There’s some potential “7-9 bullsh-t” happening with the Rams’ new stadium in Inglewood.
Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal reports that the Federal Aviation Administration has declined to issue permits for cranes needed to build the structure.
“We’re not going to evaluate any crane applications until our concerns with the overall project are resolved,” FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told Kaplan.
Specifically, the FAA concluded last year that the stadium could be a hazard, because it possibly will interfere with radar at LAX airport. (Separate concerns have been raised regarding terrorism, given the presence of the stadium in the approach to LAX; the FAA apparently is not delaying the project on that basis.)
As Kaplan notes, the scheduled implementation of new satellite technology in 2020 could address the issue. With the stadium due to open in 2019, however, an overlap between the new stadium and the old technology would exist.
The most obvious outcome would be to delay the opening of the stadium until the new satellite technology is in place. But that’s surely not something Rams owner Stan Kroenke will be interested in doing — especially with the Super Bowl set to be played in the new venue in early 2021.