UCLA has found itself embroiled in a lawsuit with the city of Pasadena, Calif., and the Rose Bowl Operating Company after the Bruins attempted to break their lease with the Rose Bowl Stadium and move football games to nearby SoFi Stadium.
According to ESPN, UCLA has played home football games at the Rose Bowl for 43 years, and the team’s lease is meant to last until 2044.
Currently, UCLA’s average football game attendance is roughly 35,000, but the stadium has the capacity for over 90,000 fans. By comparison, SoFi Stadium can accommodate 70,000 fans. With a 3-5 overall record, the Bruins have struggled to attract a large audience to home games this season, and the athletics department believes that is partially to blame on the 26-mile distance between campus and the Rose Bowl. In moving games to SoFi, UCLA would only be 12 miles away from its new home football venue.
Despite attendance and travel difficulties, the plaintiffs accused UCLA of “profoundly betraying trust” in its attempt to move to SoFi Stadium.
"The City expects UCLA will honor the terms of the [lease] agreement, and the City Council will do everything in its power to protect and defend the City's contractual rights," the city of Pasadena said in a statement issued Thursday. "... The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Stadium, steadfast partners to UCLA for more than four decades, are extremely disappointed with UCLA's attempt to terminate the lease."
Pasadena city officials alleged that losing UCLA’s home games would cost the city more than $1 billion in damages, and pointed to the $150 million of taxpayer funds that have been used to renovate and upgrade the Rose Bowl.
"The Rose Bowl has acted with transparency and integrity, not only fulfilling but exceeding its obligations under the lease agreement, investing significant time, effort, and financial resources into the partnership with UCLA, including ongoing major renovation work," the statement from Pasadena continued. "The potential economic and reputational damage of UCLA's attempt to break its lease is significant to the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena residents, and the local and regional economy."
