There was a story out this morning that the city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl officials had filed a lawsuit against the University of California-Los Angeles (aka UCLA).

Here's the important part

The Times reported UCLA’s outside counsel, David L. Scrader, sent a letter to Pasadena attorney Nima Mohebbi in March, saying the school’s efforts to conduct “preliminary discussions” about relocating games did not constitute a “material breach” of its contract.
But Pasadena officials and stadium representatives claim a potential move could cost Pasadena and its residents more than $1 billion in damages. City officials said in the suit that taxpayers have funded more than $150 million in renovations with an additional $130 million in bonds that were recently refinanced for additional upgrades.

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That is interesting, if nothing else. 

As someone who has kept a keen eye on how the Los Angeles Chargers have ingratiated themselves with the fans of their adopted city, I have noticed that when the team has gone out of its way to draft players from UCLA and USC. But it had never really occurred to me that there could be a theoretical world where the Chargers and one of those teams share a home stadium, which would make it even easier to win over some new fans in L.A.

And it's not as if UCLA has never played at SoFi Stadium before. They defeated Boise State in the 2024 version of the "LA Bowl", which is played annually between a Mountain West and PAC-12 team and takes place at the home of the Chargers and Rams. The game between UCLA and Boise State remains the highest attended LA Bowl to date, for obvious reasons.

Would UCLA football home games being moved to SoFi Stadium change anything, as far as the Chargers are concerned?

Well, it would make them a little easier to scout. And, in theory, it would make it easier to sign free agents who have played their college home games at SoFi Stadium and are looking to return to the friendly confines.

Since Sofi Stadium uses a turf field instead of grass (at least when the World Cup is not happening), there shouldn't be much concern about the extra wear-and-tear from an additional football game happening each week.

Is there any chance of this actually happening?

Look, I'm not a lawyer...

I certainly see the arguments about SoFi being closer to UCLA's campus, and it's not like a college football team playing in the NFL stadium would be a ridiculous notion (it's already being done by USF, UNLV, Pitt, Temple, and I think the University of Miami).

I also see the argument on the side of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl, who have been cornered into pouring money into a 103-year-old stadium to keep UCLA happy and are concerned about what happens both to that investment and to their economic planning around what those football games bring to the area.

If you're asking me, I'd say they're contractually obligated to stay there until 2044 and any attempt to leave before then would be difficult. But the fact that they're looking into it means that they definitely want to leave before then, which is a problem for everyone. Except the Chargers.