Did you know the home of the NFL Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers is called Sofi Stadium? The Sofi Stadium is being built in Inglewood, California and sits on 298 acres. The building will hold 70,240 seats and be able to expand to 100,240 seats if needed. The process of building started on November 17, 2016. The stadium will hold the Rams and Chargers home games along with other events. It is scheduled to host WrestleMania 37 in March 2021, Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, and the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2023. During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the stadium is expected to host the opening and closing ceremonies.
The stadium features include a fixed, translucent roof to cover the stadium and pedestrian plaza. The sides of the stadium are to be open. The video board is a 4k HDR, which will be suspended from the roof over the field. On November 17, 2016, the Rams held a groundbreaking construction ceremony. They moved the large construction cranes to the site to build the stadium on December 23, 2016. In the month of May 2017, the area of the stadium had postponed the completion to the 2020 NFL season due to the record amount of rainfall. June 26, 2018 the stadium was ceremonially topped out. In August 2019, it was announced that it was 75% complete. The stadium is set to host Taylor Swift’s Lover Fest on July 25 and 26, 2020, as the inaugural event. January 2020, Sofi Stadium is 85% complete, with the seat’s installation, roof construction, and the video boards in progress.
In March 2020, a problem occurred that would slow the construction down some. This is the coronavirus and the stay-at-home orders issued by the government. The mangers have instituted safety measures that include increasing the numbers of toilets, hand-washing stations, staying at least 6 feet apart from one another, having nonessential workers work from home, and having workers stay home if they have a cough, fever, or difficulty breathing.
The first worker on the project to get the Covid-19 was announced on March 29, an ironworker whose job was in an assembly area outside the stadium structure. Another worker tested positive for the Covid-19 about a week later after the first one did. They are being self-quarantined and are recovering. The tools that they were working with are being disinfected. The workers are given N95 masks, while others are using handkerchiefs or similar cloth items to cover their faces. The project will have temperature checks at six access points on the site. If the workers temperature is 100 degrees or higher, they are required to be put in an area for five to ten minutes and list who they interacted with and work locations for the last 14 days. If the workers want to, they can decline having their temperature checked but won’t be allowed to work. It is unclear if they will get paid or not.
Grant McCullough, who is a fan of the NFL ,has some thoughts about the workers working on the stadium. He said, “I feel that it is not the right decision because even though I am a football fan, I do not consider that essential work. I understand that they want to finish the stadium earlier rather than later. If they have a stadium they can play in and can put the work on hold until COVID-19 passes through, then they should do that instead of risking their workers’ health.”
The Sofi stadium continues to be built despite the COVID-19 going around the world and with the stay at home shelter rule. The owner wants it complete so they can have the stadium done by the Taylor Swift concert in July and the start of the NFL season. This way, the fans can enjoy watching their favorite entertainers and teams in the new stadium.
