L.A. market ready to support NFL Team, study finds.

THE return of the NFL to the second largest television market will be successful because the market has not yet reached a saturation point, a new study has concluded.

The three-month study, sponsored by the Los Angeles Sports Council and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, reported continued revenue, employment and attendance growth in the local sports market.

Los Angeles County sports organizations generated $1.2 billion in revenue last year while overall revenue among the 52 organizations surveyed increased to $1.7 billion, up 14 percent from the previous survey three years ago.

The analysis showed the sports industry generated $4.1 billion in total economic impact to the region, up from $3.6 billion in 2003, despite the lack of a professional football team and the cancellation of the professional hockey season.

"The NFL is additive, not a substitute for the current sports offerings in this marketplace," said Jeff Marks, managing director of Sports Business Group, a consulting firm. "Football is going to reach a different demographic."

Attendance at sports events reached 29 million last year, representing a 3.3 percent compounded growth rate since 1993. It could have been as high as 4.5 per cent if the National Hockey League had not canceled its 2005 season.

The two highest paid attendances at a single-day event in 2005 were both auto races held at California Speedway in Ontario. The next highest attended events were both football games. The Rose Bowl game drew 93,486 and the UCLA vs. USC football game at the L.A. Coliseum drew 92,000.