Problems Between Chargers and Rams?

[richpjr]

What did Michaels say that was incorrect? Do you not expect the stadium to be packed with Green Bay fans?

[Boltjolt]

NFL hasn’t been able to muzzle Al Michaels. He just took another cheap shot at LA by saying next week Green Bay has a road game in name only and it will be 80% Packers fans.

Not sure what will happen, but status quo seems highly unlikely. Still think they turn to St Louis in the end.

You think who turns to St Louis? The Chargers?
Id say no f-ing way they would go there. Why St Louis? Lol
Id certainly be done if that happened.

[Boltnut]

Two important things to remember...

1) The NFL conducted surveys of the greater Los Angeles area (Ventura, LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties). They also surveyed San Diego Chargers season ticket holders. The NFL knew there wasn't a market for the Chargers in LA. This bad decision is on the NFL... not the media.

2) The Spanos' (when in SD) complained that LA was their secondary market and that moving a team (Rams) into the LA market would be an infringement upon their market. To alleviate this complaint, the NFL gave the Chargers 1st right of refusal over the Raiders (even though they knew the Raiders had a bigger following in LA). Again, this wasn't "the media's" fault. Just a bad decision by the NFL... probably to avert a lawsuit from the Chargers.


It's true, LA is a shitty football town... whether that's LA Chargers fans or LA Rams fans. I don't feel sorry for the NFL at all. They were a bully that got a black eye. I gleefully laugh at the embarrassment that they've brought upon themselves. That glee is only outmatched by the sorrow of not getting to go to the Murph to watch my Chargers play 2 or 3 times a year.

[jamrock]

What did Michaels say that was incorrect? Do you not expect the stadium to be packed with Green Bay fans?

I think it will be as bad as Pitt and that was horrific. Plus the Pack is 7-1

[Boltnut]

You think who turns to St Louis? The Chargers?
Id say no f-ing way they would go there. Why St Louis? Lol
Id certainly be done if that happened.

The Chargers aren't moving to St. Louis. The deal with the devil was for 2 teams to move to LA from the outset. The 2nd team was to help pay for Stan's palace. F Stan if that 2nd team can't sell PSL's. Time for the NFL and Kroenke to stop crying and STFU. They made a stupid business decision... live with the consequences.

[ChargingBolts]

Two important things to remember...

1) The NFL conducted surveys of the greater Los Angeles area (Ventura, LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties). They also surveyed San Diego Chargers season ticket holders. The NFL knew there wasn't a market for the Chargers in LA. This bad decision is on the NFL... not the media.

2) The Spanos' (when in SD) complained that LA was their secondary market and that moving a team (Rams) into the LA market would be an infringement upon their market. To alleviate this complaint, the NFL gave the Chargers 1st right of refusal over the Raiders (even though they knew the Raiders had a bigger following in LA). Again, this wasn't "the media's" fault. Just a bad decision by the NFL... probably to avert a lawsuit from the Chargers.


It's true, LA is a shitty football town... whether that's LA Chargers fans or LA Rams fans. I don't feel sorry for the NFL at all. They were a bully that got a black eye. I gleefully laugh at the embarrassment that they've brought upon themselves. That glee is only outmatched by the sorrow of not getting to go to the Murph to watch my Chargers play 2 or 3 times a year.

Thank you for eloquently saying this, been my premise somewhat. I never said L.A. is a Chargers town, I'd rather them stayed in S.D. but politics got in the way, I would of preferred O.C. or L.V. as well but it is what it is. I actually thought there would of been 90% Rams to Chargers fans when they played one another for it to of been 50/50 (45/55 worse case) makes me say the media is right about the Chargers but why do the majority of them ignore the Rams having similar issues? The Rams went from Cleveland to L.A. to Anaheim to St. L to L.A. burning tons and tons of fans along the moves. I wager there are more worldwide Charger fans than worldwide Rams fans. It seems everytime I see an NFL post on Twitter there are way more Charger fans representing than any other team or at least as much as the major teams ie. Steelers, Packers, Cowboys, etc. I'd say there are a dozen NFL teams fanbases weaker than the Chargers nationwide/worldwide fanbases here's my list: of them .. more than: Bengals, Jaguars, Cardinals, Rams, Buccaneers, Panthers, and at least as many as: Redskins, Lions, Falcons, Jets, Texans, Titans, Ravens.

Hopefully one day the Chargers go back to S.D. but it would be nice if it were a stadium in downtown like the Padres were fortunate enough to get.

[blueman]

Not sure it’s such a black eye for the NFL that out of towners fill LA seats, just means there are some freaking loyal fans.

[ChargingBolts]

Not sure it’s such a black eye for the NFL that out of towners fill LA seats, just means there are some freaking loyal fans.

Totally agree, I used to live in Chicago and always went to the Chargers at Bears and at Colts games!

I now live in L.A. and if the Chargers were in S.D. and the Rams and Raiders were in L.A. you know I'd be at every game there as well.

If I still lived in Chicago and wanted to take a vacation and see the sights I'd pay to go to L.A. or L.V. when the Chargers played at the Raiders or Rams as well!

Excellent point that no one ever brings up.

Some of these fans that moved and transplanted here only get the opportunity to see their team play once every 4 years if AFC and only once every 8 years if NFC.

[captaind]

You think who turns to St Louis? The Chargers?
Id say no f-ing way they would go there. Why St Louis? Lol
Id certainly be done if that happened.

Pure speculation on my part. But once the reality plays out that this will never work, the NFL will be looking for a way out of this. There’s no way the Chargers are staying in LA long term.

[El_Tee]

The cold, hard truth- and of you take our sentimental homer feelings about our team aside- ANY top 10-15 market should have word class facilities. This includes a stadium suitable for an NFL franchise, that can be used for sports, concerts etc.

It’s a part of just having a city that big and the cost of doing business. AT SOME POINT they’ll get another stadium and it’ll be too late and another big tenant short.

It was a horrible call made by the city. Absolutely horrible.

[captaind]

What did Michaels say that was incorrect? Do you not expect the stadium to be packed with Green Bay fans?

I elaborated in the other thread that I can’t blame him for stating the obvious. And I’m not opposed to him saying it. But I am surprised that the NFL hasn’t called NBC about him, though. It’s not the first time.

[like54ninjas]

Column: Five ways the Chargers can succeed in L.A. (spoiler alert: Kobe’s involved)


Chargers fans are outnumbered by Green Bay Packers fans Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By ARASH MARKAZICOLUMNIST
NOV. 6, 2019

3:04 PM

The Chargers are not moving to London.

Dean Spanos did his best profanity-laced impersonation of Leonardo DiCaprio from “Wolf of Wall Street” Tuesday as he shot down an internet report that it could happen. The team’s official social media accounts actually posted the famous “I’m not leaving” scene, complete with middle fingers and bleeped-out expletives.

As far as denials go, that’s about as emphatic as you’re going to get. It’s no surprise. London isn’t the answer to the Chargers’ problems in Los Angeles.

The Chargers are the second pro football team in L.A. In London, they would by 14th — behind the 13 professional soccer clubs that call the city home. They might actually be lower on the totem pole if you include the dozens of semi-professional clubs and hundreds of amateur clubs there. NFL games in London are a well-attended novelty. American football is a niche sport. You’d be hard-pressed to walk into a pub or pick up a newspaper during the season and see any mention of the NFL.

It makes sense, considering the league’s biggest games — on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights — kick off around 1:20 a.m. the following morning in London.
SoFi Stadium, the future home of the Rams and Chargers.
(Daniel Slim / AFP via Getty Images)
The Chargers didn’t move from San Diego to Los Angeles hoping to reverse the trend of opposing fan takeovers. They moved to Los Angeles so they could play in a brand new $5-billion stadium in the country’s second-biggest media market. They’re not going to pull the plug on that months before the stadium opens.

But, although the Chargers are committed to staying in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t solve their problems here. It’s going to be an uphill battle to win their self-described Fight for L.A., but here’s my five-step plan to give them a fighting chance.

1. Return (sort of) the Chargers to San Diego

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Unless San Diego can privately finance a multibillion-dollar NFL stadium, the Chargers (or any other team for that matter) will not move there. When the Raiders and Rams left L.A. 25 years ago, it was because they were playing in outdated stadiums and the public had no interest in paying for new ones. Franchise relocations are almost always about financing stadiums, not the lack of fans in the stadium. Publicly financed stadiums don’t get much traction among voters in California. Los Angeles has known about that for years, and San Diego and Oakland learned the hard way. The only way the NFL was going to return to Los Angeles was if an NFL owner wanted to move here so badly he would finance the stadium himself. That’s exactly what happened.

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This is about returning the Chargers’ name, logo, colors, history, playing records, trophies and memorabilia to San Diego in an agreement similar to what the Browns made with Cleveland when they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. At the end of this season, Spanos should announce the 60-year history of the Chargers — including the first season and last three seasons in Los Angeles — belongs in San Diego and if the NFL ever returns a team to the city it can take the Chargers’ name and history.

2. Create a name, logo and brand authentic to L.A.

The Chargers’ name, logo and colors will always be synonymous with San Diego. A third Major League Baseball team would have a hard time gaining traction in L.A., but it would be a guaranteed failure if the San Diego Padres attempted to become the L.A. Padres. They would have zero chance at succeeding in a market that has only viewed them as the enemy for 50 years. Casual football fans here would be much more inclined to support the equivalent of an expansion team born in the city rather than supporting a team they feel belongs in San Diego.

The Chargers like hanging their hat on the one AFL season the team played in L.A. in 1960, before moving to San Diego. If they want to stick with history, they can reboot the Dons, the name of L.A.’s first professional football team.


Chargers fan Kat Daly sits among the throngs of Steelers fans who attended the Oct. 13 game at Dignity Health Sports Park.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
3. Develop a supporters’ section at SoFi Stadium

The Chargers do have fans. I’ve seen them tailgating before games on Thunder Alley, packing the Santa Monica Pier on draft night and representing a healthy percentage of the crowd at the Coliseum when the Chargers played the Rams last season. The problem is, they’re spread out and don’t have an identifiable supporters’ section like the Black Hole in Oakland or the Dawg Pound in Cleveland.

The first thing the newly named NFL team in L.A. should do is help form an independent supporters’ union similar to LAFC’s 3252 and dedicate a section at the new stadium to them. At the very least, camera crews won’t have to scour the crowd for a shot of home fans.

4. Build the team’s headquarters in Los Angeles

The Chargers train in Costa Mesa. Depending on the time of day, driving from San Diego to Costa Mesa could be a shorter commute than driving from Costa Mesa to Los Angeles. There’s nothing about the team’s Orange County headquarters that is helping it integrate into the fabric of L.A. Not only do they need to move closer to Los Angeles, but they also need to make sure their facilities can be utilized by local youth organizations in the offseason and invite those same people to games and practices during the season.

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5. Recruit Kobe Bryant to be a part-owner

This might seem out of left field, but Kobe Inc. is located next to the Chargers’ headquarters in Costa Mesa. Bryant’s office is down the hall from where Anthony Lynn addresses the media. Although Bryant has addressed the team before, Spanos should sell Bryant a small piece of the team and view it as an investment in the market. Jay-Z was viewed as the face of the Brooklyn Nets but only controlled 1/15th of 1% of the team. No one in the Chargers’ front office or ownership group speaks to Los Angeles, and Bryant could be the face of the franchise that helps them make inroads in a market that still views them as outsiders.