SD Chargers moving to LA

LA has a magnetic attraction for the NFL but over the years, teams do not seem to be able to make a success of it.

Chargers should go back to SD.

Do we really need a discussion about the Chargers on the Niner Webzone.

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:

Do we really need a discussion about the Chargers on the Niner Webzone.

Hmm, good point. I can't think why we call this forum NFL Talk.

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by CatchMaster80:

Do we really need a discussion about the Chargers on the Niner Webzone.

Hmm, good point. I can't think why we call this forum NFL Talk.

Toward the end Spanos began to really fly off the handle against the city and county of SD, which I suspect turned off some voters who viewed him (rightly, IMO) as a greedy jerk.

The move to LA was always an incomprehensible business decision. It seemed motivated at least in part by an urge to keep the Raiders out of SoCal, but in hindsight it may turn out that the Raiders won that game of chicken with their move to Vegas (remains to be seen). Having to create a fan base out of whole cloth, when a divisional rival already has a substantial claim over a lot of the football fans in LA, seems like a questionable strategy.

The information I've seen about the benefits sports franchises bring to cities suggest that the "deal" offered to San Diego was never a good one. I felt like the last ballot measure, to pay for a new stadium with hotel room surcharges, was probably the least insane way for government to assist, but even that felt like an outrageous indirect transfer of wealth to Spanos.

I suspect that teams with market problems will increasingly have difficulty finding ways to pay for the $1.5 billion stadiums the owners claim they "need" to put food on their families' tables. The NFL needs to find meaningful ways to finance their business without taxpayer largesse, given that the statistics raise significant doubts about the broader economic value of having a team in the first place.

Originally posted by exile:

Toward the end Spanos began to really fly off the handle against the city and county of SD, which I suspect turned off some voters who viewed him (rightly, IMO) as a greedy jerk.

The move to LA was always an incomprehensible business decision. It seemed motivated at least in part by an urge to keep the Raiders out of SoCal, but in hindsight it may turn out that the Raiders won that game of chicken with their move to Vegas (remains to be seen). Having to create a fan base out of whole cloth, when a divisional rival already has a substantial claim over a lot of the football fans in LA, seems like a questionable strategy.

The information I've seen about the benefits sports franchises bring to cities suggest that the "deal" offered to San Diego was never a good one. I felt like the last ballot measure, to pay for a new stadium with hotel room surcharges, was probably the least insane way for government to assist, but even that felt like an outrageous indirect transfer of wealth to Spanos.

I suspect that teams with market problems will increasingly have difficulty finding ways to pay for the $1.5 billion stadiums the owners claim they "need" to put food on their families' tables. The NFL needs to find meaningful ways to finance their business without taxpayer largesse, given that the statistics raise significant doubts about the broader economic value of having a team in the first place.

I agree.

I have no idea why cities have allowed themselves to end up getting bribed/threatened into providing some or all of the base for the operation of a sports franchise. With the NFLthey gain just 8 home games and 2 preseasons. And the benefit of having their name associated with a team. With that and TV money, the owners have been able to allow salaries to spiral to ridiculous heights, when they should be putting some of the profit aside to cover the cost of replacing the stadium every 20years or whatever. Economically it does look as though it is heading for a large bump in the road, especially as the alternative of expanding the number of teams seems to have run out of steam.

That stadium always gets overrun by tourists and opposing teams fans.

ALL L.A. SUPER BOWL !!

Originally posted by English:
LA has a magnetic attraction for the NFL but over the years, teams do not seem to be able to make a success of it.

Chargers should go back to SD.

Enough teams in Cali, just send the chargers to a different state that doesn't have a team. Would be better for the NFL. Utah would be a perfect fit there with that fan base, they'll be loyal and tickets will sell out.

Originally posted by TheGore49er:

Originally posted by English:
LA has a magnetic attraction for the NFL but over the years, teams do not seem to be able to make a success of it.

Chargers should go back to SD.

Enough teams in Cali, just send the chargers to a different state that doesn't have a team. Would be better for the NFL. Utah would be a perfect fit there with that fan base, they'll be loyal and tickets will sell out.

They mostly sold out in San Diego. They just have an old stadium. That was the problem.