Downtown L.A.'s Farmers Field Football Stadium Shunned By NFL?

Farmers Field / AEG

That according to Yahoo! Sports, which cites "two sources" who say the NFL is just not that into Anschutz Entertainment Group's proposed Farmers Field near Staples Center.

The problem, according to the report:

Unofficially, the NFL believes that the cost of the AEG plan, which the league believes will be at least $1.8 billion, will make it unworkable.

AEG's football dreams involve building a 72,000-seat stadium where the publicly owned Convention Center West Hall exists. The plan also calls for a revamp of the Center and promises new convention business and tourism as a result.

Farmers Field / AEG

But AEG is also for sale for as much as $10 billion. And a possible $1.8 billion cost might not be too attractive to prospective buyers, the report says. (A stadium with a dedicated NFL team, on the other hand, could offset some of that with added value.)

What's more, AEG wants to rent the stadium to a team, a deal the NFL doesn't apparently want. (Reading between these lines, the league apparently wants a venue owner that's a team owner too.)

All that has some wondering why city leaders, gung ho in approving the stadium in September, haven't read these tea leaves." Yahoo! Sports:

Among the "signals" that have been missed are direct meetings between L.A. officials such as outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or councilwoman Jan Perry and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in which Goodell has expressed questions about the project. Goodell has met with Villaraigosa on at least three occasions.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]