Give Downtown L.A. a Sporting Chance : Renewal: A major-league sports and entertainment complex would more than pay for itself in tax revenue.

Los Angeles has lost two major league football teams this year because of economics. And this is not the only city that teams are deserting. The Cleveland Browns, after more than half a century, are being ransomed to Baltimore for a package that will exceed $80 million and earn the owners a fortune each year.

Football and other major league sports can generate money, jobs and taxes for a city, and the competition for teams is fierce. Los Angeles must do what it can to attract new teams, retain existing ones and create a venue for other entertainment events.

The city has a chance to use its sport franchises to benefit everyone by helping to finance the location of both a new football stadium and an indoor sports arena in the Downtown area adjacent to the Convention Center. Doing so would bring some economic vigor to Downtown. This central location is accessible by many major freeways, good mass transportation and excellent parking. Additionally, a number of under-patronized hotels, restaurants and shops would benefit from a sports-entertainment complex adjacent to the Convention Center. Two of the other major sites being considered for a new stadium are not even in the city of Los Angeles.

The area between the Convention Center, the proposed sports-entertainment complex and the downtown area along Figueroa Street or one of the other north-south streets could be developed into an attraction like Universal CityWalk with a sports and entertainment motif. A synergistic relationship between the convention facilities and the sports complex would inevitably develop. It’s possible that the Old North Hall of the Convention Center could be transformed into the new sports arena.

Although the Downtown area represents an enormous public and private investment, it has suffered greatly economically and the prognosis for recovery is not good unless new strategies are found. The sports complex could be a great catalyst for change, bringing a reason to work, shop and live in that area.

Since many of the giants of the entertainment and communication industries are headquartered in Los Angeles, the new sports-entertainment complex should be state of the art. The city would need to participate by assembling the necessary land for the project and helping with the long-term financing. The project would pay the city back many times through the taxes and income generated. This is a golden opportunity for the city to not only develop a viable Downtown, but to create a true center.