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Many have asked why such a push to L.A. since there hasn’t seemed to be any clamor from L.A. residents for a team. Well, it wasn’t about the fans: follow the money.

NFL stadiums were once buildings that housed 10 NFL games a year (two preseason, eight regular season), until it became clear that these facilities needed to be revenue positive for more than 10 days a year. Thus, over the past two decades stadium economics have become an increasingly important component for owners to throw off revenue from a variety of sources beyond NFL games.

As vice president of the Packers, I remember facing this necessity. While the idea of tearing down or replacing Lambeau Field was blasphemous, a renovation was vital for financial preservation; our rank in league revenues was plummeting as newer stadiums—with added revenue sources—were coming online. We were able to modernize and monetize (with a year-round restaurant, new Packer Hall of Fame, expanded pro shop, etc.) while keeping the traditional feel of Lambeau.

The $2 billion stadium proposal from Inglewood (Rams) presented the NFL and its owners an irresistible package of multiple uses beyond hosting NFL games. In what L.A. Committee member and Texans owner Robert McNair called an “NFL Campus,” the stadium’s other NFL-related uses would include future Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, drafts and combines, as well as potentially housing west wings for the NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Non-NFL uses could include college football games—bowls and otherwise—as well as NCAA Final Fours, international soccer matches, concerts and other events. The building would immerse into the L.A. sports and entertainment scene, attracting all of the ancillary revenue from naming rights deals, exclusive sponsorships, local media deals, parking and concessions, etc.

As the relocation applications point out, the existing markets pale in comparison to revenue possibilities. When it was announced in December that National Car Rental would provide naming rights for a proposed stadium in St. Louis for $158 million, Jerry Jones commented, <i>That would buy a lobby in Los Angeles.</i> That statement was telling.