The National Football League’s return to Los Angeles began behind closed doors — with a coin flip.
The St. Louis Rams won the right to go first, and their owner and a top executive made their pitch last week in a hotel ballroom in Houston, outlining plans for a multibillion-dollar stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Next came the backers of the Carson stadium proposal — the owners of the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. Recruited to oversee that project was Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger, who spoke of his love for the NFL and his branding expertise and reminded the 32 owners that, as head of ESPN’s parent company, he had paid them all plenty of money over the years.