Mayor Daly Scrambling to Keep Team

Mayor Tom Daly, in his efforts to keep the Rams from leaving the city, has talked to several sports management companies to learn how stadiums nationwide are being operated.

At his own expense, Daly also will attend a U.S. Conference of Mayors workshop this week in Florida on how cities are dealing with the demands of their professional sports teams.

“I’m just trying to gather information on what is going on in the world of professional sports,” Daly said. The Rams are threatening to leave Anaheim Stadium after the 1994 football season and move out of the state, saying their deal at the city-owned stadium costs them more than most other NFL teams.

One company Daly has spoken to is Spectacor, which manages several sports facilities nationwide, including the Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena. City Hall sources had said Daly was talking to the company about managing a stadium built specifically for the Rams.

“Those conversations (with Spectacor) are not directly related to the Rams,” Daly said. “They have been general discussions about trends in facility financing and sports facility design.”

Daly said he is also trying to learn whether Anaheim Stadium will remain economically viable.

“I have heard experts say our stadium is financially obsolete,” Daly said. “I’m talking to other experts to see if this is true.”

Daly said that at the mayors’ convention he will be asked to discuss the financing of the $108-million Anaheim Arena, which was built primarily with private funding.

“It’s considered the model for sports financing,” Daly said.