NFL SUPER STADIUMS Follows the Epic Journey of Building SoFi Stadium
In partnership with the NFL, Discovery and Science Channel go behind the scenes and follow the remarkable journey of constructing SoFi Stadium in an all-new, two-hour special, NFL SUPER STADIUMS premiering Wednesday, September 9 at 8P on Science Channel and Saturday, September 12 at 11A on Discovery.
NFL football in Los Angeles is not a new concept, but it does have a new home. Following a two-decade hiatus, NFL football returned to the second largest media market in the United States. The Rams and Chargers returned to the city, having both played there previously. The Rams first moved into the City of Angels in 1946 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ("The Coliseum") until 1979, and again from 2016 until 2019. The Chargers, who were originally based in LA as an AFL franchise (pre-merger), moved south to San Diego in 1961. Both are about to experience a homecoming like nothing else the sports world has ever seen.
Engineers were faced with the audacious task of completing Sofi Stadium in just 45 months, from groundbreaking until Opening Day. Built from more than 6.5 million cubic feet of concrete, upwards of 70 thousand tons of steel, and costing more than 2.5 billion dollars. These engineers battled eye-watering heights, neighboring LAX's relentless air traffic, and blazing heat to complete the stadium and all of Hollywood Park's construction on time.
Now finished, SoFi Stadium creates a seamless indoor/outdoor and technologically immersive environment. The stadium's crown jewel is a 4k video board, shaped like a ribbon, that is held up by a cable network weighing 3.6 million pounds. This revolutionary video board projects 4k video on both sides of the screen. The indoor/outdoor experience is generated by the outer shell of the stadium, which is made out of Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene is a fluorine-based plastic (ETFE). It is designed to let in 99% of natural light while protecting people from UV rays. This ETFE roof is held up by a giant net of double layered steel cables stretching over 17 miles.
With bold designs like advanced earthquake-resistant construction and innovative cooling air channels, SoFi Stadium's high profile is matched only by it's remarkable, monumental scale. Achieving such a bold building design required engineers to excavate more than 21 million cubic feet of earth in order to build a 20,000 ton steel truss!
Hearing from the engineers, players, coaches and executives who call this incredible place their gameday home, NFL SUPER STADIUMS offers a never-before-seen look at this record-breaking engineering feat and the epic journey to creating another historic monument in the city of angels.
The special features interviews from a number of voices including:
- Kevin Demoff–Chief Operating Officer, Los Angeles Rams
- Austin Ekeler–Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers
- Jason Gannon–Managing Director, SoFi Stadium
- Derwin James–Safety, Los Angeles Chargers
- Anthony Lynn–Head Coach, Los Angeles Chargers
- Fred Maas–Chief of Staff, Los Angeles Chargers
- Sean McVay–Head Coach, Los Angeles Rams
- Les Snead–General Manager, Los Angeles Rams
- A.G. Spanos–President of Business Operations, Los Angeles Chargers
- Mark Williams–Architect
- Robert Woods–Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
- Mollie Wilkie–Creative Director, NFL
NFL SUPER STADIUMS premieres Wednesday, September 9 at 8p on Science Channel and Saturday, September 12 at 11a on Discovery. In addition to watching NFL SUPER STADIUMS on Science Channel and Discovery, viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #NFLSuperStadiums and following SCIENCE CHANNEL and DISCOVERY on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
