• Loading stock data...
Thursday, October 9, 2025

SoFi Stadium Wants to Reinvent the Super Bowl Experience

  • Los Angeles hosted the first-ever Super Bowl in 1967.
  • The Big Game returns to city after nearly 30 years on Feb. 13.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It’s exactly 30 days until Super Bowl LVI and I’m on the mezzanine at SoFi Stadium, sitting in front of six of the executives who are responsible for making sure America’s most popular live sporting event goes off without a hitch.

Katie Keenan, senior director of event operations at the NFL, is espousing the benefits of hosting the contest in Los Angeles and at this “amazing facility” in particular.

In the past few months, the $5 billion stadium — which opened its doors to NFL fans for the first time in September 2021 — has been the site of everything from The Rolling Stones concerts to youth football championships, and, of course, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers games.

It’s all part of a larger 300-acre development, surrounded by towering palm trees, called Hollywood Park, much of which is still under construction, but, when completed, will host about 2,500 residences, a retail district, a hotel, and public parks, among other attractions. Prior to the development, the area was the site of a thoroughbred racetrack for 75 years.

Kroenke’s Vision

“Stan Kroenke’s vision was to build a facility like this, the largest facility in the NFL. It was built for events like the Super Bowl,” Jason Gannon, managing director at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, tells us during the 30 Days Out press conference. “It hasn’t been [in the Los Angeles area] in nearly 30 years, so we couldn’t be more excited.”

Kroenke privately financed the stadium, which broke ground in 2016. The billionaire real estate and sports mogul owns the Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C., MLS’ Colorado Rapids, and several other teams across smaller leagues and esports.

His decision to move the Rams from St. Louis and build the stadium has not been without controversy. Last November, Kroenke and the NFL settled a lawsuit filed by the city and county of St. Louis, as well as its sports authority, for $790 million after a years-long court battle. The suit alleged that the defendants cost Missouri’s most populous region millions of dollars in ticket and tax revenue by relocating the team.

There’s also an argument that the development is displacing low-income residents and independent businesses, though Inglewood mayor James T. Butts has spoken in favor of the project, calling it a blessing for the city that’s raised the value of surrounding homes by as much as 300%.

The NFL’s ‘Crown Jewel’

Both Adam Burke and Kathryn Schloessman, each president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, respectively, constantly refer to the importance of using the Super Bowl as a community-building opportunity as I watch them speak at SoFi, the stadium’s 70,000-square-foot, 80-million-pixel ​​Samsung Infinity Screen glowing behind them.

“The Super Bowl alone is anticipated to create thousands of more jobs and generate anywhere from $230 million to $475 million in economic impact,” says Burke. 

Whichever side of the debate you fall on, one fact remains the same: The Super Bowl is coming to the City of Angels and SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13 (with numerous safety protocols in place to manage risk as the pandemic rages on).

“It’s a unique L.A. experience,” A.G. Spanos, the Chargers’ president of business operations, chimes in. “It’s a building that could only be built in L.A. … It’s the crown jewel of NFL stadiums.”

SoFi has a 70,000-person capacity — and expands to 100,000 for extra large events like The Big Game. Cisco, one of the NFL’s official technology partners, created the sole network that connects every management system in the building, including what it says is the largest Wi-Fi 6 deployment in any sports venue worldwide.

The field sits 100 feet below ground level, which contributes to the shockingly loud wall of sound that encompasses visitors on game day.

“When you’re here, you leave with your ears ringing,” the Rams’ chief operating officer Kevin Demoff adds during the panel. “It’s given sports fans in Los Angeles something to be proud of.”

A Technological Marvel

One month prior to the 30 Days Out event, I attended a Giants at Chargers game for a tech tour of the facilities. SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park’s chief technology officer, Skarpi Hedinsson, a former Disney executive, led us around the grounds and practically had to yell for us to hear him over the deafening noise of tens of thousands of fans and songs by Vampire Weekend and Dr. Dre — who’s this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performer — blaring through the Infinity Screen’s 260 speakers.

After Hedinsson showed us the stadium’s vast “Monday Night Football”-level in-house production unit, we made our way through the Google Cloud Club to an executive suite where I asked him if he feels a sense of competition with venues adjacent to SoFi, namely Steve Ballmer’s The Forum — which famously hosted the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and was purchased by the billionaire in 2020 for $400 million — and the forthcoming Intuit Dome, a $1.8 billion stadium for his Los Angeles Clippers slated to open in 2024.

“That’s all great news for us,” Hedinsson said, noting how both Ballmer’s developments and the NFL’s new 450,000-square-foot West Coast headquarters down the road only add to the growth and vitality of the area.

More Than The Super Bowl

There’s more than the Super Bowl on the way. SoFi Stadium will host the College Football Playoff national title game in 2023, the Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies in 2028, and is a candidate for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ballmer isn’t the only one building up, either. Teams throughout all of the major U.S. sports leagues are expected to spend over $10 billion on new and renovated stadiums and arenas by the end of this decade, from Oakland to Chicago to Miami, and several other cities in between. 

Los Angeles hosted the first-ever Super Bowl in 1967 and the storyline comes full circle when it returns to the city in just four weeks.

More than a game, it’s a coming out party for a new type of stadium that will occupy the dreams of fans and team owners for years to come. After 100 million-plus viewers witness the glory of a truly future-proofed stadium in February, I don’t think any of us will be able to look back.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Singer Bad Bunny watches game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the Boston Celtics and the against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
opinion

How NFL Can Get Its Arms Around Bad Bunny Situation

The league could try to balance Bad Bunny with a MAGA-friendly performer.
Hymie Elhai

Jets Say Execs Tried to Sink Team President in Bumbling Conspiracy

The team says thousands of deleted text messages show the plot.

NFL and College Football TV Ratings Continue to Surge, Especially for CBS

The network’s singleheader coverage Sunday drew huge viewership.
Jonathan Gannon

Cardinals Fine Coach Jonathan Gannon $100K for Striking Player

Demercado made a costly mistake in the Cardinals’ loss to the Titans. 

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of a Cleveland Browns helmet on a time out against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome.

Cleveland Takes New Shot at Blocking Browns’ $2.4B Stadium

A new lawsuit challenges a permit for the NFL team’s planned stadium.
Sep 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne (76) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center
exclusive
October 3, 2025

Dallas Stars Eyeing Possible Move to Plano in 2031

The team needs to figure out where they’ll play starting in 2031.
October 7, 2025

Rays Owner Eyes New ‘Forever Home’ Like Atlanta’s Battery

The club’s new owners target a new ballpark opening in 2029.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Chicago Bears stadium rendering
October 1, 2025

Bears Want $855M in Public Money for Suburban Stadium

The NFL team details an updated ask for public money.
September 29, 2025

A’s Unveil Sacramento Jerseys As Vegas Development Advances

The club unveils an alternate “Sacramento” jersey as Las Vegas plans advance.
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play.
September 29, 2025

Malik Nabers’s Torn ACL Rekindles NFL’s Grass vs. Turf Debate

The Giants star tore his ACL on MetLife Stadium’s artificial surface.
September 25, 2025

NYCFC’s New $780M Queens Stadium Comes With Jab at Red Bulls

The MLS club progresses on developing its new stadium in Queens, N.Y.