LOS ANGELES -- United Airlines and the University of Southern California have reached a new naming rights agreement for Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to resolve criticism that placing a corporate name on the stadium would disrespect its history as a monument to troops who fought and died in World War I, the parties announced Friday.
The new 10-year deal names the field rather than the whole stadium, satisfying a key elected official who joined with veterans in opposing the original plan to rename the nearly century-old landmark United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.
Starting in August, the playing field will be referred to as United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a name that was suggested as an alternative when the controversy boiled up last March, shortly after the centennial of the war's end.