The shared Rams/Chargers venue is scheduled to open this summer, but that could be affected by the pandemicGETTY IMAGES
The Rams have requested up to $500M in additional NFL financing for SoFi Stadium, and a "doubling of the amount of time typically required to pay the money back," according to sources cited by Daniel Kaplan of THE ATHLETIC. That would raise the amount the club "arranged to borrow from the league for SoFi Stadium" to as much as $900M. The shared Rams/Chargers venue is scheduled to open this summer, but "whether it can do so in the midst of the pandemic is unclear." Even if it does, the teams "almost certainly will not play in front of fans, depriving the Rams of much-needed cash to pay down debt." A source said the Rams are asking to pay down the debt "over 30 years as opposed to 15." A source also said that the request is "on the agenda for next week's virtual owners meeting." There are three issues "driving the Rams' request: cost overruns, less than expected personal seat license sales, and the prospect of a gut punch to gate revenue this fall." The Rams and Chargers jointly expected to sell $850M in PSLs, but a source said that they are "collectively considerably south of this level, with the Rams the majority of the amount raised." Because the Rams "essentially shoulder any Chargers' shortfall, the sources expect the Rams' request to glide through" (THEATHLETIC.com, 5/14).
