Los Angeles Football Interests Have a Texas-Sized Problem

After visiting with the opposition the past few days, in football terms, the city of Houston appears loaded with impact players at every key position, armed with a dynamic game plan, lacking only a fixed date for the Gatorade shower to celebrate induction as the NFL’s 32nd franchise.

“If there was a vote 10 days from now,” said an NFL executive, who has reviewed their work, “Houston would be a slam dunk to become the 32nd team.”

But there will be no formal vote of league owners any time soon--the NFL’s way of making it clear how much it covets the Los Angeles market--placing Houston on hold and giving Southland area groups an extended timeout to rally and avoid being shut out.

Houston’s lead, however, appears commanding, and at the very least has probably assured the country’s fourth largest city of having a football team again.

If the Sports Authority signs off on a memorandum of understanding for a $310-million stadium today as expected, and Harris County follows Tuesday with its anticipated approval, Houston will present an impressive unified display of politics, fan support and financial wherewithal to NFL owners in Kansas City on Oct. 27.

“I think we are going to put a proposal in front of the NFL owners that’s so compelling it’s going to be very difficult for them to turn it down,” said Robert McNair, millionaire businessman and popular community philanthropist, who has exclusive rights to represent Houston as the owner of a new NFL team.

“They are going to have to ask the question: Are we going to turn something down that’s a firm proposal--that’s very attractive to us--in order to wait for something that may or may not develop [in L.A.]?

“As a businessman I know what I would do. I would take the good, sound proposal. I hope that’s what they will do in this case.”

The Houston effort has successfully managed to gain agreement from Judge Robert Eckels, representing Harris County; Lee Brown, the mayor of Houston; Jack Rains, chairman of the Houston Sports Authority; McNair; and the voting public.

Try and get two politicians in L.A. to agree just on a time to meet.

Indeed, Houston’s bid for football is different in every way from L.A.’s, which has the New Coliseum Partners and Michael Ovitz competing for attention: It’s been laid out in detail on paper with accompanying signatures and represents real dollars available for the construction of an all glass stadium with a retractable roof.

The New Coliseum Partners and Ovitz, who is pushing a site in Carson, have been heavy on rhetoric, but short on financial specifics since entering the competition.

Both groups, however, claim the NFL is extremely impressed with their efforts, which of course is in the NFL’s best interests, lest the competition be reduced and the bidding process for an expansion team be dulled before it begins.

The local groups contend Houston is not L.A., believing the NFL has reserved its 32nd franchise for eventual placement here. But what if L.A. remains nowheresville in comparison to Houston?

“I don’t like losing,” said Mayor Brown. “I think we have a winning team. We can put forth a united front; we took the issue to the voters and they approved the fee that we will use to build the stadium.

“What does it take to make this work? You need some place to build a stadium and we have the land. You need money to build a stadium and we have the money. We’ve got a design, more than that we’ve already shown the fact we’re building a baseball stadium. We have a track record. We have the businessman to buy the team. The people that own football teams in the NFL are businessmen and they understand deals. This is a good deal.”

Richard Riordan, the mayor of Los Angeles will not return telephone calls to discuss his position on the return of football.

“The mayor’s role is to do everything that he possibly can to make sure it’s understood we want football in Houston, Texas,” said Mayor Brown in an interview in his office. “We are a premier world-class city, and I think premier world-class cities in America should have major league football.”

Houston can begin digging the foundation for a new stadium in a matter of weeks; the New Coliseum Partners lack a picture of the stadium they are advertising, and Ovitz, who will reveal renderings of his new facility this week, only recently hired an architect to get a better grip on the projected costs of his project.

The New Coliseum Partners contend their project has picked up momentum in recent days, and they promise a boffo presentation in Kansas City, although they still lack the ownership heavyweight to match McNair in Houston.

“We have already spent over $2 million so far in private money in order to put this project together and have some substance to it,” McNair said.

The NFL continues to be impressed with Ovitz’s ability to respond to their questions and concerns. Ovitz has made headway in convincing the NFL that there is a workable remedy to environmental concerns about the Carson site, and this week the California Department of Toxic Substances Control gave its OK to build a mall there to also include a stadium.

At the same time Ovitz apparently has received assurances from the city of Carson that it’s interested in funding as much as $100 million in redevelopment money to his project, although Carson has yet to detail what it would want in exchange.

The Houston proposal, meanwhile, begins with something both L.A. groups cannot deliver: $190 million in public funds. The voters of Houston voted favorably to provide funds raised from hotel and rental car taxes to build new baseball and football stadiums.

Any suggestion of public funds being used for a new football stadium in L.A. have been greeted by almost unanimous rejection. “I can certainly understand why they feel that way,” said McNair. “And I hope that trend continues. If I were them, I’d want to go to the beach.”

In Houston they will be going to a new baseball stadium in 2000. The Ballpark at Union Station, a $249.5 million new home for the Astros, is about one-third of the way constructed. Houston’s effectiveness in assembling a financial package, which includes all cost overruns to be paid by the Astros and/or the contractors, helps validate their present football pitch to NFL owners.

The football stadium, to be built on donated county land adjacent to the Astrodome, allows Houston to take advantage of the infrastructure work already done for the Astrodome, which was built 33 years ago. At the same time the Astrodome will be converted into an exhibition hall, connected to the football stadium and will give Houston one of the largest convention sites in the country.

Houston benefits from the partnership struck between McNair and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, which draws more people to the area in its 16-day run than an entire home football schedule. The Livestock Show’s involvement has reduced the stadium financial burden on McNair, freeing him to better deal with the NFL’s anticipated high priced-franchise fee.

The Livestock Show will contribute $40 million to the football stadium to go along with the $190 million in public money, McNair’s up-front contribution of $45 million (in personal seat licenses) and an additional $2 tax on every ticket sold and $1 parking tax.

McNair will also pay an annual rent of $1.05 million, while the Livestock Show pays $1.5 million annually. Both have also agreed to pay $1.25 million annually for repair costs.

The L.A.-area groups have declined to specify terms of their proposed deals.

McNair has already worked closely with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on previous expansion opportunities and enjoys a friendship with Carolina team owner Jerry Richardson. He also stands tall in his own community as one of the largest contributors to local charities.

“Bob McNair is critical to our effort,” said Rains, overseeing the construction of the baseball stadium.

McNair received so many requests to join his ownership group he invited those interested to join him at a local country club to discuss it. More than 80 turned out, and while most will never own a piece of the new team, McNair knows who to hit up for luxury boxes.

“The stars have lined up correctly for Houston,” said Judge Eckels. “But we don’t want to be seen as the stalking horse for L.A.; this is a window of opportunity and all the pieces will not stay together indefinitely.”

So how long will Houston wait, while the NFL coddles L.A.?

“Our offer will not stay on the table forever,” McNair said. “I’m not going to make an open-ended proposal that’s just sitting out there to be shopped around. I have other things to do.

“The key is we’re going to have the financing for a stadium, a world-class facility, and one way or another I think we will put a team in there. I’d like for them to make a decision by the end of the year, no later than the first quarter of next year, but preferably the end of this year so we can get started.”

And if the decision goes Houston’s way, McNair said with a grin, “and we succeed in getting the 32nd franchise, I will certainly work diligently to get a team for Los Angeles.”