BY HECTOR PADILLA JR.
The 2015 Charger season has been a bit of a mess. The team is 2-6 and home field advantage has been anything but that. Pittsburgh and Oakland made plenty of noise and it was felt in the stadium, on TV and on the field.
The question is whether that has any impact on the Chargers staying or going? Fans are saying all the time, “no wonder the owners want to leave, there are so many opposing fans in the stadium”. They also question whether San Diego fans are good fans compared to other teams in the league because they sell their tickets to visitors from the opposing team (sometimes at 3-5 times face value).
Well who are the best fans in the NFL? Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England and Denver have good fans and they travel well. Oakland could be included, they show up in San Diego but in the city of Oakland they have a tarp over the top section so maybe not.
Many would argue that it is the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team”. They are supposed to have some of the best fans and that goes for the NFL, MLB and the NBA. Plus, when you go to a game in Dallas the stadium is filled with only Cowboy fans. WAIT, not so fast!
In 2014, it has been said that the Dallas Cowboys home games were 40% filled with opposing fans and Dallas Morning Star columnist Tim Cowlishaw described the situation as the “biggest home-field disadvantage in the NFL” after the Cowboys were barely able to get a home victory over the visiting Houston Texans. Would this mean that the Cowboys should be ready to relocate because of visiting fans or is it possible that the owner’s just care that the seats are filled and not by whom?
Does this mean that the Cowboys do not have good fans? Jerry Jones the team owner is quoted as saying to a Dallas radio station, “They (the fans) go out into the market and they sell their tickets and get that money. In doing so, they really do reduce their overall cost of coming to the stadium considerably because you sell two or three games as a season ticket holder and you’ve just about recouped what you’ve spent to buy the ticket.” Owners know that no matter whom you are, it is really all about money.
That is why the Chargers would be leaving or threatening to leave. It is all about the money. The owners do not sit up in their suites watching the game saying, “wow, look at all these Pittsburgh fans, let’s get out of here and move to LA”. Plus, if you think you see visiting fans now, imagine if the team was to relocate to a state of the art stadium in a city where they are unwanted!
For those that have been fans for more than a few years, we know the stadium has not been this bad as far as visiting fans go. The owners have been threatening to leave and have not committed to San Diego and the stadium is a wreck. They have come out publicly and said they are all in for moving to Carson. Did we really think the stadium would be filled to capacity with Charger fans? Not to mention the fact that the tickets in San Diego are resold at some of the highest prices in the country. When you have owners that are telling you they want to leave, many fans will take the profit and stay home rather than go to the game and spend a few hundred dollars. This does not mean San Diego fans are bad or do not represent. Charger fans are some of the best around and hopefully this relocation talk ends up being a thing of the past and the Chargers stay here in America’s Finest City. This is all not over, the moves made by the owners have been predictable and they will stay the course of ensuring the city that they do not want to be here, keeping all leverage and making sure that they are going to a NEWLY BUILT stadium with all the amenities. The question will be where…
Voice of the Fans
“Do you think the Chargers will be staying or going and why?”
Johnny Abundez Hernandez of Save Our Bolts says, “I believe the NFL will give San Diego one more year to get a stadium deal done. I wish Mayor Faulconer & team all the luck in the world convincing the majority of NFL owners Nov 11th that San Diego does have a plan & a back-up plan. Mayor Faulconer has met all deadlines set by the San Diego Chargers & NFL. A letter from JMI to the NFL was released today and posted on the Mighty 1090. Letter stated JMI backs up Mayor Faulconer’s Mission Valley site as well as a plan B for Downtown to the Chargers liking.”
Remember you have 1 additional week to send in your letters to the NFL regarding the stadium. Email your letters on why you think the Chargers should stay in San Diego to: sd.hearing@nfl.com
Marisa Cali of San Diego says, “In my heart of hearts, I believe the Chargers will stay. However, the business side of this saga has caused me (and others) to show some dissent towards the organization. I am a San Diego Chargers fan, I’ve devoted countless hours to them but only my money and vocal support of the team goes so far. I think it will take a winning team and apologies from the owners to get 100& of the fan base back on board.”
Elizabeth Gonzalez-Quinones of Chula Vista says, “I’m not sure either way, I feel if they stay, the owners and their crew have created bad blood with the fans. I’m not sure how they will recover from that. The fans love the TEAM and its PLAYERS but not the administration. If they leave, I think San Diego will likely get another team at some point. With so many teams wanting to move to LA, I am skeptical whether San Diego will be the one. I don’t see the NFL moving three teams to LA.”
Jayme Arriola-Torres of Spring Valley says, “I don’t think the Chargers will stay in San Diego, there’s too much back and forth with it for too long & no answers. From being a die-hard charger fan for 22 years with loyalty they have shown us no loyalty back.”
J.D. Ocampo of Eastlake says, “The chargers want out, but ultimately I don’t think anyone knows. It comes down to what the NFL wants and the owners vote. Mayor Faulkner is doing his best to prove his plan works. Right now I think it’s the Rams going for sure. Just a matter if the NFL wants a team to join them. I’d say I think it’s a 70/30 chance they leave.”