NFLBy Sean Keeley on

SoFi Stadium is described on its website as “an unparalleled sports and entertainment destination” and at a cost of $5-6 billion, it certainly better be. The home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, SoFi comes with a lot of amenities and special features, including a fixed, translucent ETFE roof that covers the stadium.

Having a roof atop the stadium is an ideal way to prevent weather delays, which you never want to have to worry about when you’ve got so much invested in making this stadium a premier event space in the nation. That’s why it’s so weird that Monday night’s game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders has been delayed due to lightning.

Wait, what?

Jon Gruden is all of us.

That, uh, kinda defeats the purpose of having a roof, no? What a weird thing that no one considered when putting the stadium together. Even stranger is the fact that fans were able to stay in the stands and no one had to leave the field (because of the roof) but the game still can’t be played because of lightning (in spite of the roof).

The good news is that the clear plastic roof is treated to block the sun’s rays. Panels can be opened to release hot air, which cools the space below by as much as four degrees. And yet…

Considering that Rams owner Stan Kroenke wants SoFi to be the stadium that the NFL and other sports leagues look to when they want to book major events, this is a pretty decent red flag. Especially when you have other sizable stadiums with roofs that actually make it possible to play when there’s lightning outside. Since, you know, that’s part of the point. The NFL certainly has to be looking at Super Bowl LVI, which takes place here on February 13, 2022, and crossing their fingers there’s no lightning that day.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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