The 1,607 new seats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum add up to an increase of about $530,000 per season for the University of Southern California athletic department.

The department agreed to a long-term lease at the downtown stadium last spring, conditional on extra seating. For the 2008 football season, a general admission seat costs $75 for the home opener against Ohio State, scheduled Sept. 13, and Notre Dame. Seats cost $45 each for the remaining four home games.

Even with additional seats bringing capacity to 93,607, demand for tickets to USC football remains high.

“We sold out about a month ago,” said Jose Eskenazi, USC associate athletic director. “Usually we sell out right around the start of the season.”

Eskenazi credits a strong home schedule that features Ohio State and Notre Dame as well as conference opponents California, Oregon, Arizona State and Washington.

But the game against Ohio State was possibly the most prized ticket of the year in college football. It was the best-selling regular season college football game ever on secondary ticket market StubHub and third best in the Web site’s history.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission made several other upgrades for this season. The stadium added a high-definition video board and upgraded the audio system. The audio control room was retrofitted with digital equipment, and audio now runs through fiber-optic lines instead of copper wiring.

Gentleman’s Agreement

FSN Prime Ticket organized a contest last year to name the rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. Sixty-five names were submitted and fans voted “Freeway Face-Off” the winner.

“These games are special to Southern California hockey fans,” said Chris McGowan, Kings chief marketing officer. “Each team’s fan base gets excited for their team. We are looking for ways to get the rivalry to take on another life.”

For the 2008-09 season, the teams’ marketing departments will offer ticket packages to the six games that the teams play.

The promotion marks the first time that the teams will work together selling tickets. The regional rivalry games tend to sell out, but will sell faster as a package. The $60 package will include tickets for two games and a voucher for a long sleeve “Freeway Face-Off” shirt presented by FSN Prime Ticket. The first game between the teams will be at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Oct. 14.

“Hopefully we can sell 500 to 1,000 ticket packages,” McGowan said.

At the end of the regular season, the team that wins the rivalry series receives a $50,000 contribution to its charity from the loser. Last season, the Kings made a contribution to the Duck’s Care Foundation.

McGowan said that the marketing departments would have to reopen the agreement if the teams face each other in the playoffs. The Ducks, who won the Stanley Cup two years ago, made it to the playoffs last season, but the Kings finished last in their division.

Personal Best

Would you jump into ocean waters at 8 in the morning for a vigorous swim? Three thousand people did that last week as part of the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon, presented by Herbalife.

As sports columnist for the Los Angeles Business Journal, I don’t get to play baseball with the Dodgers or basketball with the Lakers, but I did swim a half-mile, bike 20 miles and run five kilometers with the rest of those weekend warriors.

After several months of training, this reporter managed to cross the finish line in just under three hours. My training was relatively simple: Twice a week, I swam at the Westwood Pool and rode my bike on the Ballona Creek Bike Path. It was nice to take advantage of some of L.A.’s great public facilities.

On the big day, the water wasn’t too cold, but the waves were very choppy. I was happy to get out of the water and onto my bike for the beautiful ride to downtown. I loved being able to ride my bike on the normally busy streets past the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and my office on Wilshire Boulevard and through Hancock Park on Sixth Street. I was happy to pass Walt Disney Concert Hall and finish at the plaza in front of Nokia Theatre.

I have to thank my sister, Melinda, who encouraged me to participate and also did her first triathlon. I also want to thank George Fischer and the Herbalife Tri Team, who introduced me to the sport.

At the end, I went home and slept for the rest of the day.

I was asked whether I would do it again.

Yes.

But not real soon.

Staff reporter David Nusbaum can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 236.