This pep rally over proposed stadium is missing the star player — Philip Anschutz

I was surprised to walk out of Tuesday’s standing-room-only pep rally to find Farmers Field, L.A.’s new downtown football stadium, has yet to be built.

From what everyone was saying inside the West Hall of the Convention Center, it’s a done deal. I kept waiting for the San Diego Chargers to make a grand entrance, since they will be playing in the new joint.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was so pumped up he was already angling for tickets to Super Bowl 50. He reminded everyone he won’t be mayor in 2016, but really wants to go to the game. He never mentioned anything about paying for the tickets.

Magic Johnson said, “I think the community is excited now about the return of football,” because what’s the community’s other choice -- getting excited about the Lakers?

Jerry West was there and holding a football. Maybe he thought L.A.’s new football team might need a logo.

Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier and Jim Brown were some of the old-time football players in attendance. Why isn’t Jim Everett ever invited to these things?

I also thought it odd they made such a big deal out of naming the stadium after Times NFL writer Sam Farmer, and yet no one expressed disappointment he wasn’t there. What’s that all about?

As part of the festivities, they had Eli Broad speaking to everyone by tape on a video board. It was a nice touch inviting the last billionaire who failed to step up with the cash at the critical moment, the NFL then going to Houston. I guess Michael Ovitz has fallen so far off the map, no one could locate him.

They also had a number of union workers speak via video board, one of them suggesting, “Farmers Field is going to save lives.” No telling how many people haven’t found life worth living here since the NFL’s departure.

“It’s snowing in Dallas, folks,” announced Tim Leiweke, the driving force behind the new stadium. “We want Super Bowls in Los Angeles.”

Everyone clapped. Obviously, it’s been so long since L.A. had a Super Bowl, none of these people have any idea what a ticket costs today. Or they would have been booing.

Everyone pretty much clapped all morning long. The only downer was when Leiweke mentioned that Oscar De La Hoya was thinking about making a boxing comeback in the new stadium. Everyone relaxed, though, as soon as Leiweke told De La Hoya to stick to business.

The long and short of it after a bunch of speeches: L.A. is going to have NFL football again because Leiweke says so. If you don’t believe him, that’s because you have a problem.

Leiweke kept making promises. “We will never ask for a dollar from you from the general fund or the taxpayers,” he said. His Staples Center resume suggests he’s probably good for it.

A long list of politicians stepped forward to praise Leiweke, more than one of them saying none of this could be done without him. Not one that I can recall mentioned Philip Anschutz.

Surprisingly, Leiweke never mentioned that his contract with Anschutz expires in 2012. He wouldn’t talk about it later when asked, although it might have been better had he said, “As long as I’m lead dog on this Anschutz project, I will never ask for a dollar.…”

What if he and the guy with the money get cross with each other and there’s a parting of ways? It happens. Just ask Frank & Jamie, who were in love before becoming business partners.

They were using a perfectly good video board at the pep rally. It was good enough for former Mayor Jim Hahn and Al Michaels.

But where was Anschutz? Is this guy so weird, so tongue-tied, so shy he couldn’t sit down 1,000 miles away in Denver, look into a camera and tell everyone who matters in this stadium deal in L.A. that he’s going to spend whatever it takes?

If I was going to agree to bonds or whatever to tear down on hall and build another, I’d want to see Anschutz’s lips move.

Fourteen years ago, Anschutz partnered with Ed Roski on a project to bring football back to L.A. They showed everyone a toy model of their proposed stadium.

I interviewed Anschutz and he said he had no interest in football. He said he was doing Roski a favor by lending his support. I told him I thought it best an owner of a NFL franchise here remain available to fans. A few days later he pulled out.

Casey Wasserman teamed up with Leiweke on a stadium deal several years ago. Leiweke was being backed by Anschutz. They had a toy model of their proposed stadium. A short time later they gave up.

Here we go again, and while this plan sounds better than all the others over the last 15 years, it does so only if Anschutz is all in.

Leiweke became huffy when I asked about Anschutz’s involvement after the pep rally. For weeks now Leiweke has been saying Anschutz has yet to sign off on the deal.

In that regard, which would probably be a surprise to everyone at the pep rally, nothing has changed.

Leiweke said his silent boss is “100% in support, but subject to certain conditions being met.”

Leiweke has been trying to meet those conditions. Some of Anschutz’s concerns center on the city’s financial/environmental and political reaction to such a plan.

That’s why Leiweke had the politicians stepping to the microphone to express their support ad nauseam, “the whole thing being beamed” to Anschutz, as he told everyone.

If all it takes is everyone buying everything they hear and clapping a lot, then maybe Leiweke has Anschutz now. But I suspect the guy in Denver is more interested how much of his money is going to be spent, and I don’t know if he has that answer yet.

He certainly hasn’t said so.

t.j.simers@latimes.com