it's not literally that, i wrote it that way for brevity. they asked all the other owners for a special exemption to pay back a loan for the relocation fee over a longer period of time than normal. other ownerships do not do this.
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San Diego Chargers plan to announce that they are moving to Los Angeles
- Thread starter jbug617
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it's not literally that, i wrote it that way for brevity. they asked all the other owners for a special exemption to pay back a loan for the relocation fee over a longer period of time than normal. other ownerships do not do this.
As a long time resident of San Diego good riddance to the Chargers and Spanos. They won't do any better in LA. Between the Rams and the Raiders what fans do they think they'll get? Even with the Raiders in a different city they still have more fans in LA than the Chargers ever will.
AstroNut325
Member
I don't want this. I don't want my tax dollars paying for stadiums. The franchises need to pay for their own stadiums.
TheCochese
Banned
So this is exactly what you want then.
Hari Seldon
Member
Good for San Diego for not giving this billionaire more free tax money.
tiggerkiddo
Member
Not a Chargers fan in any way (hate them as a division rival) but I feel sorry for the longtime fans. Glad Seau didn't have to see this.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The only reason LA fans don't want the Chargers is because they suck. If they were good, they'd like them a lot more.
CountAntonius
Member
Spano just said on the radio that it was only a temporary logo for the reveal. They are working on something new.
HarryDemeanor
Member
But look at the Clippers. Even when they're good people still don't care.
Hell I don't care about the Clippers. San Diego can take them.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The problem is that I don't think the NFL is actually sustainable. There's only like 6 markets total where you can privately build a stadium and when the other teams in mid-markets start whining about their stadiums, they're going to be in the same boat except it won't be politically palatable to build them a stadium.
Hell, we built the Padres a stadium around the same time the Chargers were asking for one. Do you know why the Padres have a new stadium? Because they had a plan that made sense and which everyone agreed was a good idea. The Chargers just paid some dudes to obtain signatures for them and pushed a ballot measure that nobody in town actually approved due to the fact it was basically an impossibility grounded in Dean's ludicrous get-richer-quick real estate scheme.
Hell, we built the Padres a stadium around the same time the Chargers were asking for one. Do you know why the Padres have a new stadium? Because they had a plan that made sense and which everyone agreed was a good idea. The Chargers just paid some dudes to obtain signatures for them and pushed a ballot measure that nobody in town actually approved due to the fact it was basically an impossibility grounded in Dean's ludicrous get-richer-quick real estate scheme.
As a Brit I can't understand how teams just up and move cities. There would be uproar if that ever happened with a football (soccer) team over here.
I remember a few year back Everton (premiership team in Liverpool) was going to move to a new stadium in a different part of the city and the idea was slated. I can't imagine what it would have been like if they were suggesting a move to a completely different city/state.
A football team over here is part of the culture of the city/town, must be heartbreaking to see your team just leave.
I remember a few year back Everton (premiership team in Liverpool) was going to move to a new stadium in a different part of the city and the idea was slated. I can't imagine what it would have been like if they were suggesting a move to a completely different city/state.
A football team over here is part of the culture of the city/town, must be heartbreaking to see your team just leave.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
It's because American teams expect the city itself to pay for the stadium out of their general funds instead of building their own shit.
What logic do they base this on?
I understand how a new stadium might bring money into the area but surely it's the responsibility of the billionaire franchise owners to burden the cost?
The logic is pretty simple. Someone elsewhere that wants a team is willing to do it to get one. So build me a stadium or I'm leaving.
How much money can really be 'generated' by a football stadium that has 8 regular season dates (unless you play in England or Mexico then you are down to 7), 2 preseason dates (which no one cares about), and at most 2 playoff games (60% of the league doesn't make the playoffs at all)... when the average ticket prices are $90, parking is $40, beer is $7.50. Lots of these stadiums get built in places that are earmarked for future development, so transit isn't usually up to par yet either (Vikings got this right building right downtown next to a hub).
http://news.stanford.edu/2015/07/30/stadium-economics-noll-073015/
Rich people don't stay rich by spending their own money.
Makes sense, I'm comparing it to English football teams who will play at least 19 games a season at home.
If the Chargers don't sell out tickets when they move to LA (which people have suggested they won't) surely this will affect the team and the brand in the long run?
TheCochese
Banned
A half-empty new stadium in LA is worth more to a new owner than a half-empty old stadium in San Diego
The Clippers have outdrawn the Lakers for the last 5 years.
manzoman96
Member
It's a shame, they had one of the nicest helmet designs in the league. Not digging the new logo that much.
This may end up being right next to the Sonics leaving as one of the worst team relocations ever. Though at least OKC has a good fan following there, don't see it happening for the Chargers.
This may end up being right next to the Sonics leaving as one of the worst team relocations ever. Though at least OKC has a good fan following there, don't see it happening for the Chargers.
Agent_ShortBus
Member
Welp just finished gathering up all my chargers stuff. All that's left is my warm covers 
Gonna donate all my stuff instead of trashing it. I feel really bad for my friends dad. He's had season tickets since the chargers started playing here.
Gonna donate all my stuff instead of trashing it. I feel really bad for my friends dad. He's had season tickets since the chargers started playing here.The only team in the NFL that controls it's own merchandising are the Cowboys I believe.
Ticket Revenue is a drop in the bucket compared to the TV rights (>$7 billion annually across 4 networks).
The league generally operates as a single entity rather than 32 distinct ones.
The Chargers move at least wasn't entirely in bad faith.
Bennett bought the Sonics with every intention to move them to OKC and did first chance he got, while actively sabotaging the teams chances in Seattle.
Spanos is just incompetent
True but on the other side you have the Rams who are bad too. With Rivers and Gordon at least there is some fun on offense. Gurly had a tough second season and who knows when the Rams will finally find the right QB. That's my outlook anyway. I wouldn't mind seeing the Chargers play but I'd likely pass on free tickets to see the Rams unless they played against a team that's worth catching.
Might not be that hard if you're the only one in the stadium.
I'd love to get popped in the head by a Philip River's hail mary.
I'd love to get popped in the head by a Philip River's hail mary.
They should have put an asterisk on this photo that says "crowd not included".
Black Mamba
Member
"outdrawn." What does this mean? You mean put more people in the seats?
Maybe.
1. NBA Attendance records are bullshit. Like, league wide. They are largely made up. Back in the Clipper doldrum days, I've seen them claim 18k people in the stands when I doubt it was barely half that. I also know someone who once worked for a team and told me directly they made up the numbers. Or they would give the tickets away for free to boost attendance (though I doubt this happens much unless you're like Philly)
2. Attendance is not sales. Lots of Laker fans bought tickets and then didn't show up when Kobe didn't play. But the team still got the money (trust me, if you went to buy tickets to the games off the retailer, they didn't exist)
3. The Clippers ratings the last 3 years, at their absolute peak, were still half or less than half of the Lakers at their worst even without Kobe played most of 2 of those seasons. And this is despite the fact that the Clippers are in more Los Angeles homes.
And all this ignores merch, ticket prices (laker prices are still higher on the retail end) etc.
The Clippers just signed a new TV deal and it's a pittance compared to the Lakers deal. Like, peak LA Clippers just signed a $50 million a year deal. Lakers get around $300 million.
FTR, I'm not trying to shit on the Clippers. I'm just stating reality. It's not fair to say nobody cares about the Clippers. The truth is, LA is a basketball town and with the lakers for the first time ever having an extended rebuilding streak, the Clippers have benefited. But they're not anywhere even close to lakers levels. preseason laker games get more ratings than Clippers. Lakers are a beast out here.
But we can handle two NBA teams. Two NFL teams, however...
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I don't get how football can have two teams playing in the same stadium. What is the "home team" at that point?
SoRuffShoNuff
Member
Ummmm football stadiums hold more events than football games, at least the ones in a Dome do.
Megalosaro
Banned
Usually two different conferences, so they don't play often
WickedCobra03
Member
Nope, look at Milwaukees new stadium for the Bucks. They have not been great, what kind of money is really a new stadium, housing a bad team going to bring in?
Same thing with the Texas Rangers. Their stadium is fairly new and in good condition, but someone feels the need to force a new one. I have heard the biggest reason is air conditioning, right?
I am surprised they didn't give it a few years with the Rams being in LA before trying to dump a new team in the mix. I feel like putting both teams there, so quickly is a disaster in the making.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
So if you live in LA and aren't an existing fan of either franchise, which team do you "pick" as your home team?
Both instances of this feature teams in two different conferences, so they only play each other once every 4 years and they switch home team designation
One Eyed Willy
Member
The LA stadium is 100% privately funded.
TheCochese
Banned
The Cowboys.
Source is ESPN NBA attendance. Guess the Lakers should be making up the higher number then.
I'm not blind to the reality that it's a Lakers town first and by a lot, but since they've been bad and the Clippers good, people noticed, is all I was pointing out. Hell, I think even San Diego has more Lakers fans than Clippers fans, it's a lot closer but still.
Sun belt NHL teams were kings of this. They were counting at one point attendance as tickets distributed. So 9000 people show up to a game in florida, but they distributed 15000 tickets so attendance is marked as 15000. Some of those tickets distributed they pretty much just threw a bunch up in the sky and hoped someone would pick them up and stumble into the arena.
Megalosaro
Banned
Either or. Both are home teams technically. Usually the is an inner city rivalry
Black Mamba
Member
ESPN Attendance is sourced directly from the NBA which is sourced directly by the teams.
I'm not arguing that the Clippers haven't had more people sitting at the games the last 3 years than Lakers but what I'm saying is attendance numbers are meaningless (they're made up) and the tickets often go unused but they are sold.
The Clippers used to be horrible. Like, worst franchise in the entire country for all sports horrible. And guess what? They still made good money out here. They used to be "can't afford laker tickets, come see the best players on the other teams for way less money" thing to do. And since this is a basketball town, people still watched them. Fuck, before almost all the good NBA games were on TV, I used to watch Clipper games just to see other teams' good players on TV too!
Point being, even though the Clippers were awful, they were always relevant to some extent. Of course, now they're more relevant because they're good.
Again, this is derived from the fact that this is a basketball town first and foremost. This is what Spanos and the like doesn't understand.
We love basketball. And the clear number 2 is baseball. The LA Kings have a devoted fan base, as well. As do the Galaxy.
I think you have to look at our demographics to understand. We are a super international city. Basketball is the biggest draw (added to decades of Laker greatness). Our huge latino population boosts baseball and soccer. Our huge Eastern Euro population boosts hockey.
To the extent that football is popular here, USC has become the de-facto NFL team. Thanks to their rise in the early 2000s right after the NFL left, they grabbed the market. And once again, they're back to being must see football.
The transplants, of which there are many, have their NFL teams. The kiddies picked the Cowboys, Pats, Steelers, whomever. The older football fans are mostly Raider fans who either stuck with them or gravitated to USC or some other NFL team.
Plus, b-ball and baseball are cool cuz they are evening games, not early Sunday games when we're doing activities.
So we're not a diehard football town...and the extent that our football allegiances lie it's with USC (or UCLA even) or the Raiders. And games are too fucking expensive to see a crappy team and almost no one goes to a football game to see a player on the other team (unlike in the NBA where you'll pay $500 to see Lebron or Curry up close).
and FTR, as someone who once lived in SD, Laker fans are definitely on top there over Clippers.
sf2fanatic
Member
None. The Rams and Chargers are the away teams.
At least San Diegans still got PetCo Park. Great Ballpark
Raiders. If you can't root for the Raiders, next in line are the Rams as the home team. Last and least are the Chargers.
Here's a really good mini-documentary on new stadia in New York and how they're funded, what claims are made about how they'll affect an area and how that might differ from the reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlrcrX2NQMo
Similar story told here in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlrcrX2NQMo
Similar story told here in the UK.
As a native San Diegan I am stunned, I really thought they would figure something out. That said I have never been a Charger fan so maybe I am part of the problem. So many of my friends and family are absolutely gutted. It is a very sad day here in SD, the weather is apropos. ( It's raining)
CosmicQueso
Member
Yeah Spanos is just looking at media market size. That, plus he was about to get shut out with no plan cuz the Raiders for sure woulda dropped Vegas to move in with Kroenke in a heartbeat.
USC at least has a fun party tailgate atmosphere going for it. Is Inglewood going to have that?
San Diego always has the transplant problem, too. And the games are too fucking expensive. I hadn't gone to see the Chargers in years because of the cost. I haven't been to a modern football stadium but watching from home became the better option. Except for the 2008 playoff game, that was amazing in person.
I think there might be some first year/new stadium excitement but they have a shitload of work to do to build a fanbase, and the Spanos family is incompetent so that's going to be just wonderful.
SlackAdjuster
Member
From a Browns fan who went through this shit to home grown Charger fans in and around SD, I'm truly sorry. I know it sucks. Our situations are different but the outcome is similar.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Tickets don't matter its all TV
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