Top Menu

New for 2019: United Airlines Memorial Coliseum

Proposed Los Angeles Coliseum renovations

We have the first-ever naming-rights deal for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which will be known as United Airlines Memorial Coliseum as the result of a 16-year, $69-million contract that kicks in next year.

The deal was rumored as far back as May 2017, with Fox selling the rights on behalf of USC. The new name will take effect in August 2019.

The naming-rights deal will help fund the $270-million overhaul of the historic venue, which opened in 1923 and hosts both USC football and the Los Angeles Rams. The Memorial Coliseum name was originally instituted to honor World War I veterans. Along the way, the Coliseum hosted two Olympiads, a World Series and two Super Bowls.

Renovations to the Coliseum will take place over the next couple of years, and are expected to modernize the facility and ultimately reduce its seating capacity to 78,000 while adding more suites, a new press box, and more comfortable seating. Some of the results will be noticeable when the Rams return for preseason action in August, but most of the upgrades are slated to be finished for the 2019 season. Capacity will drop to Our Jesse Goldberg-Strassler has an overview of the Coliseum’s history here. From USC:

“The university has a time-honored commitment to the Coliseum, serving as its longest enduring tenant. USC is honored to be the caretaker of this Los Angeles treasure,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “Together with United, we can ensure the Coliseum’s future as a world-class venue and true community asset.”…

“Over almost a century, the Coliseum has endured as one of the world’s greatest sports and entertainment venues, a civic monument and architectural icon in the heart of Los Angeles,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a member of the Coliseum Commission.

“Through this restoration project, USC continues to demonstrate its responsible stewardship of the stadium. With support from United Airlines, USC is ushering in a modern era for this historic landmark and preserving its legacy for generations to come.”

RELATED STORIES: USC Kicks Off Construction for Coliseum RenovationsUSC Season Ticket Holders to be Relocated as Part of Coliseum RenovationsLos Angeles Coliseum Renovation Pitched by USC

, ,

August Publications