The Los Angeles Chargers?
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 7:53 AM PDT
in Chargers News
47 comments
Here's a topic we've yet to delve into at Bolts From The Blue, the possibility of a move out of San Diego for the Chargers. I'll start by saying I'm no expert on the topic. Similar to what happened with Petco Park, I'm only really aware of when there are big status changes like "Prop C was passed", "Construction has stopped" and "Construction has started." In the past few days I went searching for some answers, with the biggest one being "Will the Chargers stay in San Diego?", and was a little shocked at what I found.
Let's start with the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Chargers were established in 1959, owned by Paris Hilton's grandfather, playing one full season before moving to San Diego. So in those 2009 AFL legacy games the team will still be called the San Diego Chargers (unlike the Chiefs and Jets, who will be the Texans and Titans), but we'll actually be remembering their year spent as the Los Angeles Chargers. So even if it's for one year, the team has some historical roots there.
via a.abcnews.com
This man is Edward P. Roski, part-Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings. He's somebody that you may want to get familiar with. From Wikipedia:
Edward P. Roski, Jr. (born in 1938) is a real estate billionaire in Los Angeles, California. Roski was rated #524 on Forbes' 2008 list of wealthiest people and rated #163 on The Forbes's 400 Richest Americans with a net worth of approximately $2.5 billion.[1][2]
He is a graduate of Loyola High School, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and a Vietnam veteran as a United States Marine. While attending the University of Southern California he was a member of the Gamma Tau Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. In 1994, Roski was awarded the Oxford Cup, the highest honor a brother of Beta Theta Pi can receive.
Currently, Roski is the CEO & chairman of Majestic Realty Co., one of country's largest national real estate development firms. His funds helped build the Staples Center with Philip Anschutz, and he is a minority owner of NBA basketball's Los Angeles Lakers and NHL hockey's Los Angeles Kings.
Mr. Roski is looking to make a similar deal with an NFL team. He will provide the land and build the stadium to allow a team to move to Los Angeles but will ask to become part-Owner of whichever team that partners with him. Don't think he's serious? Oh, he's serious:
Edward P. Roski has announced plans for the stadium on the northern side of the interchange of routes 57 and 60 (almost 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles) with the purpose of attracting a NFL team to the Los Angeles region. Roski, who built the Staples Center, stated that the new 75,000-seat stadium would be privately financed and would be the centerpiece of a new entertainment complex in Industry.
That's right. The man has started the process of building a brand new stadium in the middle of the second largest market in the country. Do you think that may be enticing to the Chargers? They could escape their horrible lease with the city and the weekly worry of "Will we get blacked out?" to move to a market that ensures a sell out every game if the team is competitive. On top of that, coaches and players will be itching to be a part of the only team in Hollywood's backyard so that they could create other careers, become superstars and grab big endorsement deals. Finally, the cherry on top of the sundae is the money. Between endorsement deals, more brand awareness (which means more hat, blanket and t-shirt sales), high-profile players and coaches on the team (which means more jersey sales), and sell-outs in a brand new stadium....the owners of the team would be swimming in profits (which is, of course, the reason Roski would want in).
The Los Angeles area has a population that is more than triple the San Diego area. Fairweather fans or not, that equals more butts in seats. The city is able to support two baseball teams, two basketball teams and two hockey teams (I'm including the Ducks). So in a city that cares very much about making money, how could they not be participating in the most financially successful sport out there?
Now, from what I've read the fight to keep the Chargers in San Diego is hitting roadblock after roadblock. Both the Chargers and the city of San Diego have made efforts to push forward with an $800 Million project to essentially build a new stadium in the parking lot of the Q and then demolishing the old stadium after the move. This is what both the Yankees and Mets did to build their new baseball stadiums in the past year. However, the city is having a bit of a money problem in today's economy and decided that they would not be able to assist in funding a new stadium and the deal fell through. After that the Chargers began looking at other locations in the county that they could possibly move to while remaining the San Diego Chargers.
The team also stepped up and came up with a plan for paying for this project. Along with building the stadium they would build a surrounding "community" for commercial, residential and retail uses. They would then use the profits made from the surrounding community to pay for construction of the stadium, saving the taxpayers money. However, stadiums are expensive and for this plan to work the Chargers would need to get the right amount of land and they'd need to get it for free (or very cheap). This way they'd be making money from residents and renters (businesses) with very little money given back to the city for the land. This equals great profits immediately, which would help fund the stadium, and even greater profits after the stadium is built and the team is moved. It's not a ridiculous demand, but it's not the easiest one to accept either. Especially when you consider how many local businesspeople would want to build and own the area around the new stadium.
First up, Oceanside. I think the Chargers moving to O-side would be great. I mean, don't get me wrong....I'm a Gaslamp Quarter guy and would rather make a 10 minute ride to Mission Valley than the 40-60 minute ride up to Oceanside (especially with traffic). However, it would bring in a lot more fans from L.A., Riverside and Orange county. I, for one, think the more fans we can bring in while remaining in San Diego County the better. Also, the site the team was looking at offers easy access for two freeways as well as passenger rail lines.
Now, the problems. The site that Chargers were looking at is right now The Center City Golf Course. So for them to even consider building there they would first need the support of the voters to rezone the land. Before that has even happened though, there have been concerns. Residents of the area are concerned about the traffic and environmental problems the new stadium would cause, especially during games. The Chargers are concerned that the area may not be strong enough to support the surrounding community, at least not enough to completely fund the construction of the stadium. Because of both of these concerns Oceanside has dropped it's stadium proposal.
via www.abam.com
Next, National City. Similar to Petco Park the proposed site from National City is right on the bay, located east of the 24th Street Marine Terminal (see pic above). Now this move would be a little risky because it'd be moving even further away from North County, L.A., Riverside and Orange County where a lot of season ticket holders reside. However, it would provide a really cool waterfront community to fill with condos and businesses. I don't think the Chargers would have any problem filling the surrounding community with a location so close to downtown and right on the waterfront. However, a little over two years ago National City had to drop it's stadium proposal due to problems with land ownership.
Finally, there's Chula Vista. Unless something changes it appears that Chula Vista might be San Diego's last chance to keep the Chargers in the county. The good news is that unlike the other two cities, Chula Vista has proposals at five different sites. Again from Wikipedia:
- One Chula Vista site is located near State Route 125, southwest of the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center. The site has the land that a stadium would require, as well as transportation options for reaching such a venue. However there are concerns about the site’s distance from main transit lines.
- One site rests on Chula Vista’s bayfront which is currently occupied by the South Bay Power Plant.
- Another site rests in a vacant B.F. Goodrich site adjacent to the property that's already been designated for the Chula Vista Bayfront, a $750 million convention center and hotel complex. The project is set to break ground next year.
- Another Chula Vista option falls on private property, owned by residential homebuilder, HomeFed Corp, which owns 3,000 acres (12 km²) in the Otay Ranch area, has conducted talks with the Chargers.[4]
- A new site became questionably available after expected developments on Chula Vista's bayside were disbanded by Gaylord Entertainment.
Each one of those options has it's pros and cons. And while I do think the Chargers moving to L.A. could be good for the team, as a fan I'd much rather see them end up in Chula Vista. However, their moronic mayor has me wondering if this could even work:
The mayor of Chula Vista has suggested that a stadium deal could involve the team being re-branded as the "Chula Vista Chargers". The team's spokesman did not completely reject the notion, but indicated that such a condition would only be considered if the stadium was entirely publicly-financed.
I think that guy woman may be taking his her job a little too seriously. Nonetheless, this is me reaching out to some of you who may not have been following this news and saying it might be time to panic. What do you guys think? What have you heard? What are you hoping for?
Do you have any thoughts about Bolts From The Blue? Any tips you want to send our way? Whenever you have something to say, don't hesitate to e-mail me directly.
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You forgot to mention the best location in San Diego for the Chargers
Its already zoned for the stadium. The infrastructure is already there. The neighbors are already used to the traffic that comes with an NFL stadium. There is a trolley stop just for this place and it is nestled between the 8, the 805, and the 15, the three big freeway arteries in San Diego.
Call me crazy, but I think the chargers should build a new stadium in Mission Valley, right on Friars road. Maybe some of us have driven by here and thought to ourselves, “what a great place for stadium!”
Build a new stadium right where the old one is. I don’t get why this is so hard.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 8:33 AM PDT reply actions
Both the Chargers and the city of San Diego have made efforts to push forward with an $800 Million project to essentially build a new stadium in the parking lot of the Q and then demolishing the old stadium after the move. This is what both the Yankees and Mets did to build their new baseball stadiums in the past year. However, the city is having a bit of a money problem in today’s economy and decided that they would not be able to assist in funding a new stadium and the deal fell through. After that the Chargers began looking at other locations in the county that they could possibly move to while remaining the San Diego Chargers.
Mentioned. It appears the Chargers idea of building a surrounding community came after that fell apart, but even so I don’t know that Mission Valley would be able to bring in enough profit for the community to build the stadium. And the city doesn’t have the money to help out. It was the first place they looked, but it seems like it just can’t work in the current economic client unfortunately.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions
What we need is a billionaire
Somebody like Roski in San Diego who would like to pay for the stadium for part ownership.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah
but that was when we had Mike Aguirre as our city attorney. He was standing in the way of anything happening out there. He has since been voted out of office. The project made sense when the real estate market was moving up. There is(was?) a huge demand for housing in Mission Valley. It makes so much sense to build a bunch of retail/residential stuff right next to the stadium to help finance it. The city would actually end up with more revenue on a yearly basis from the property due to increased property tax. The deal the Chargers proposed didn’t require any public money. The main drawback was that the city would have to essentially give the current stadium land to the Chargers. This land is pretty prime land and would be worth a lot of money if the Stadium wasn’t there, so the city and Aquirre decided to do nothing.
As a Charger fan, I wish the city would have given the land to the Chargers. #1 – the Chargers stay in San Diego, #2 – The city goes from losing money overall on the stadium site to making money on the stadium site, #3 – the Chargers now own their own stadium (if they don’t like their stadium 20 years from now, it is their problem and not the people of SD’s problem.)
I understand the reluctance of the city to give the land away, but I think it would be best for everyone involved if this plan had gone through.
Of course, now that the real estate market and economy has gone into the dumper, everyone is just going to sit on their hands until that changes. Here is a good article on the proposal and problems it faces.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think that the Chargers are going to be moving anytime soon.
Primarily because of the current economic climate. No city anywhere is going to help fund a stadium at this point, nor could they politically justify giving away land for free or cheap.
As for private finance, the same thing, the money isn’t there anymore. Roski’s stadium is highly speculative. He’s got the land, but he doesn’t have a team. It would be extremely irresponsible to start building a stadium without a team, so I don’t think that is going to go anywhere anytime soon. And the biggest impediment to Roski’s stadium is he wants an ownership share in whatever team he can get to move—you don’t go ahead and spend billions to build a stadium and not get a significant piece of the team. And therein lay the problem with the Chargers going to LA—Spanos isn’t going to give Roski a share, and he certainly isn’t going to give him a share that would give him any kind of operating control over the team, which is what Roski would probably want.
So really, I don’t think that the Chargers are moving for at least another 5 years. Maybe when the economy gets better they can explore it again, but until then I don’t think so.
by Zach (maestro876) on May 12, 2009 9:33 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
very good point
thank God for the global economic meltdown… it’s keeping the Chargers in town.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Don’t forget Alex Spanos is a Stockton guy
I wouldn’t expect him to have any San Diego loyalty. They Chargers can declare free agency by paying off the money the city spent for the stadium renovation and practice facility. The Chargers are on the auction block.
Roski could very easily pull off a deal to steal the Chargers. I think the red tape and financing would present more difficulties, but those problems are not insurmountable.
by Trendsearcher on May 12, 2009 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
That's unfair to Spanos.
He may be from Stockton, but since buying the Chargers he and his family have made San Diego their home. They’ve bent over backwards to stay in San Diego and try to work something out with the city, and then somewhere in the county so they could stay.
by Zach (maestro876) on May 12, 2009 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m not attempting to bash the owner
Yes the city has jerked the Chargers around. I also think he has bent over backwards. The city wrote this "free agency" contract that will eventually allow another town to lure the Chargers away. I don’t blame Alex Spanos for acting in his own best interest.
But I’m not sure Alex Spanos is a complete San Diego convert – he still flies in for home games. His business interests appear to remain primarily in central California. I’m just relating that I don’t think team’s location in San Diego is an absolute priority for Mr. Spanos.
by Trendsearcher on May 13, 2009 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Another thing to think about
Dean pretty much runs the team now, his father being owner in name only. And Dean’s grooming his own kids to take over after him. I don’t know that they have the same connections to Stockton as Alex. I think they are San Diego people.
by Zach (maestro876) on May 13, 2009 9:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Eh
See, I’m worried about this. Sure, maybe Spanos would like to hold onto 100% of the team (if he even owns all of it, usually there’s some minority owners mixed in), but if it comes to a situation where he either has to accept a bad situation in San Diego or sign over 10% of the team to Roski to get a stadium for free in the second biggest market in the country (I don’t know if that can be stressed enough) I think San Diego is at the disadvantage.
Obviously everyone would like to avoid that situation, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
don't forget that LA had two NFL teams leave in the past
due to attendance and stadium problems. Plus, tickets to Laker games were easy to get in the Van Exel era because no one wanted to go. Being in the second biggest market obviously isn’t some sort of guaranteed cash flow.
Plus, Roski isn’t going to spend $700M on a stadium and only get 10% of the team… He didn’t get rich by being dumb.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Thanks Jeff
Welcome to Bolts From The Blue!
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"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
To recommend a comment, just click “actions” on that comment and you’ll see the Rec button appear.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I have an idea:
Why not “The Los Angeles Chargers of Chula Vista” it worked for the Angels.
I’m being sarcastic, btw. Most stupid name ever – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim..its embarrassing.
I think the Chargers should stay put. There are alot of fans here in Orange County. And, as mentioned previously, being an LA based team doesn’t guarantee success – in fact with the NFL at least, it practically guarantees failure.
I’m not a fan of the Chargers, but I would hate to see such a good franchise ruined. That wouldn’t be good for the NFL as a whole. (I just can’t get Al Davis out of my head).
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on May 12, 2009 10:57 AM PDT reply actions
Look at the bright side
If our team got messed up, then yours could advance past the first round of the playoffs!
by Zach (maestro876) on May 12, 2009 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Hysterical...really....kinda like this:
or this, perhaps
;-)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on May 12, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Yep!
Like that, and like this:
I think that’s Weddle in the background, maybe right after he picked Peyton off at the goal line.
All in good fun! ;-)
by Zach (maestro876) on May 12, 2009 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions
He had dirt up his nose...
yes, all in good fun. ;-)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on May 13, 2009 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions
We're good til 2010...
There is a bond issue. I think its at 50 million for the next 2 seasons but after the 2010 season I think it is down to 25 mill. If we don’t get this stadium situation done in the next 3 years, they’ll be the City of Industry Chargers!
Its going to be REALLY hard right now for Chula Vista to approve a stadium. The city is in a whole heap of mess. The Gaylord project was going to be something the Chargers could ride the coattails off and Gaylord would be putting up most of the cost for the redevelopment.
That Mission Valley “site” is perfect. But Aguirre did so much damage to the City’s rep that the new City Attorney has a whole lot of PR to do. And now its a 1 billion dollar stadium.
I have worked at Qualcomm before for the Padres and the inside of the stadium is a dump. Anyone that thinks that the stadium we have is fine, they need to take a tour of the hallways underground.
by L Magico on May 12, 2009 11:13 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
I was in the Q’s underbelly in the late 90s and it was gross then.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions
True
I bet you’re right that the move gets more like after 2 years or so. Although $56MM is chump change (in the grand scheme….the Chargers have already spent over $10MM exploring stadium options), the amount decreases over time and gives Spanos time to negotiate with Roski.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned in the otherwise well-written post: Earlier this year, the team signed a marketing agreement with Wasserman Media Group in LA. They claim that it is not a prelude to a move to LA, but I’m not sure I believe it. Or, at the very least, it might not be intended to be a prelude but could very well end up being one.
As a Bills fan living in LA, I love to drive south to get my in-person football-watching fix. It would suit me just fine if the Chargers moved back “home”! :-)
as I am sure the canucks can't wait for your Bills to come "home" as well
:-)
as long as you put a smiley face next to it, you can say whatever you want :-)
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Not that it would be move "home" in that case....
…but while it would be sad for WNY, I don’t live there any more.
Some have speculated on a Bills move to LA as well. Personally, I would bet that the Jags move to LA before either the Chargers or the Bills.
Couple of things I didn't see mentioned:
1. Cheryl Cox is the mayor of Chula Vista, so you might want to update that part.
2. I believe no new construction can take place on the Qualcomm site until the soil contamination is cleaned up. That will be a major project. There is also apparently a huge untapped aquifer underneath the Q, so the contamination problem is something the city will want to deal with at some point.
3. Mayor Sanders has also mentioned a site along the 52 (by Miramar Air Station). He has also said in the past that the city is not out of the running to host a new stadium, but they’re probably hoping another city picks up the slack first.
4. As much as you guys don’t give politicians credit for much in this article and comments section, I don’t think they want to be the reason the Chargers left town, it’s political suicide. Just because something hasn’t been ironed out yet doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in a deal. After the expansion project and lease fiasco at the Q, no politician is going to make a hasty deal when nothing is pressing.
by 'Eaters on May 12, 2009 11:37 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Great Article!
I think you did a nice job of summarizing the current situation with the Chargers and the County of San Diego.
I am part of a grassroots group working with the City, County, Developers and The Chargers to get a stadium built in the County.
Although the need is dire and time is rapidly running out, we still have a really good chance to get something done if we can put enough heat on our elected officials to roll up their sleeves and solve this problem.
There are many solutions floating around out there that would create a positive net gain for taxpayers and the community. But our local poltiicians don’t see this as a front-burner issue. Which is short-sighted when you think that the solution to many of our current economic woes would rest with the development of a new stadium in our County.
Please visit our site for more information on how you can help.
Thank!
by sdjase on May 12, 2009 11:46 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Here's a fresh idea
Not that it would ever happen, but what about relocating City College and the high school that’s there and building New Balboa Stadium? Downtown already has the parking infrastructure for the Padres, it already has a community around it (and eventually people are going to start buying condos again). I think the Padres proved that rather than trying to build a stadium in the middle of nowhere and trying to build a community around it, it’s much better to try and squeeze into downtown somewhere where the community has already been established.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
It's not a bad idea
It’s just easier to build big projects away from other people. Whenever you try to build something, no matter where it is, current residents are going to scream bloody murder. Whether or not their objections make sense, they’ll still make them. So it’s easier to do it away from as many people as possible to get the least possible objections. From what I recall, it was really difficult to get PETCO built, and there are still a lot of people who think the city broke the law to do it.
With regards to putting another stadium downtown, it sounds like it would be great. I just shudder to think what traffic and parking would be like. Imagine what it would be like in the fall when the Padres and Chargers play games on the same day, often at the same exact time. Yikes!
by Zach (maestro876) on May 12, 2009 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions
You're absolutely right
I’m not as concerned about parking because I never thought parking for Petco was that bad. If you’re willing to do a 10 block walk you can find a spot pretty easily. And there’s always the pedicabs to take you if you’re a smoker. I understand that the Chargers would bring in about twice the amount of people, but it’s the same basic principle. Also, the trolley and trains system is already built in for downtown which would help things as usual.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions
bring back balboa stadium
but don’t take away San Diego HS! Downtown can be the way to go. btw, Mr Roski wants full ownership of the team for his stadium. Indeed, there isn’t a profit in a stadium unless you own the team. So he’ll lure some other team, possibly the rams.
Bring back Balboa Stadium.
by calipatrick on May 14, 2009 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Whats up Bolts fans
Bronco fan here, if I remember correctly, doesn’t Spanos still own the team? What do you think his input is on this?
"It means nothing to throw for 4500 yards, 25 touchdowns, and you dont win" -Brandon Marshall
Another fresh idea: Semper Fi Stadium
Take a piece of Pendleton and name it Semper Fi Stadium. Give the brass a lifetime box and reserve a section for armed forces (heck, let the squids come for free too). Take a piece from the north side for a better pull from OC and LA, but I’d rather it was on the south side for better access from SD.
part of the issue is money
specifically, how to build the stadium with a minimum or no public money. The only way to do that is with some sort of commercial/residential development as part of the package. There may be some public financing, but the debt would be serviced by the new addition public revenue from the new development (or at least that is how it is spun) I don’t think Pendleton would allow the kind of development we would need to make that work.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Sounds like a security risk to me
Also, the federal government can’t really play favorites by giving it’s land to one NFL team.
"I did not invent the wheel, I was the crooked spoke adjacent." - Aesop Rock
by John Gennaro on May 12, 2009 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Unfortunately Semper Fi Stadium is probably a non-starter
I think the majority of Camp Pendleton is tied up by environmentalists. The USMC has suffered for years in attempting to comply with all the environmental regulations. The Eviros hammered Marines at Miramar for years. I loved it when the Cedar fire came though. The Marines let the fire burn most everything, then put the fire out at the edge of the base. What vernal pool? I don’t hear any Gnat Catchers now? IMO it was Divine Justice for the kooks that want an untouched pristine environment.
And I’m not sure stadium would count as a critical community need. Heck it doesn’t appear that the Pentagon will ever release Miramar for a regional airport, why would they give up part of Pendleton for a stadium?
Notice that all the options on the table involve some type of re-development?
by Trendsearcher on May 13, 2009 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I propose LA should be banned from having an NFL team
So all fans won’t have to put up with this. Let’s look at a list of all of the teams that have been rumored to LA in the past few years.
Chargers
Colts
Raiders
Saints
Vikings
49ers
Rams
Bills
Jaguars
Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I’m sure any team that didn’t have a brand new stadium has been rumored besides ones like Miami or Dallas. I hate this topic because it scared the crap out of me before Lucas Oil Stadium was being built. I will hate any team that moves to LA for the only reason being the fact that they gave into that damn city. I really hope no team moves there.
"I saw a commercial on late night TV, it said,'Forget everything you know about slipcovers.' So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were."
-Mitch Hedberg
I think the owners like having LA open
because they can always use it to blackmail their current cities into a better deal.
by Stephen (shaynes41) on May 12, 2009 7:20 PM PDT up reply actions
It should've scared the crap out of you
I’m surprised the owners didn’t conspire to get Peyton Manning in LA. Although, it seems like he can get plenty of commercials filmed while still playing in Indiana.
Memo to baseball managers: You manufacture runs by NOT making outs, not by making them on purpose.
Great article.
Thanks for all of the information.
by Brendan Scolari on May 12, 2009 11:28 PM PDT reply actions
heard this all before, will believe it when i see it.
half the teams in the nfl have used the moving to la card to get a new stadium or better deal with the local folks, and probably had no intention of ever moving west. al davis actually came here for ten years and did essentially the same thing. pirate al.
the chargers however are different. one, they began in la, way back in ‘60, and have a history here. two, the chargers remain southern california’s only nfl team, sorry trojan fans, usc doesn’t count. three, they already are the home team for many la and oc and ie fans who despise everything the raiders stand for and have long since forgotten what a sf 49’ers-la rams rivalry was.
the chargers are our home team and i want it to stay that way. think patriots belonging not just to boston or mass., but all of new england. chargers, if they continue to win, and win super bowl in the lt era can become the same thing here in sunny socal.
as a season ticket holder who has gotten up at six o’clock on sunday morning to drive the two hour trek down to the q, i have mixed feelings; i would rather the bolts play closer and in a brand new stadium in anaheim or irvine, but dont want sd to lose their team. even if they only move to the other side of pendleton, sd will still be losing their team and gosh, most of you folks are nice people, unlike in oakland, and deserve a home team.
money however is the bottom line and my guess is if no stadium deal anywhere in sd county comes through by the time the rumored nfl lockout takes place in ‘11, the bolts will be taking offers from up north and mr. roski will offer a price the frugal spanos family just can’t refuse.
L.A. Can't keep an NFL team
Let’s face facts: L.A. has had two teams respectively: The Rams and the Raiders. Both teams left due to problems. This will be a continuation should another team land there. And since the 49ers suck, shouldn’t THEY be the leading candidates for L.A.? Or even the Oakland Faders?(Raiders)
LA is a RaidersNation, Chargers wont get love...
No Offense to the Boltz Fans up there in LA… Mad love to Ya’llz but so here it goes…
A few weeks ago a friend of mine was pumpin gas and over heard some well suited-dressed man saying “San Diego is about to lose another team”. She’s a die hard Chargers fan and couldnt help but ask. This man was furious she told me. She asked if it was the Chargers he was talking about and this man said “Yes. San Diego is about to run the Chargers out of town just like they did with the Basketball team, Soccer team and Hockey team” (Which I didnt know SD had). He said that the meeting with City councils and mayor he just came from didnt go well at all and that none of them are cooperating. Which blows. SD knows how much Money the Chargers bring but they’d rather fund a multimillion dollar Library downtown, which doesnt generate any money oppose to a stadium and businesses that would and could generate millions of dollars every 4-5years during a SuperBowl… But SD has better plans to help other NONE-MONEY-Generating projects to come here. Gotta admit, This team has such a huge impact even if it is a Sport… Been living here in SD for 7years now and I have never met so many people who love and dedicate themselves everygame day and off season to support a team, not just a team but Their SAN DIEGO CHARGERS. and I have become one of them. It would really be sad to see them leave but there isnt much anyone could do about it if they dont get their site here..
So ummm DelMar could be up for sale?? Right?? It already generates traffic regardless of any events and its coastal land, it would be a beautiful site for a Stadium and for hotels and businesses and im sure BIG money could be generated since there is a track there already… What do you guys think? It could be a go…. Besides Ive read and heard respectufully that the SPANOS family doesnt want to have anyone be part owners of their team. I hope something comes through because to me San Diego wont be the finest city without them. It would be a depressing one indeed.
Take care ya’ll… Chargers Love
beware of what you hear second-hand
if this meeting really went that bad, local reporters would be on the scoop. really, some guy at a gas station? i’d also venture to guess many people on here support the downtown library. it’s been a long time in coming. the library isn’t gonna make or break a chargers deal.
it was heard Correctly
It came out on the UT yesterday RED FLAGS article… So 2nd hand heard correctly… Sorry I aint the type to run my mouth if I didnt trust my friend… But read it well my friend and then you’d understand why that dude was pissed and the reason why it is over for them to be here after 2010…
by ChargersWitch on May 19, 2009 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions
It was heard Correctly
It came out on the UT yesterday RED FLAGS article… So 2nd hand heard correctly… Sorry I aint the type to run my mouth if I didnt trust my friend… But read it well my friend and then you’d understand why that dude was pissed and the reason why it is over for them to be here after 2010…
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