United Airlines purchases naming rights to the Coliseum

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum—home of USC Trojans football and a two-time Olympic venue—will be renamed after United Airlines. Starting in August 2019, the stadium will be known as the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum, says a press release from USC.

United Airlines purchased the naming rights to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for $69 million for a 16-year period, reports the Wall Street Journal. Sports Business Daily said that rate “[makes] it the richest naming-rights deal among college football stadiums.”

The deal with United dates back at least to May. The Los Angeles Times reported that stadium officials wanted the “Memorial Coliseum” to stay part of the venue’s name. (The Coliseum was built as a memorial to World War I veterans.)

USC has been looking to sell naming rights to the stadium since 2015, when it partnered with FOX Sports to find viable candidates.

United Airlines’ money will be used to help offset the cost of a $270-million renovation to the Coliseum.

Exposition Park is busy with construction. The new Banc of California soccer stadium is being built right now, and should be complete for the 2018 soccer season. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, approved last year, is set to open in 2021.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that the terms of the agreement as $70 million for 15 years.

• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum To Get New Name After Deal With United Airlines [Wall Street Journal]
• A Win for Los Angeles: United Airlines Comes to the Coliseum [PRNewsWire]
• USC wants to sell the Coliseum’s naming rights to United Airlines [Curbed LA]