UCLA has a lease to play its home games at the Rose Bowl through 2044, but according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company, the university has been “unequivocally expressing its intent to abandon the Rose Bowl Stadium and relocate its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.”
Calling the university’s alleged plan “a profound betrayal of trust,” the complaint said UCLA’s outside legal counsel told the city and Rose Bowl Operating Co., which runs the 103-year stadium, earlier this month that the Bruins would cease playing there after “UCLA leadership, lawmakers in Sacramento, and other decision-makers had vetted and approved the decision.”
According to Pasadena officials, taxpayers have forked over more $150 million toward Rose Bowl renovations along with another $130 million refinanced in bonds for other improvements to the stadium, at which UCLA has played its home games since 1982.
“This lawsuit arises in an era when money too often eclipses meaning and the pursuit of profit threatens to erase the very traditions that breathe life into institutions,” the filing reads. “Some commitments are too fundamental to be traded away.”
UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications Mary Osako told the Los Angeles Times in a statement: “While we continue to evaluate the long-term arrangement for UCLA football home games, no decision has been made.”
In response to Pasadena’s attorney seeking confirmation earlier this week that UCLA would honor its lease, Jordan McCrary — an outside attorney for UCLA — responded that the Bruins intend to keep playing “for the remainder of the football season.”
Included in the filing was a letter from UCLA disputing the allegations, stating that “preliminary discussions” regarding a potential move “do not constitute a material breach for which RBOC would be entitled to a legal or equitable remedy.” UCLA outside counsel David L. Schrader wrote the letter in March to Nima Mohebbi, Pasadena’s attorney, adding that UCLA “continues to evaluate strategic goals and how to be fiscally responsible and best fulfill its mission.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order to force UCLA to honor the remainder of its lease, stating that the monetary damage “could easily exceed a billion dollar (or more)” for the city and its residents.
The Bruins are on track for an all-time low home attendance at the Rose Bowl this season, drawing an average of 35,253 for its four home games in the 89,702-seat stadium. The Rose Bowl is 26 miles away from UCLA’s campus, which has led to two-hour round trips for students and other fans.
Only Maryland and Northwestern drew fewer fans in the Big Ten last season, with UCLA averaging approximately 46,805 to its home games.
SoFi Stadium, which has held home games for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers since opening in 2020, holds 77,000 fans and contains more than 260 luxury suites. It’s approximately 13 miles from UCLA, half the distance of the Rose Bowl, but driving there can also be troublesome due to the city’s congested and busy freeways.
–Field Level Media
