This incredible structure opened in September 2020, and yet this is my first time here. It is December 2024 (although you won’t be reading this for several months due to the exigencies of writing and scheduling) and I’ve finally made it to SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles’ football mecca and, as of its building, the most expensive sports stadium ever constructed.
I am here for a Los Angeles Rams game, the penultimate regular season game of the 2024-25 season, versus the Arizona Cardinals. My aunt won four tickets in a VIP section, and was kind enough to invite me along.
For those considering coming here to SoFi Stadium for an event, I thought I’d take a few minutes to go over my personal experiences with the place, as well as talk about the building itself from architectural and city planning perspectives.
Before the Game
SoFi Stadium is in Inglewood, a Los Angeles suburb. It was constructed on the Hollywood Park campus, formerly a racetrack and now casino, housing, some shopping and restaurants, and sports venues (this one and the nearby Intuit Dome, just completed for this season of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers). Across the street is the Kia Forum, another events hub and former basketball arena.
What is lacking, however, is public transit. Some bus lines run to SoFi, and shuttles serve the arena from both the Harbor Gateway Transit Center and the nearby (approximately a mile and a half) LA Metro C-Line. But for the overwhelming majority of the 70,000+ fans who will come to an event here, driving is the most efficient way to arrive. And that means parking.
SoFi’s website links to various parking options. Those basically on site (just across from the stadium) can run between $70 and $100, while those a bit further afield are cheaper. All are less expensive if booked ahead, so I take charge of parking arrangements and make a reservation at a structure shared with the local farmer’s market for about $50. I input my license plate number into the reservation, and the arm swings up for me when I arrive. So far, so good.
The stadium opens roughly two hours before game time, and after my half mile walk (in what is not the most efficient route given my entrance to the stadium on my tickets, but I didn’t know), it is only a few minutes before that happens. I take some photos of the stadium and the nearby lake, and then it is time to go in.
The Stadium
The first thing I notice when I arrive at SoFi Stadium is that it seems small. That is because the majority of the stadium itself is below ground level, with entrance being up on the second to top deck. The whole construct is covered with a vast sweeping roof that is open at the sides, meaning it is open-air but not subject to rain. (Wind and temperature, however, are part of the experience.)
That roof is one of the signature pieces of SoFi Stadium, as it is equipped with LED lights on top of it for the planes that fly overhead into LAX. (Sit on the right side of the plane for the views of the stadium.) As you’ll see, touches like this are part of why the total cost of the stadium ended up exceeding 6 billion dollars, a cost I am proud to say has been entirely privately funded, as Los Angeles taxpayers have staunchly refused public money for sports venues.
Our tickets are for a VIP section, although it is hard to tell just what is so VIP about it. We are in the second row of the second deck, in the corner, a terrific view of all but those plays down at the far end, but I’m not sure there is much else special about them.
Food options are somewhat limited. With each of the VIP sections being restricted entry, they are also restricted exit. Only a few sections of seating share my food vendors, and I am not really able to walk to other places to see what they might have. There is a place with tacos (I opt for these, at $22 for two large carne asada tacos), one with burgers and dogs, a couple bars, and a buffet that offers all you can eat through the end of the 3rd quarter for $55. There is also a lovely garden area with some seating.
The seats themselves are basic plastic, not especially comfortable. But the bathrooms are clean, so that’s a plus.
The Game Experience
Football is played on a large field, so few seats offer truly great views of the action in its entirety. However, this is where SoFi’s other signature innovation comes in. Gazing upward, one will notice a huge circular two-sided screen. Known as the Infinity Screen, it offers every fan in every seat a variety of views, from the game itself to stats to replays. My gaze alternates from the live action to the screen regularly.
The experience is emceed by a DJ/announcer. He and the music are loud, a bit too loud for my own personal mid-forties taste. But most of the fans at least seem under control, and announcements are frequent that unruly behavior will result in expulsion.
Live music is played from a small stage on the other side of the stadium from me. The house band is a mariachi band, appropriate for Southern California. And halftime brings a brief three song interlude from local favorite Sublime, a band from my childhood. Of course, while I can’t see that stage from my seat, the Infinity Screen broadcasts it well.
After the Game
The Rams win, a nail biter down to the end, meaning fans stay all the way. After a much more efficient walk back to the car, I discover the true downside to SoFi Stadium: getting out. It takes about twenty minutes just to exit the parking structure (from only the third floor), and another twenty to get to the 105 freeway a mile away. I don’t know what other lots looked like in their exit experiences, but this was not a fun time.
It certainly didn’t make the game experience not worth it, per se, but between crowds filing out, and the time stopped in the car, it left a bitter feeling.
The Future
SoFi Stadium hosts two NFL teams (the Rams and Chargers), and a number of concerts. It has hosted one Super Bowl with another to come in 2027, and will be a home for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. And more.
Combined with the Intuit Dome, YouTube Theatre (built into SoFi itself), and the Kia Forum (if it doesn’t get demolished), that is a lot of entertainment in a small area. Add to it Hollywood Park Casino, housing, and the start of what it is hoped will be a world class entertainment district similar to LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, and this tiny section of Inglewood will only get more crowded and popular.
There have been plans for an automated transit system that connects the area to the C-Line to the south, K-Line to the north, or both. But so far, that is on hold. The area around the stadium remains one with a not terribly positive reputation, especially at night, although I don’t consider it unsafe. But it certainly lacks the nearby dining options of similar stadiums around the country.
Would the transit help? Almost certainly. But funding would probably have to come from the arena/team owners who, despite their over $100 billion in net worth together, are probably not keen on paying billions more for a transit system they would not be able to then own and make money from. And local residents really only benefit from transit that they can access, meaning more stops than just Metro link-ups and the stadium. So it’s a waiting game, for now.
Meanwhile, construction on the Hollywood Park area continues. New housing is going up, and new restaurants and venues are said to be on their way. So for now, terrible traffic is likely part of the package that is unavoidable in the short term.
Conclusion
As I reflect on the drive home, I come down this way. I’m glad I came. I saw an exciting game, experienced an incredible new (ish) venue, and got to see firsthand what the area is becoming. On the other hand, everything was more expensive than any other sporting event I’ve ever attended, traffic was horrible, and stadium seats don’t agree with my middle aged back after several hours.
Would I come back? Well, maybe for the World Cup or the Olympics. But for a regular season NFL game? Likely not. Make of that what you will.
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