if only the NFL team actually used the stadium. On November 11, 2015 Bob Iger the ceo of Disney was brought on as the non-executive chairman on the Carson Project.
Everything would come down to a vote that took place on January 12, 2016 where during a Los Angeles meeting the Committee of Los Angeles Opportunities which consisted of six NFL owners wanted to go through with Carson Stadium rather than build a new stadium in Inglewood. Jerry Jones would be the one to change the majority’s mind by proposing that the NFL and the owners let the Rams relocate back to the state. The Chargers were still given the opportunity to relocate to Los Angeles with the Rams, but the Raiders ended up getting left out. If the Chargers had declined then the Raiders would’ve been offered to relocate to L.A., but instead the Raiders ended up in Las Vegas instead. After the decision the plans for Carson Stadium died out, and the Chargers would use Dignity Health Sports Park for their games from 2017 to 2019 until the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood was complete. The Raiders would go on to use the design without the Chargers input, and turn into a dome with a black exterior, and a rollout field. When it came time for their stadium in Paradise, Nevada to be built, they called the stadium Allegiant Stadium. So even though the project didn’t work out the way it was intended, the idea of Carson Stadium was a complete waste, managing to still come to life.
Delta Dome
Delta Dome was supposed to be an indoor sports venue located in Portland, Oregon to not only attract a professional sports team, but also increase the city’s chances of hosting the Olympic Games. The design for the stadium included a domed roof with 46,000 seats, plexi-glass skylights, and a parking lot that could hold up to 17,000 cars. The inspiration came from Harris County Domed Stadium located in Houston, Texas at the time. A development group came up with the idea of a domed stadium to be located in Delta park in 1963, and the plan included the opportunity to expand the stadium to more than 80,000 or 100,000 seats one day. The stadium would carry an estimated budget of 25 million dollars. When it came time to vote for the idea of Delta Dome, there were a lot of people who didn’t support the plan. In 1964 the funding would have to be approved in order for the stadium to be able to be financed, but 101,324 voters voted no versus 91,961 voters who would vote yes. The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners as well as the Portland City Council would also vote against the stadium, putting it to a second vote in August 1964.
The situation was left alone until it was resparked in March 1965 when a bill was introduced to the state’s legislature to fund the Delta Dome by imposing a three percent tax on hotels, and other lodgings that belonged to out-of-state residents. The city of Portland would get out of this by purchasing the Multnomah Stadium from the Multnomah Athletic Club. Which would satisfy the need of a multi-purpose sports stadium. This would be the last attempt to get the idea of the Delta Dome off the ground. There were many reasons voters opposed the idea of the new stadium. One was that none of the voters believed that Portland could attract let alone sustain a major sports team. Two was that the already bad traffic on Interstate 5 would get even worse with the stadium being built. There was the potential tax increase the stadium brought, and finally there was the issue of the stadium flooding. As the site for the stadium had flooded just two decades earlier. The Delta Dome could’ve been a big opportunity for the city of Portland, but like so many other cities in the country. The city nor its people wanted the stadium, or the responsibility that comes with being the home of major sports franchises.
Patriots Hartford Stadium
Not a lot of people know this but there was a time where Connecticut was almost the home of the Patriots. The Governor John G. Rowland and the owner of the Patriots Robert Kraft had come together to discuss the terms of. The Patriots moved from Massachuatues to Hartford, Connecticut, and when it was all said and done. Kraft would eventually announce to make the move after the Governor promised to build the team a fancy new stadium. The talks of this deal had started way back in 1988 back when the Patriots had a different owner. Victor Kiam would listen to proposals from a business partner to make Hartford the home of the NFL team, but eventually there would be another change of ownership. James Busch Orthwein would go on to become the new team’s owner and wished to move the team to St.Louis from the beginning, but everyone else still favored Hartford as the new home for the New England Patriots. As the state proposed the idea of a 250 million dollar 70,000 seat stadium, Kraft would be the one to take ownership of the team from Orthwein. Kraft would immediately begin searching for a new home for the New England Patriots as he wasn’t happy with the Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts, or the state’s hesitancy to finance a new stadium. Robert Kraft was even willing to foot the bill for a new stadium located in Foxborough on land he owned. All the state would’ve had to do was agree to help out with the infrastructure, and the state Senate did initially to pay 72 million dollars for the new stadium, but the House led by Tom Finneran wouldn’t approve the idea. Robert Kraft felt as if he and the team were being forced out. This happened to work out in the favor of Hartford, Connecticut who had just lost their NHL team the Whalers who had relocated. The city was already planning a billion dollar development project downtown near the Connecticut River. Where the city’s old steam plant was located, they planned to renovate the area by putting in a convention center, shops, stores, and a hotel. They presented Kraft with the idea of the stadium being the main centerpiece of the plan. It worked and at the beginning of 1999 Kraft would agree to make the move. John G. Rowland was very generous with his offer knowing it would take a lot to make Kraft want to cave. The Governor had promised the city would pay for the entire cost of the stadium which was 374 million dollars, and to give any left over money to Kraft if it was less. He agreed to infrastructure plans that would include a parking lot that could clear out in under one hour. Finally he promised to buy back any luxury sites that went unsold, and pay the team whatever they would lose out on from sponsorships due to playing in a smaller market.
Sports economists believed the deal was worth 1 billion, and would make the Patriots number one in revenue. Even though Robert Kraft was getting a lucrative deal and a new stadium for the Patriots, for some reason he held off on signing the contract. It turns out he still had concerns of the state meeting the deadlines for construction, as they kept running into issues with the old steam plant. The state underestimated how long it would take to move the plant, and would soon discover. They wouldn’t be able to do it within the time frame or budget they had set in place. On top of that the Governor was having trouble agreeing to a buyout with the parent company, and even if he did. The state would still have to go through the process of excavating the land and cleaning it up. The state would also discover that meeting all of the environmental codes would become even harder with the discovery of coal tar in the area. The state swore they could have the area ready to go in 12-18 months, but Kraft brought in his own environmental team to determine a timeline. His team would tell him it could be 36 months or longer due to no one knowing the true extent of the coal tar contamination. Which meant the Patriots would be stuck playing in Foxboro longer than what Kraft attended having wanted to move the team in 2001. But it was starting to look like Hartford wouldn’t be ready to host the Patriots till the 2002 or 2003 season, and this would spell bad news for the Patriots as the fans already knew the team was leaving. Hartford tried to offer an alternative site for the new stadium, but Kraft wanted the location he was promised in the beginning.
Robert Kraft did end up signing the deal but with clauses put in place letting him opt out of the deal. If the state hadn’t made any real progress in having the stadium and infrastructure done by August 2002. The deal was signed in February 1999, and Kraft was going to back out. He had to do it by May 2, 1999 giving the state two months to show the progress. Rowland was confident that Kraft wouldn’t walk away from such the greatest deal in NFL stadium history, but he didn’t count on Massachusetts deciding to fight back on keeping the Patriots right where they were. In December of 1998 Dan Rooney the owner of the Steelers and Paul Kirk jr. The former chairman of the National Democratic Committee happened to be in the same place at the same time, and came together to discuss what it would take to keep the Patriots in Massachusetts. Rooney and others were worried about the prospect of losing the Boston TV Market if the team relocated to Hartford. Kirk, who was once considered to be the NFL commissioner, agreed to do what he could to help come up with a plan to build a new stadium for the Patriots in Massachusetts. He brought in Roger Goodell to act as a liaison between the league and the state of Massachusetts. Robert Kraft couldn’t be part of the deal himself because of the Hartford deal. On both sides a lot of fighting and negotiating was being done to decide what state the Patriots would call home. Rowland still hadn’t made any progress on moving the steam plant even after threatening to sue and tear the plant down. Kirk and Goodell were making progress with the House who originally opposed the idea of a new stadium. Everything changed when the NFL owners approved a new deal to provide loans up to 150 million for new stadiums, and now even Tom Finnernan was on board with the idea of giving Kraft his new stadium.
On April 26, 1999 Tom Birmingham the Senate President, Paul Kirk, Roger Goodell, Tom Finnernan, and the Massachusetts Governor Paul Celluci would all meet up to begin to negotiate the deal for a new stadium to keep the Patriots in Massachusetts. They would discuss the deal for two days before coming to an agreement. No one knew what changed Finnernan’s mind on the new stadium, but some believed that the idea of the Patriots actually leaving scared him into folding. In the end it was decided Kraft would build the stadium himself with the help of the loan from the NFL, and the state of Massachusetts would pay about 70 million for infrastructure improvements. It was ironic considering this was the original deal that Kraft had presented to the state before going to Hartford. On April 30 Kraft let Rowland know he would be opting out of the stadium deal, and the Patriots would be staying right where they were. Everyone blamed the loss of the deal on the delay of the steam plant moving, and John G. Rowland threatened later on to sue Kraft and the NFL. Till this day the city of Hartford, and the state of Connecticut dream of what could’ve been.
Chicago Domed South Side Stadium
Not much is known about the proposal about the Chicago Domed South Side Stadium that never seemed to be more than a concept. The idea for the stadium was proposed in 1985 the stadium would be built in the North Loop area alongside. A new stadium for the White Sox as well and both would have a retractable dome for the weather, and who the teams were playing. The capacity for the new Bears stadium would be 78,000 seats which would make the new stadium eligible to host a Super Bowl in the future. The idea never got off the ground and the Chicago Bears would remain at Soldier Field. No one really knows why the NFL and the Chicago Bears never pursued the idea of the new stadium. Rather than settle for renovations on Soldier Field, but it was most likely due to the cost. A NFL team wanting a new stadium and coming up with the design is only the beginning step in a long process after all.
Farmers Field
Farmers Field was a proposed stadium that would be located in Downtown Los Angeles, at the time when the city didn’t have a NFL team of their own. This was another attempt to attract a NFL team to the city; the project was spearheaded by Anschutz Entertainment Groups president Tim Leiweke, and former Los Angeles Avengers owner Casey Wasserman. In 2010 the Farmers Field project was announced with an estimated cost of 750 million dollars. This was the AEG’s second attempt to build a new stadium as the first one was made back in 2002. The stadium would have 72,000 seats with the potential of expanding to 76,000 in order to make the stadium able to host Super Bowls, and a retractable roof. But some were doubtful they would be able to build such a huge stadium with the budget. The stadium was supposed to rival those like AT&T Stadium and Metlife Stadium which cost respectively 1.3 and 1.6 billion dollars. On February 11, 2011 Farmers Insurance Group announced their deal of a 30-year contract which would cost 700 million dollars for the naming rights to the stadium, but threatened to walk away if the Los Angeles Stadium wasn’t completed. The top five teams that were speculated to call the new stadium were the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, St.Louis Rams, and the Oakland Raiders. The Vikings were at the forefront as the team had already threatened relocation, because they were unable to come to an agreement on a new stadium in Minnesota. But the state Senate would eventually agree to a financing package to build a new stadium for the Vikings in Minneapolis. Which the team would agree to taking them out of the equation. The Los Angeles City Council would approve of the project in September 2012, but the plan would only go through. If a deal was reached with the NFL and a team agreed to move to the city. Applications for NFL teams to move to Los Angeles were opened January 1, 2013. Farmers Field’s future was put in jeopardy when Tim Leiweke departed from AEG, and the company was no longer interested in participating in the project. Which led to the City Council deciding to go along with plans to expand the Convention Center without the stadium in May 2014. The idea of the stadium wouldn’t be brought up again until March 9, 2015 with AEG announcing they wouldn’t seek to extend their approaching deadline on April 17 to bring in an NFL team. The St.Louis Rams had already moved on with plans to build an 80,000 seat stadium in Inglewood. Both the Chargers and Raiders had proposed the idea of Carson Stadium, which the city had no use for a third stadium.
Redskins Stadium
Everyone knows that Dan Synder has been trying to bring the Washington Commanders back home to Washington D.C. ever since. He bought the team back in 1999 right now the team is playing at Fedex Field in Summerfield, Maryland where they are bound by contract to remain at until 2027. The team is currently shopping for a new home and is willing to relocate if they have to. Dan Synder at one point proposed a new stadium for his team in the D.C. area that would be a modern Arrowhead Stadium on the inside offering luxuries like wall climbing and a moat for waterskiing. But it looks like his proposed stadium idea along with the Commanders returning to Washington D.C. will continue to remain a pipe dream. The Commanders announced they would be purchasing 200 acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia for 100 million dollars. The team plans to use the land for a new stadium, but it’s still only a potential site as the team might choose to remain in Maryland. Either way no one thinks the state of Washington is going to give Dan Synder his new stadium for the NFL team.
Falcons Stadium
Before building Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons had a different design, which was much more simpler smaller and would cost less to build. It was one of the two designs considered for the Falcons together with previously mentioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Designed by 360 Architecture the stadium would hold 65,000 spectators and cost 1 billion dollars. It would have a retractable roof as well as mobile facades. The amount of sunlight that enters the stadium through the transparent and translucent cladding pieces when it is closed gives it the appearance of a greenhouse. In the end the design for Mercedes-Benz Stadium which surely is one of the most advanced and beautiful stadiums was chosen and it can be said that it was the better, more beautiful design.
Los Angeles Proposed Stadiums
Los Angeles was the one city that just wouldn’t give up on becoming the home of an NFL team. No matter how many deals fell through the cracks, and how many teams teased the city with the idea of relocation only to stay where they were. The dream to have their own NFL team stayed alive, and led to multiple proposed stadiums. After all, the city always believed that the lack of a great NFL stadium is what kept it from having a major professional sports team. In May 1998 entertainment guru Michael Ovitz announced he would privately fund a new stadium and shopping center calling the project. The Hacienda coincidentally the location for this project would be in Carson, California, and would cost him 750 million dollars. Following this announcement just a few months later in October of the same year the NFL would announce it would be expanding to 32 teams. They would announce which city would be awarded the NFL team in April 1999. This would lead to Michael Ovitz having to deal with competition for another Los Angeles native who wanted the future NFL Los Angeles team. Real estate developer Ed Roski would come forward with a rival bid; his proposal was to build a 68,000 stadium inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The potential of both stadiums led to the NFL deciding to reward the city with the expansion team. The announcement was made in March 1999, but the deal would only go through. If the city was able to come up with a plan for ownership of the team, and a stadium deal by September 15. If not they would lose the 32nd expansion team to Houston who was trying to replace the Houston Oilers who had relocated to Nashville, and became the Tennessee Titans.
A month passed with no progress being made on either stadium. The city didn’t want to use tax dollars to pay for a new stadium plus neither Ovitz or Roski would back down from their offers, and were locked in an intense standoff. Neither of the men wanted to come together and combine their efforts either, or had the means to build their own facility on their own. Meanwhile Houston had a stadium ready to go as they had been waiting for the chance for another NFL team since 1997. The NFL would visit the city again in late May and come face-to-face with the same problems. Both Roski and Ovitz refused to back down, and while they were more impressed with Ovitz’s proposed stadium that would include parks, parking garages, and shopping centers. The cost was a turn off considering the parking garages alone were going to cost 225 million dollars. The idea was even more daunting with Los Angeles nor the state of California wanting to help with funding.
This would cost both men and the city of Los Angeles the 32nd NFL team. The NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would grow frustrated with the lack of progress, and make a call to Houston to prepare for a discussion with the committee. On September 9, 1999 the NFL announced a meeting with Houston bidders to hear them out in Atlanta. While they were still willing to entertain any proposed ideas from Los Angeles. They were growing weary of the battle between Ovitz and Roski which now was a three-way battle with the addition of another bidder. Marvin Davis had now proposed his own idea for a new stadium for the NFL Los Angeles team. Michael Ovitz put forward 540 million dollars in an attempt to keep the 32nd team in Los Angeles, but his efforts failed. The NFL would award Houston with the expansion team leading to the formation of the Houston Texans.
This wouldn’t be the last time Ed Roski would attempt to build a new stadium for an NFL team to call home in Los Angeles. In 2008 Roski proposed the idea of the Los Angeles Stadium which would be a 75,000 seat football stadium located in the City of Industry. The stadium would be the main centerpiece of a 600 acre entertainment district. Even though the project had many supporters who believed the location of the stadium would guarantee success. Supporters were worried the stadium would cost more public funding than what was discussed, and weren’t sure if the stadium was worth it. Roski himself was adamant on not starting the project until a NFL team committed to move to Los Angeles. Not only that because Roski was footing the bill to build the stadium. He wanted a thirty percent stake in any NFL team that made the move to Los Angeles to play there.
The NFL was no longer looking to expand so stated whichever team made the move. They would have been unable to build a new stadium where they were currently located, or weren’t finding success in their current market. The Chargers, Raiders, Jaguars, Vikings and Bills were all potential contenders for the new stadium, but none of their respective stadiums were willing to let the teams go, and doubled down on efforts to keep them. On February 9, 2008 the city’s council approved the environmental impact that was brought forward by the citizens of the neighboring cities. Diamond Bar and Walnut both cities expressed concern over the noise problems, and traffic problems the proposed stadium would bring. Eventually Roski would just give up on the project and move on to focus on a stadium in Las Vegas which is now the home of the Raiders, and Allegiant Stadium.
