Yesterday I gushed about a possible NFL stadium plan being assembled by Los Angeles sports business stalwarts Tim Leiweke and Casey Wasserman. That was before any on the record details emerged about what AEG president Leiweke and Wasserman actually were thinking about the project.

(AEG’s Leiweke has already remade downtown L.A.)

Now we know the plan.

Sam Farmer of the L.A. TIMES reports Saturday that Leiweke and Wasserman envision what could be a privately-financed $1 billion downtown Los Angeles retractable-roofed stadium that could house up to two NFL teams along with events like the Final Four, the NFL Draft and combine, political conventions and serve as the flagship venue for an American 2022 World Cup.

For most cities, that’d seem like an unrealistic undertaking. But based on the resources and political capital Leiweke and Wasserman already avail, I believe there’s a damn good chance it’ll happen. Read more…

If you asked me yesterday afternoon what the chances of an NFL team moving to L.A. were in the next five years, I’d have told you zero. I’ve contended from the very beginning that the City of Industry stadium bid by Ed Roski will never happen, and there’s been nothing in recent months to suggest otherwise.

(1201 Figueroa St.: NFL’s newest address?)

But last night here in Los Angeles something happened that makes me think we will indeed have NFL football here in the next five years. Maybe sooner. Read more…

J.A. Adande has a piece today at ESPN.com on one of L.A.’s newest must-see nightspots. (At least for 48 minutes, three times per week.)

You won’t find this club in a reconditioned room hidden in some grimy Hollywood back alley. The space resides in Staples Center, where nightclub mogul Sam Nazarian bought out eight upper level suites for $1M to create the venue. A little background from SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL:

In its first year the lounge will be open to courtside seat holders and suite owners. As part of the deal, AEG sold a block of tickets for Lakers, Clippers and Kings games and other events to SBE to distribute to its best customers to hang out at the new club, said Lee Zeidman, the arena’s executive vice president and general manager.

So did Adande give the club the usual ‘this is cool!‘ review? To his credit, no. Some of that probably had to do with club management not giving him an automatic pass. But I’m guessing that’s just the kind of exclusivity mystique Nazarian wants fostered to lure more a-listed high rollers. Read more…

Unless you aren’t living here in California, you don’t know that our State Assembly and Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, recently crammed the largest one-year state tax increase in U.S. history down the throats of us unsuspecting Golden State folk. An astonishing $12 billion dollar increase on top of what we already pay. Sales tax in my state is now 11%. Yep, YOU READ THAT RIGHT, 11 PERCENT. *reaches for lube*

(Taxpayer lube to fund Leiweke (l) future LA Kings free agent signings?)

Life has never been tougher for Californians, but thankfully we have our wonderful sports teams to make life here a little more bearable. Teams like the NHL Los Angeles Kings, the Lakers, the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.

Oh, wait. Read more…

Over the last few years, American sports leagues have done quite a bit to establish a market around the world instead of just in the United States. In the NBA, David Stern has made no secret of his desire to have an NBA team in Europe, the NFL has played regular season games in London the last two seasons, and MLB has it’s World Baseball Classic while toying with the idea of starting a franchise in Mexico City.  The globalization of American sports leagues seems to be inevitable, but at the same time it’s always felt as though it was still a ways away. Well, apparently it may not be as far off as we think.

Tim Leiweke runs the entertainment company AEG, which is basically England’s answer to what Disney is in America: A company that was founded as an entertainment company that has branched into sports. In America Disney owns ESPN, and in London AEG owns sports franchises like the L.A. Galaxy and over 100 multi-purpose venues across the world. According to Leiweke, one of the major American sports leagues is going to have a team in London by 2011.

Read more…