United Airlines wins field rights to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The University of Southern California (USC) has agreed a 10-year naming rights deal with United Airlines for the playing field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The facility will be renamed as the United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The deal for the field of play, rather than the stadium structure, came in response to complaints from veterans and public officials who criticised the projected use of corporate branding on a memorial to troops from Los Angeles who died in World War I.

United Airlines offered to withdraw its stadium naming rights agreement with the USC-managed Coliseum when opposition to the plan emerged earlier this year.

The terms of the new agreement are unknown, but the original deal was for a reported $69m (€61m) over 16 years.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was built in 1923 and hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984. It will host the Closing Ceremony and track and field events at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In January 2018, the USC  embarked on a $300m renovation of the stadium, scheduled for completion by the start of the 2019 college football season.