The NFL is relocating Monday’s playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams to Glendale, Arizona due to the ongoing fires ravaging southern California and concerns over air quality.
‘In the interest of public safety, Monday’s Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL announced today,’ read the league statement.
‘The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA.
‘The game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes at its scheduled 8:00pm EST time. Tickets will go on sale at 10am PT Friday morning through Seatgeek.com for Rams Season Ticket Members and Noon PT to the general public. More information on ticket sales will be provided as soon as possible.’
Relocating any game is a logistical nightmare for fans, teams and the league, but Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium has been consumed by an ominous yellow haze amid the wildfires that have claimed five lives thus far. Even the team’s practice facility in Woodland Hills appeared impacted as smoke from the Palisades blaze could be seen billowing overhead.
Los Angeles has been besieged by multiple wildfires all week following two days of extraordinary wind across the vast metropolitan area. While none of the fires is burning near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the NFL is moving the game amid concerns about air quality, the strain put on the community and the possible demands on police and fire department personnel.
The NFL is relocating Monday’s playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams to Glendale, Arizona due to the ongoing fires ravaging southern California
Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on October 24
Smokes from a wildfire rises over the Los Angeles Rams NFL football practice facility
NFL fans have slammed the decision to choose State Farm Stadium, due to the sponsor’s refusal to take new home-insurance applications from California. Last year, the company then revealed it would stop covering 72,000 homes across California in an attempt to avoid ‘financial failure’.
‘Imagine that you live in LA, are a Rams fan, and you lost your house in a fire that State Farm revoked your coverage for, and now you have to watch your team play this weekend in State Farm Stadium,’ one fan wrote on social media.
‘NFL says Vikings-Rams game would be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ if necessary.
‘The same State Farm that sponsors a football stadium but cancelled insurance policies right before the fire,’ another said.
A third added: ‘State Farm Stadium. The same State Farm that pulled out of California and screwed over policyholders being directly impacted by the fires? For God’s sake, @NFL, read the room’.
According to the New York Times, many homeowners in the wealthy neighborhood of Pacific Palisades cannot find – or keep – coverage.
Multiple fires have caused devastation throughout greater Los Angeles over recent days
The game could yet be moved to State Farm Stadium – home of the Arizona Cardinals
Last summer, it’s said, 70 percent of State Farm’s customers in the neighborhood – around 1,600 homeowners – lost their insurance.
A spokesperson for State Farm told DailyMail.com: ‘Our number one priority right now is the safety of our customers, agents and employees impacted by the fires and assisting our customers in the midst of this tragedy.’
Fires have been tearing through the area since Tuesday and, by Thursday, they had spread to surrounding suburbs after a windstorm carried embers and debris in all directions.
The death toll has now reached five, with firefighters still battling hellish conditions in an attempt to stem the devastation.
Many residents will rely on their fire insurance to repair the damage caused by the blaze, which is on track to be the most destructive blaze ever.
It’s estimated that the final bill could reach $60 billion, with experts saying that the damage from the deadly fires could become the most costly in US history.