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PODCAST: A Backup Plan if the Chargers Leave San Diego

If you could be promised a better future for San Diego and the local sports scene, would you care if the Chargers left for Los Angeles?

By John Gennaro
Track and Field: U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon Kick-Off Press Conference Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I recorded a podcast today and the content of it won’t shock you.

In it, I implore San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to fire back at the San Diego Chargers, a response to the repeated (and veiled) threats to leave for Los Angeles.

How should he fire back? How can he? Well, you can listen to this podcast to find out...

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play

Click here if you’d like to skip past the first part of the podcast, which is mostly an open call to potential sponsors.

If you would rather read about my plan, I can give you a summary of it right here...

  1. I think the Mayor should make a backup plan.
  2. I think the Mayor should talk to AEG and offer to give them the land to build a state-of-the-art arena (which could, potentially, be home to an NBA and/or NHL team) downtown, next to Petco Park, if the Chargers leave.
  3. I think the Mayor should talk to Major League Soccer (and Padres’ Owner Peter Seidler) about pairing up with San Diego State to turn the current Qualcomm Stadium site into a campus expansion for SDSU and a 25,000-seat outdoor stadium that would house an MLS expansion team and the SDSU football team, if the Chargers leave.
  4. If everyone agrees to terms, the Mayor could then hold a press conference where he announces his plan (perhaps titled The San Diego Plan?), should the Chargers decide to leave for richer pastures.

That would be a loud and effective response to the Chargers’ threats.

I haven’t worked out all of the numbers, but if AEG were paying for the arena on their own, and the City of San Diego could sell the land that currently houses the Valley View Casino Center and put that money towards a Mission Valley SDSU/MLS stadium project, it would appear that we could accomplish all of these things without a tax on San Diegans or tourists.

This leads me to the most important question for San Diegans:

If you could be promised a better future for the City of San Diego and the local sports scene, would you care if the Chargers left for Los Angeles?

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