Ask the Expert: Why LA is the Sports Capital of the World

Los Angeles is home to 11 professional sports teams (Dodgers, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Rams, Chargers, Sparks, LAFC, Galaxy, Angel City FC and Rugby FC Los Angeles) with more than 30 championships combined. The destination is celebrating a very successful year in sports with both the Dodgers and Lakers winning championships. From state-of-the-art sports venues recently developed to a lineup of high-profile events slated for the city over the next decade, Los Angeles has truly become the Sports Capital of the World.

The Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), the City's designated organization to attract, secure and support high-profile sports and entertainment events for the Los Angeles region and surrounding areas, focuses on events that will positively impact the local economy by driving tourism and local commerce. LASEC has been working diligently since 1995 to build up Los Angeles' reputation as a sports mecca, and are proud to support the next decade of exciting events including the MLS All-Star Game, 2022 Super Bowl LVI, 2022 MLB All-Star Game, 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship, 123rd U.S. Open Championship, 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball West Region Championship, 2026 Candidate Host City for FIFA World Cup™ and the 2028 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games.

We sat down with Kathryn Schloessman (pictured above), President of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, to discuss the bidding process and what makes Los Angeles a premier destination for all things sports.

The bidding process is very involved and includes the following steps:

• First, there is a Request for Proposal (RFP) that is issued by the organizing body to destinations they are considering for hosting. The RFP provides a snapshot view of the event including the essential requirements needed from the host city as well as information about the positive impacts – both social and economic –  that hosting the event will deliver.
• Next, we form a Bid Committee, usually comprised of the LASEC, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, the host venue(s) and others to put together our proposal. The proposal includes a vision of what the overall event would look like, specific information on the various hotels, venues and facitilites best-suited for hosting the event, and information on marketing, promotional and other support that Los Angeles is committed to providing.

As you can imagine, RFPs are incredibly detailed and packed with information. For example, the RFP for the Super Bowl was 92 pages long!

Los Angeles is an ideal choice for so many reasons. L.A. is the most experienced, versatile, diverse and exciting major event host city in the world. We are a ‘plug-and-play’ destination because our infrastructure stands at the ready to host any major event, where so many other cities have to build that foundation from scratch. We have everything ready to go, from our incredible state-of-the-art venues and iconic stadiums to the premier global gateway that is Los Angeles International Airport and our rapidly improving public transit system.

We boast a growing inventory of world-class hotels that can accommodate an influx of visitors. We have an array of unique venues for activations, parties and hosted events that major brands and sponsors can utilize. And we have a dynamic, thriving fan base who love sports and bring a lot of enthusiasm when it comes to seeing these events in-person. Add to that our near perfect weather and the unrivaled access to celebrities, talent and media that comes with being in the epicenter of the entertainment industry, and you have a perfect storm of reasons for these organizations to choose L.A.!

One of our biggest challenges in preparing for these events is getting the word out about the multitude of ways members of the community can participate. Amidst all the things happening in Los Angeles, it can be difficult to grab somebody’s attention, especially if an event is several years away. We always want to make sure the resounding event benefits – social, cultural and economic – as well as opportunities for participation are clearly communicated to fans and L.A. residents.

Well, Los Angeles was unable to put forth a bid for the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls. For example, we didn’t even have an NFL team a few years ago. That all changed when the NFL owners voted to allow the Rams to relocate to L.A. in 2016. When Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced he would build the Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, we knew it would be an instant game-changer for Los Angeles. Since then, our target list of events has grown exponentially; the new 70,000-seat stadium will have the state-of-the-art technology required to host these mega events, and that allowed us to bid on (and win) events like the Super Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Los Angeles has also recently added another new event venue – the 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium – while two other iconic venues are investing significantly in upgrades and renovations: STAPLES Center and the LA Memorial Coliseum. The future of L.A.’s sports landscape is brighter than it has ever been, and we're excited to be part of it.

In the last few years, we have worked alongside our team, venue and city partners to secure several ‘bucket-list’ events for Los Angeles.

For many years, the event we wanted most to bring to Los Angeles was the Super Bowl, which we had not hosted since 1993. In 2016, we won the right to host the 2022 Super Bowl. We then focused on the U.S. Open, an event that had not been in Los Angeles since 1948.   We won that and are hosting the 123rd U.S. Open Championship in Los Angeles in 2023.

Our city is incredibly fortunate to be heading into a “Decade of Opportunity”, hosting a lineup of  every major sports championship over the next decade including the 2021 MLS All-Star Game; 2022 Super Bowl LVI, 2022 MLB All-Star Game, 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship; 123rd U.S. Open Championship at LA Country Club; 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball West Region Championship; and, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which our friends at LA 2028 bid on and secured and we are supporting their efforts.

We are now focused on becoming a Host City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ which will be played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  We also hope to bring more Super Bowls, more College Football Playoff National Championships, more All-Star Games, and continuing to work on attracting new events, like the Rugby World Cup.