Tag: SoFI Stadium

SoFi Stadium ranked as 2nd-best venue in NFL

SoFi Stadium, which is home to the Rams and Chargers, was voted the 2nd-best stadium in the NFL

Stan Kroenke and the Los Angeles Rams hoped to open SoFi Stadium with a bang in 2020 but instead they were forced to play their first season of games in an empty venue. Fans weren’t allowed to attend games that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve since been treated to a fantastic experience at the magnificent venue in Inglewood.

SoFi Stadium is a one-of-a-kind arena, which is why it landed so high on The Athletic’s stadium rankings heading into the 2023 season. Thirty writers from the outlet voted on stadiums across the league and ranked them from best to worst, with SoFi Stadium coming in second – behind only the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I hate indoor football stadiums, but I grudgingly understand why they are preferred/necessary for NFL teams,” Falcons reporter Josh Kendall wrote. “SoFi manages to ‘feel’ like an outdoor stadium while still offering the benefits of being indoors. Throw in the bells, whistles and the fact that you can walk to one end of the concourse and see the Forum (I mean, it’s the Forum) makes SoFi a winner.”

SoFi Stadium has a transparent roof that also features an LED board on the outside, so it can display pretty much anything for the world to see from above – including those who fly into and out of LAX. The Infinity Screen hanging over the field is the world’s largest 4K video board, and is double-sided so it can be viewed from anywhere.

And while it is technically a dome, it has an outdoor feel thanks to the open ends of the stadium that let fresh air in. There really isn’t another stadium like it right now and the Rams are lucky to play all of their home games there.

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Earthquake detected near Los Angeles amid Hurricane Hilary landfall

A moderate earthquake was detected near Los Angeles amid Hurricane Hilary’s landfall in Baja California. The Saints and Chargers are still preparing for their exhibition game:

Sheesh: if Hurricane Hilary making landfall in Baja California to Los Angeles’ southeast wasn’t enough, a minor earthquake was detected to the city’s northwest just hours before kickoff between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers.

Initially rated a 5.5 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was later downgraded to 5.0, with official channels announcing that there is no tsunami threat for the city while it manages street flooding from Hilary’s rainfall.

Reporters at the scene say the earthquake’s tremors were felt in the press box at SoFi Stadium. One act of nature wasn’t enough for the NFL to cancel this exhibition game, and it doesn’t appear a second will be, either. But stay tuned for updates.

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Saints fans should prepare for rain inside Chargers’ open-air SoFi Stadium

Saints fans shouldn’t forget about Hurricane Hilary’s rain Just because the Chargers play inside SoFi Stadium. The venue has dealt with leaks and lightning delays before:

The NFL is determined to see the New Orleans Saints kick off their second preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night whether Hurricane Hilary hits the area or not. Orange County is under the first tropical storm warning — not the first this year, but the first ever — but the league office has determined the show must go on.

So kickoff is still scheduled for 6 pm. CT/4 p.m. PT, right around the time bands of tropical wind and rain are forecast to approach one of America’s largest cities. And any fans looking to brave the elements so they can see their team play an exhibition game should take precautions for the weather while at their seats.

Pack a poncho, wear good shoes, and try to practice patience. Don’t assume you’ll be high and dry just because SoFi Stadium has a dome. The venue does not have complete walls encircling the field, stands, and concourse (so that the normally-pristine Los Angeles climate can breeze through) but that exposure has led to rain pouring inside before. Past games have dealt with lightning delays, interior flooding, and injuries from people slipping and falling while just trying to make their way to their seats. Another factor to consider is how the precipitation may impact the field’s artificial Matrix Turf playing surface.

Take a look for yourself at the elements’ intrusion to this year’s NCAA national championship game between Georgia and TCU:

Despite MLS and MLB moving Los Angeles games, NFL to play Saints-Chargers as scheduled

Despite MLB and MLS moving Los Angeles games ahead of Hurricane Hilary, the NFL plans to play Saints-Chargers as scheduled at leaky SoFi Stadium. Bring a poncho:

A tropical storm is set to make landfall in Los Angeles for the first time in 84 years, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and other decision-makers in the league office are determined to play Sunday night’s exhibition game on its established schedule, per multiple reports.

So the New Orleans Saints will kick off with the Chargers while Hurricane Hilary barrels up the West Coast, with damaging winds and torrential rain expected to hit the area around SoFi Stadium as early as Sunday evening, per the National Hurricane Center. The exhibition game will be broadcast on NFL Network at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT, and it’s the only football game on the league’s Sunday schedule.

SoFi Stadium does have a roof, but it isn’t a wholly indoor venue. It doesn’t have fully enclosed walls and gaps in the roof have left rain in before. So bring a poncho if you’ve got tickets.

It would have cost the NFL next to nothing to move kickoff up four, five, or six hours to give both teams, officials, fans, and media covering the game more time to prepare for the expected severe weather or evacuate the area. Other pro sports teams like Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, as well as Major League Soccer’s LAFC and LA Galaxy, decided to reschedule their Sunday games and play double-headers on Saturday.

That wasn’t a viable option for the Saints and Chargers with the Los Angeles Rams scheduled to play at SoFi Stadium on Saturday evening, but the NFL still could have simply moved its kickoff time up a few hours. Instead they risk putting people in danger, and for what? So their panelists can show highlights from Saturday’s preseason games on Sunday afternoon? It’s a bad decision by Goodell and the league office. Hopefully no one gets hurt because of it.

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With Hurricane Hilary approaching L.A., NFL should move Saints-Chargers to earlier time slot

With a historic storm approaching Los Angeles and no other games scheduled Sunday, the NFL should move Saints-Chargers into an earlier time slot:

With Hurricane Hilary approaching Los Angeles as a historic storm and no other games scheduled Sunday, the NFL should consider moving this week’s New Orleans Saints preseason matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers into an earlier time slot. Right now the opening kick is set for 6:05 p.m. CT/4:05 p.m. PT at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The latest forecasts from the National Hurricane Center predict Hilary to reach Los Angeles very early Monday morning — as of Friday, the storm had reached Category 4 status, though its long trek through the mountainous Baja California peninsula and the influence of the cold-water California Current is expected to weaken the system to tropical storm status before it approaches America’s second-largest city.

Still, that’s a very tight window for people to stock up on emergency supplies or consider evacuating. Wind won’t be the primary concern with Hilary, but rain will. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and mudslides are likely to challenge local emergency services. Louisianans and communities around the Gulf South are familiar with the threats these tropical storms present, but they’re a rare occurrence in South California. The last system to make landfall in the area was the 1939 Long Beach tropical storm which brought historic flooding, killing dozens of people and dealing out millions of dollars in property damage.

All that said to say this isn’t something to take lightly. If you or a loved one are in the area, make preparations now and follow local guidance accordingly.

And it would be very simple for the NFL to accommodate everyone by rescheduling the Saints-Chargers exhibition game for an earlier broadcast window on Sunday. Sure, it’s a national broadcast on NFL Network — but it’s the only NFL preseason game on the Sunday slate. Every other team plays Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. So it’s not like the league would be giving other matchups less attention by moving the game from its scheduled kickoff time.

Moving kickoff up even three or four hours would make life easier for everyone; not just the players, coaches, and staffers who made the trip from New Orleans, but the thousands of fans who traveled to support them and everyone working the Saints media beat. Not to mention the less stress it would put on local emergency responders and government resources as they prepare for a severe weather event.

Canceling the game altogether is another option, but that’s a tough proposition. Both teams have been preparing for weeks and months for this opportunity. Dozens of jobs are on the line for players on the roster bubble who need this opportunity to impress on a big stage. The Chargers, to their credit, are also managing a fundraiser at the game to support relief efforts in the wake of recent Hawaii wildfires. There’s a middle ground between keeping the game as-scheduled and wiping it out entirely.

We’ll see if the decision-makers at the league office in New York agree. Stay tuned.

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Fans immediately noticed how similar Jaguars’ stadium renderings are to SoFi Stadium

“It looks like someone just cheated off the plans for SoFi Stadium”

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The Jacksonville Jaguars want to build a new stadium to replace TIAA Bank Field, which isn’t exactly one of the NFL’s premier venues. On Wednesday, the team released renderings of their stadium plans, which look fantastic.

It also looks eerily similar to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood where the Rams (and Chargers) play their home games.

There are similar architectural aesthetics on the exterior, like the smooth, rounded shape, but particularly with the canopy roof that allows sunlight to come in without making fans in the stands too hot. There isn’t an infinity screen hovering above the field, but there are screens all around the venue with an open-air feel, too.

Fans couldn’t help but notice the striking similarities to SoFi Stadium.

SoFi Stadium field may be too narrow to host World Cup Final in 2026

SoFi Stadium would love to host the 2026 World Cup Final, but there are some issues that could potentially prevent that from happening

Los Angeles is one of the many cities set to host World Cup matches in 2026, with SoFi Stadium being chosen as one of the venues. However, Rams owner Stan Kroenke would love for his $5 billion stadium to host the biggest match of all: the World Cup Final.

Unfortunately, that may not be possible due to the construction of the field and surrounding seats. According to The Times in England, SoFi Stadium’s field is too narrow to host the World Cup Final as it’s currently constructed. In order for the stadium to host the Final, the field would need to be widened by as much as 63 feet. That would require seats in the lower section to be removed.

SoFi Stadium can seat 70,000 fans and even more with standing room, but FIFA expects stadiums to hold at least 80,000 for the World Cup Final. Therefore, losing seats to widen the field wouldn’t work.

However, sources close to the 2026 organising committee say in order to comply with Fifa’s regulations, the width of the field would have to be increased — possibly by as much as 63ft — which would mean removing some of the seats close to the pitch and raising the playing surface.

MetLife Stadium, home of the Jets and Giants, would now be in contention to host the Final because it holds more than 82,000 fans. SoFi Stadium was previously viewed as the favorite to host the final match but that seems to be in doubt now.

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The 10 best stadiums to watch bowl games in, ranked

The best bowl locations for 2022.

It’s bowl season in college football — 42 (!) games that include those that will crown a national champion in the sport.

We’ve given you the 10 worst-named bowls (Mayo Bowl, ew) and edible stuff you can dump on winning coaches (mayo, ew).

Now? Let’s dive into the venues. Many of these games will be played at stadiums that host professional football… and some that are homes for baseball. So we decided to rank the 10 best for the season, in case you want to plan a last-minute trip to one of these venues to watch your favorite team play a … er, exhibition game.

Let’s dive in.

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Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt hopes entire Chiefs Kingdom shows up at SoFi Stadium

#Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt is looking forward to seeing #ChiefsKingdom at Arrowhead West. I mean. . . SoFi Stadium on Sunday night.

The Chiefs Kingdom has a chance to bring their home-field advantage on the road with them this week.

Kansas City Chiefs fans have always traveled well, but at the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams’ SoFi Stadium, they’ve traveled exceptionally well. You can always tell just how many fans show up during the end of the National Anthem when Chiefs Kingdom roars down a booming, “Home of the Chiefs!”

Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt is hopeful that he’ll hear that roar at the onset of the game in Week 11. He’s looking forward to the fans showing up in force to help give them an advantage over the Chargers on Sunday night.

“Absolutely that would help, and I hope that the entire Chiefs Kingdom comes out to this game because again, I was showing them — the entire (DB) group this morning — third-down when the (Chargers) were going silent count versus Denver, obviously there was a lot of Broncos fans there so hopefully that can show for us as well,” Merritt said. “Normally when you travel away, the quarterback on the offense has the quieter crowd. He can get all of his checks, and they can hear our checks, but when our fans travel with us it makes it that much more difficult for the opposing quarterback to be able to get in and out of checks and so, come on Chiefs Kingdom, let’s go! We need you all, all of us.”

Crowd noise coming from opponent fanbases has been an issue at SoFi Stadium this season. It was clearly an issue for the Chargers against the Broncos if they had to go to the silent count in their own stadium. As Merritt says, hopefully, the Chiefs Kingdom shows up to SoFi Stadium and the defense can take advantage of something rarely seen in opposing stadiums.

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Broncos OLB Aaron Patrick suing NFL, Chargers after injury

After tearing his ACL on the sideline at SoFi Stadium, Broncos OLB Aaron Patrick is suing the NFL and Chargers.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Aaron Patrick is suing the NFL and Los Angeles Chargers (among others) after a carpet on the sideline of SoFi Stadium caused him to tear his ACL during a game on Oct. 17, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

“Patrick is suing for unspecified damages, including lost bonuses and future earning potential,” TMZ Sports reported Tuesday.

Patrick’s torn ACL was a season-ending injury that landed him on injured reserve.

Patrick’s agent, Lamont Smith, told NFL Network in October that he was “very disturbed” by how the injury happened.

“I was very disturbed about the way the injury occurred with the carpet being on the sideline like that,” Smith said last month. “His cleat got lodged in the carpet trying to avoid the media person.”

JC Tretter, the president of the NFL’s players union, recently wrote an article that called for the league to “clear the excess people and dangerous equipment from the sidelines.”

“We have seen too many injuries because of this issue, and it really should be a simple fix,” Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website. “Give the players their space to perform. Year after year, the NFL tells us they will look into it; and year after year, nothing ever changes.”

The NFL has not taken action, so Patrick is taking matters into his own hands by suing the league. Perhaps that will motivate the NFL to make some changes to its sidelines going forward.

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