OPINION: Coliseum name change sacrifices tradition for money

Last month, USC President C. L. Max Nikias announced that the University had begun a $270 million restoration project and partnership with United Airlines to rename the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum come August 2019. In addition to the change in name, the stadium will be getting new seats, screens, concession stands and box seats. While the Coliseum has undergone a number of renovations throughout its history, this marks the first renaming of the Coliseum since its inception in 1923.

Nikias’ announcement did not sit particularly well with USC students, alumni and the surrounding community. This is because the renaming of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marks a shift in values. Namely, by changing the name of a city’s cultural and historical landmark to the symbol of a corporate sponsorship, USC is sending the message that civic spaces and the history and tradition that come with them can be bought.

The connection between sports and advertising is no secret. Sports venues such as the STAPLES Center, the AT&T Stadium and CenturyLink Field are named after brands. Most college football bowl games that used to be known solely as the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, for example, are now the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. In the wake of this year’s Super Bowl, especially, where the halftime show is now the Pepsi Halftime Show and companies shell out millions of dollars for 30 seconds of air time, one can see that corporations bring huge amounts of money into sports.

However, just because this connection between sports and marketing is well-established doesn’t mean that it signifies progress of any kind. For nearly a century, the Coliseum has been established as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It has borne witness to multiple Summer Olympics, the World Series and countless NFL and USC football games. It is part of the history of Los Angeles, hence the current name, and is a civic space where Angelenos can come together. Why throw such a meaningful name and civic space away for new seats?

As USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann, explained, the partnership with United Airlines and the consequential name change were necessary in order for the stadium’s renovations to be completed. He said, “If we’re not changing and moving forward, then we’re stagnant and other schools will pass us up, and we won’t be relevant in terms of our facilities.”

To be clear, the renovations of the Coliseum consist in part of new seats, luxury suites and new lighting and concession stands. It is hard to believe that this partnership was the only fundraising option for a school with USC’s financial means.

As USC football coach Clay Helton said of the project, “It just shows the investment the community and the University is making.” Perhaps for the budgetary aspects of USC, this is a smart investment, but it doesn’t exactly seem like the members of the community are reflected in the “United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.” In fact, it’s almost the opposite. USC is privatizing a civic space that, up until this point, was meant to act as a symbol of the city and its population.

While it is important to have better facilities in the stadium, it is also important to remain loyal to the years of history that are represented in the Coliseum. It should feel like it belongs to the people of Los Angeles, not United Airlines, a company that notably faced serious legal consequences and social media backlash less than a year ago for a circulated video showing United workers forcibly removing passengers from an overbooked flight.

Perhaps there would have been a better way to fund luxury suites and new lighting that didn’t involve changing the name of a beloved stadium. Perhaps not. Either way, this was the decision that USC had to make: “progress” and money-making versus integrity and upholding tradition.

In committing to the terms of this paid partnership with United Airlines despite the moral costs, USC has made it clear that they have made their decision and have demeaned the importance of civic spaces such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the process.