I love visiting San Diego. It's a beautiful town and the people are always kind. I don't even mind Qualcomm stadium. As a Charger fan I'm just happy to see my team play. My football Sunday starts early because I live in Ventura County. I get in the car drive an hour to Union Station in LA, where I meet up with other Charger fans. The train is PACKED with Charger fans from all over Los Angeles. We have a great time. We transfer from the train to the packed trolley and shuffle into Qualcomm. I don't mind the stadium. Sure it's old, but I'm still seeing my favorite team so I'm having a good time regardless. I scream my guts out every time our defense is on the field. (I generally lose my voice for three days afterward.) Others are screaming too. The problem is this, a large percentage of the stadium is rooting for the other team. The Chargers do not have a 12th man. For those of us who do show up to games, it's frustrating. We should own this day. We don't.
I've read so many excuses from Charger fans on the "official" Charger site web forums. "Just win a Super Bowl and we'll show up." Seattle had a 12th man long before they won their Super Bowl. Another excuse, "The ticket prices are too high". Well what do you think tickets will cost after you build that $1 billion stadium? Another excuse, "this city is full of transplants from other cities who root for other teams." Check the hotel occupancies when there is a game and I bet you'd find they all came in from out of town.
Dean tried to stay. For 14 years he was brushed off by the city council. San Diego is the 8th largest city in the U.S. and it can't fill a stadium with fans. To the loyal Charger fans from San Diego who scream along with me on game day, this really sucks for you. You don't deserve to lose your team to another city. To the passive fans in San Diego who don't bother to show up to games in their own back yard, YOU are the reason the Chargers are leaving your city and coming to LA. Stop blaming Spanos. He tried. I will buy my season tickets in Carson and go to every game. I hope San Diego's "loyal" fans will join me at some of those games. If I can make the trek from Ventura County to San Diego, you can make the trek to Carson.