United Airlines has offered to walk away from a $69 million deal it inked last year to rename the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
It was to be renamed to the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum but the deal has come under intense criticism from veterans and city officials, saying a corporate renaming is disrespectful.
The Coliseum is a memorial which honors World War I veterans.
The renaming is part of a $270 million renovation and if is not acceptable it will withdraw and the agreement should be terminated.
In a letter to the University of Southern California, which co-owns the facility with the city and manages it, United said it is making ‘a significant commitment to financing this project’ and is mindful of the need to keep the words ‘Memorial Coliseum’ to honor veterans.
"If USC is not in a position to honor the terms of the agreement, including in particular the name change, United would be amenable to abiding by the wishes of the community, stepping away from this partnership with USC, and mutually terminating the agreement," it said.
USC said renaming it to ‘United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’ would be an acceptable compromise.
In a newspaper op-ed, LA County supervisor Janice Hahn criticized the deal last week.
"Removing ‘Los Angeles’ and replacing it with a corporate sponsor insults the memories of those the Coliseum was intended to honor," wrote Hahn.
