As devastating fires continue ravaging Los Angeles County, Monday's Los Angeles Rams' game against the Minnesota Vikings has been moved to Glendale, Arizona, to ensure the safety of both players and audience.
The teams will now face each other at the city's State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The venue is named after insurance company State Farm which canceled hundreds of homeowners' policies in Pacific Palisades just months before the fire broke out.
Why It Matters
The damages caused by the fires burning through Southern California are expected to exceed $50 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts estimated on Thursday, doubling their expectations from a day earlier.
While it may take some time before the full extent of the cost of the fires will be known, it's clear that the blazes will be particularly damaging to homeowners who have had their properties burned to the ground and had no insurance on them. It's the case with several homeowners who did not find alternative coverage after being dropped by their insurers.
What To Know
"In the interest of public safety, Monday's Wild Card game has been moved to Arizona," the LA Rams wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. The game will be held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 13 at 5 p.m. PT.
State Farm announced in April last year that it was cancelling a total of 72,000 policies across California by summer; 1,626 of these were homes in Pacific Palisades. The company cited growing costs as the main reason behind a decision they were "reluctant" to take, saying in a letter to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara that the move was necessary to reduce their overall exposure and continue operating in the state.
In a comment to Newsweek earlier this week, a spokesperson for State Farm said: "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."
While many fans supported the team's decision, saying it was expected and they'll be traveling to Arizona to watch the game, others complained about the move. "Too far, too expensive to travel. It's a Monday. Maybe offer Season Ticket Members tickets to watch the game at Cosm," said one Los Angeles-based fan on X. "We want our refund immediately," another said.
Taking "away needed revenue from LA is not cool. This hurts the community," said another user on the social media platform.
Some NFL fans remarked on the irony of the game being moved to a stadium named after the same insurers that canceled hundreds of policies in the area affected by the fires.
"You cannot make this up. Thousands of Homeowners in LA got their Home Insurance canceled by StateFarm just months before the LA wildfires burnt down their homes," one user wrote on X. "Now they will have to watch their hometown team play a home playoff game at STATE FARM STADIUM. Unreal."
What People Are Saying
LA Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford said: "Every time we suit up, we're the Los Angeles Rams. We play for the people in this community, the people that support us, and this week will be another example of that."
Ralph Amsden, who hosts a sports podcast called The Unafraid Show, wrote on X: "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."
What's Next
As of Thursday night, the two biggest fires burning through Southern California, Palisades and Eaton, were still completely out of control.
The Palisades fire, which started on Tuesday morning, has burned through more than 17,200 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire, and threatened over 13,300 structures between residential, commercial, and others.
The Eaton fire, which started on Tuesday evening, has burned over 13,600 acres and was estimated to have destroyed at least 4,000 structures. At least 10 people have been killed in the firestorms, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles County sheriff warned that the death toll might rise in the coming days.
The strong winds that have spurred the fires in the past few days and helped their spread are now subsiding, giving firefighters hope they'll soon be able to contain the fires.
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