Image Credit: SD Dirk (CC BY 2.0)
San Diego has always been a small sports market but I was skeptical that they would ever lose their beloved Chargers. The Chargers called San Diego home for 56 years and were one of the hallmark teams of the American Football League. What could San Diego residents have done to keep the team in San Diego?
For starters, a deal for a new stadium for the team was never able to be completed; an effort that lasted for a decade. One proposed plan was to raise hotel taxes to help pay for the stadium but local voters disapproved. The team also struggled with attendance during the 2016 campaign and finished dead last in the NFL attendance standings. Qualcomm Stadium was one of the oldest and most outdated stadiums in professional sports. One thing is for certain, owners of professional sports franchises almost always have the upper hand when it comes to new stadium deals. Don't want to shell out taxpayer dollars for a new venue for the team? Other cities will welcome teams with open arms.
The Chargers have already amended their team colors and logo. The new logo eerily resembles the logo of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Like the Giants and Jets in New York, the Chargers will share a brand new stadium in Inglewood, California with the Los Angeles Rams. The stadium will be finished in time for the 2019 NFL season. Chargers owner Dean Spanos has reiterated the importance of the Chargers earning the love and respect from the local residents.
In the meantime, the Chargers will play their home games at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California. The Los Angeles Rams are currently playing their home games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, their former home and current home of the USC Trojan football team. The Stubhub Center only has a capacity of 30,000 seats and will be the smallest stadium in the NFL for two seasons. However, it will also provide the most intimate setting in the National Football League. There were whispers that the Chargers and Oakland Raiders organizations were interested in sharing a stadium together in Carson, California but NFL owners rejected the idea. It appears as if the Oakland Raiders will move to Las Vegas, Nevada in coming years if they're able to get a new stadium built. Read more about the Oakland Raiders relocation saga here - The Oakland Raiders file paperwork for Relocation to Las Vegas, Nevada.
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