As the devastating wildfires continue to ravage the areas surrounding Los Angeles, California, professional sporting events have begun to be postponed and relocated. The NHL matchup between the Kings and Flames that was scheduled for Wednesday was pushed back to a later date, as was Thursday’s NBA game between the Lakers and Hornets. The NFL playoffs have been affected as well.
NFL Relocates Monday’s Rams vs Vikings Game
The Vikings and Rams were set to meet to cap off Wild Card Weekend, with their game scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. But the league made a decision on Thursday to move the matchup about 400 miles East, and it will now be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
#Vikings–#Rams has been moved to Arizona. pic.twitter.com/WN9PraKjxn
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2025
NFL games being moved or rescheduled due to weather is a somewhat rare occurrence. It has happened twice to the Buffalo Bills over the last two years due to lake effect snow off of Lake Erie, but the time before that was all the way back in 2017.
But when it comes to wildfires, it has only happened once before.
San Diego Chargers Game In ’03 Was Moved To Arizona Due To Wildfires
Back in 2003, the Cedar Fire charred 275,000 acres of land in San Diego County, California. It caused 15 casualties, and 2,820 buildings were destroyed as the blaze burned for 15 total days. The Chargers were scheduled to take on the Miami Dolphins at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday, October 27th, but the situation was deemed unsafe by the NFL and was relocated. Like the Rams and Vikings game this year, that contest was also moved to the Arizona Cardinals home stadium.
On Thursday, the Rams’ player media availability was canceled, as a new fire just a few miles from their training facility broke out.
Players from all professional teams in the area are dealing with issues. Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed that his house was burned down in the Palisades Fire, and Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa said his home was in one of the many evacuation zones. His team is in Houston for the weekend, set to take on the Texans during Wild Card Weekend.
