This place is a dump

[Mister Hoarse]

Trotter could be our modern day Jack Murphy. Jim should see what Murphy had to do to make The Murph happen.

Better Trotters Field than Potters field.

[SDFan]

we need a turd logo for both Trotter and TJ Slimers simillar to the :shit: icon

[Den60]

...gentlemen-the end game is nearer than most of us want to realize.

Yes; the Chargers are a San Diego fixture/institution/asset; choose your own descriptor.

But-at their core, they are a business and the Spanos' are business people who own the business known as the San Diego Chargers.

This mess has been going on for a decade. I've stopped flying across the country to see 'em in Qualcomm; I'll go to newer, more accessible
venues closer to my home; endure bad weather and sitting among folks who support our opponent. Gonna do it twice this year.

Some future AM, San Diegans may awaken to the news the Chargers are headed out-of-town. For good. There'll be no retaining
the name, colors, or logo; these aren't the Browns. The new locale doesn't have to be Los Angeles-though it may be.

Trust me-I love coming to San Diego, and I don't like the way this is playing out.

If the Chargers move anywhere out of San Diego it is going to be LA. The NFL wants a team there because TV viewership of their games has tanked in that market.

[thelightningwill]

An Insult to Dumps Everywhere

Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers, is a decrepit hulk, but the city government’s comical dysfunction means a deal for a new venue is as far off as ever

ByJim Trotter

Actually, calling Qualcomm a dump really is an insult to dumps. The JumboTron is so old that some replacement parts can only be found on eBay. There’s no capacity for a hi-definition video board or for new electronic signage. In an era in which the NFL is trying to heighten the stadium experience to allow fans to keep up with scores and stats from other games via their smartphones, connectivity is limited in part by structural issues within the stadium. (At the preseason opener this year, one Chargers exec could not communicate via email with his staff during the game because of poor wifi.) White trash bags cover large electrical connectors that hang from a lower wall, and cracks are visible in the concrete in various places. Heavy rains often cause the drainage systems to back up, which is why the team has rubber boots on hand for fans whose seats are flooded. It’s not uncommon for sewage to leak onto the field and into the visiting locker room. According to an independent audit performed for the city, the stadium needs $70 million in maintenance and repairs.

I don't know about ya'll, but, when I go to a football game, I watch the football game. I don't need a Jumbotron or a smart phone.
Sewage - now that's an issue. The Spanoses should fix that.

Yes, I know. Stop whining. Things could be worse. I could have to critique One Direction for a living. ... Their (Spanos family) management is dealing with the most dysfunctional city government in the country. That is not hyperbole.

Trotter has lost touch with reality if he thinks the worst job in the world is critiquing a boy band.
The key to this paragraph (which I accidentally deleted) is the Spanoses are asking taxpayers to pay $300 million to support the Spanoses' business.
Detroit residents might have something to say about where the most dysfunctional city government is.

At one point in the last decade San Diego had four “mayors” in five years. One announced his resignation five months after a controversial re-election win over an 11th-hour write-in candidate, and his replacement then resigned after three days as acting mayor when he was convicted (though later acquitted in a new trial) of conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion.

In February, former mayor Maureen O’Connor admitted to federal prosecutors that she had taken more than $2 million from the charitable organization of her late husband, Jack-in-the-Box founder Robert Peterson, to feed a gambling habit, and that over the years she had wagered more than $1 billion at casinos across the country. And current mayor Bob Filner has effectively pulled the emergency brake on city business because he faces at least 15 accusations of sexual assault and mounting calls for his resignation.

The fact that Chargers president and CEO Dean Spanos hasn’t packed up the team already—and there is a gaping NFL void two hours up the coast in Los Angeles—speaks volumes about his sincerity about keeping the Chargers in town, although many of his critics will refuse to accept that. I’ve butted heads with Spanos on multiple occasions over the years, but one thing I’ve never questioned is his commitment to staying in town and doing a deal that’s fair to both sides.

That whole part about the Spanoses being a hero for keeping his business in San Diego is crap. That family legally robbed the city with the ticket guarantee - the same guarantee given by that same dysfunctional group of politicians that Trotter spent a couple paragraphs discussing. ... As far as moving to Los Angeles - there must be some reason two teams left that city and nobody else has moved there. Maybe the deal from taxpayers is fatter in San Diego.

His family name means everything to him. As I’ve written before, when his folotball people are considering a potentially controversial move, his input often is along the lines of: Don’t embarrass my family. He realizes that if he moves the Chargers, he will be to San Diego what Art Modell was to Cleveland. And if he does a deal that gets over on the city while keeping the Chargers in town, well, that would be equally unpleasant.

Bull. His family's money means a lot more than what San Diego Chargers fans think of the Spanoses.

Spanos is clearly frustrated, but not broken. “We’ve been over 10 years in this process, and there have been times where we thought we were close,” he said. “But we may be the furthest we’ve been from getting a stadium done because of what’s happened locally. It’s really a sad situation. But we’re not going to stop trying to get a deal done. I haven’t given up. It’s still the greatest place to live. This is where I’m from. This is where I want to be—and that means a lot. But this is a business, and we have to compete with 31 other clubs. It’s my responsibility to put this organization in the best financial position it can be in to be competitive with the 31 other clubs.”

What's happened locally? Maybe Spanos really thinks the bad economy has been limited to San Diego.

Spread those costs over the seven years remaining on the team’s lease after this season, add in the $70 million in deferred maintenance that’s due, and the Chargers believe that by bonding against that money it would cover the $300 million public contribution the team expects to seek. The city also would then be able to sell the 166 acres at the Qualcomm site, as well as the parcel that the Sports Arena sits on.

Okay. The only legitimate argument so far for building a new stadium. But won't the city eventually have the same or more annual costs to maintain a new stadium?

My words, not Spanos’s. Just do the math.

The Chargers rank in the bottom quartile in the NFL in revenue. Teams share national television money, but local monies, such as those from TV and radio deals, suite sales, sponsorships and advertising, are kept by the individual teams. The Chargers are among the have-nots in this area.

Maybe that's because the Chargers have sucked as a franchise? Who are the other teams at the bottom? I'm guessing they aren't a bunch of winners.

[Coachmarkos]

Not living in or near San Diego, but the other SD (South Dakota).... I thought it was a great read.

Honestly I want the Chargers to stay in San Diego, I really do. But I couldn't blame the Spanoses for moving the team. They have been more than patient, and the city needs to get their crap together.

[Highboltage]

The Spanoses will put money into a stadium because it will make them money. This is the only reason the city should put money in and it should have a concrete ROI(Return on Investment).

[Den60]

The Spanoses will put money into a stadium because it will make them money. This is the only reason the city should put money in and it should have a concrete ROI(Return on Investment).

The city puts money into the convention center (which I fully agree with). Why is a stadium any different?

[RobH]

The city puts money into the convention center (which I fully agree with). Why is a stadium any different?

If they can combine the stadium with the convention center and utilize it for conventions and other events when the Bolts are not playing, then I should think it would be a no-brainer. There would be the added cost of having a movable roof, but I think it would pay off in higher usage for indoor events.

[Den60]

If they can combine the stadium with the convention center and utilize it for conventions and other events when the Bolts are not playing, then I should think it would be a no-brainer. There would be the added cost of having a movable roof, but I think it would pay off in higher usage for indoor events.

That has been speculated but without redevelopment money a city stadium tends to lose it's shine. I'm not sure that the current design of the stadium would do much to provide space for the bigger conventions (like Comicon). If you were going to try to use that space in conjunction with the regular convention center you would need to provide some sort of high tech underground transport between the two locales. To be honest, I think building on the Qualcomm site (near the 15 as originally proposed) while shrinking the stadium footprint is probably the best option inside city limits right now.

[RobH]

That has been speculated but without redevelopment money a city stadium tends to lose it's shine. I'm not sure that the current design of the stadium would do much to provide space for the bigger conventions (like Comicon). If you were going to try to use that space in conjunction with the regular convention center you would need to provide some sort of high tech underground transport between the two locales. To be honest, I think building on the Qualcomm site (near the 15 as originally proposed) while shrinking the stadium footprint is probably the best option inside city limits right now.

That may be true, I'm not up on all that's going on with the various possible sites. But if it could be located down by the convention center and make it an easy walk/ride from one to the other would provide a greater financial impact on the businesses in that area. Petco Park has made a huge difference, and I think they really need to play that card real hard.

[thelightningwill]

Forget the stadium. If we have $300 million to waste, let's buy a bunch of weed and get the whole city high on Sundays.

[Den60]

That may be true, I'm not up on all that's going on with the various possible sites. But if it could be located down by the convention center and make it an easy walk/ride from one to the other would provide a greater financial impact on the businesses in that area. Petco Park has made a huge difference, and I think they really need to play that card real hard.

There are no other viable sites being discussed. In fact, I had to add staying at Qualcomm as one of the options.

The thing with Petco is that they house 82+ events a year. The Chargers and Aztecs only would utilize the venue 15 times per year. You can add 2 for bowl games and then add the occasional Charger playoff game to that. So comparing Petco to a Football stadium isn't apples to apples. You have to look deeper and take into account increased tourism based on the greater exposure the NFL generates for those cities that have teams on a national level. The problem is that is hard to quantify.