Did Dean Spanos Learn What I Learned Last Night?

[Eugene Baker III]

Dear Mr. Spanos,

When (not if) you move my adopted Chargers (I was born a Rams Fan, Roman Gabriel jersey, preseason meet and great, the whole freakin' thang and Georgia divorced me and the other fans), you are going to have 90 to 100% Visitor attendance in that "new" stadium, judging from the attendance last night. Steeler Fan flew all the way out here to watch has been Vick throw two more passes.

Get used to it, Dean!

Implications?

The wealthy have Pride and have it in bucket loads. A literal sea of opposing jerseys, caps and whathaveyou blanketing your freakin' home games in Los Angeles is gonna depress the shit out of you Dean.

I seriously doubt, even for the "increase in revenue", that your personal well-being is going to improve.

On the contrary, I predict when you make this move, after a couple of seasons, you sell this bitch because THERE IS NO PERSONAL SATISFACTION WHEN THE REST OF THE LEAGUE USES YOU AS A DOOR MAT.

Even after a loss, at home in San Diego, you currently have folks who will wear your gear with Pride and respect the team, for the most part.

Move to Los Angeles, and you are going to be just a crappy franchise for the League to run over. Literally.

What ever self-respect the Chargers bring you now, will be a pile of crap up there in Raider Land.

You might as well move to London. Same result.

Respectfully yours,

Eugene Baker III

(internet pseudonym)

 

[Eugene Baker III]

you sell this bitch

This is probably been his plan for years, anyway. Raise the value in Los Angeles, then sell it to some arrogant idiot like Ron Burkle.

 

[evolver115]

Steeler fan didn't fly for this game. I'd guess the majority of them already live in Southern California

 

[Eugene Baker III]

Steeler fan didn't fly for this game. I'd guess the majority of them already live in Southern California

I prefer to believe these guys came from Phoenix..

 

[Eugene Baker III]

Steeler fan didn't fly for this game. I'd guess the majority of them already live in Southern California

 

[evolver115]

I prefer to believe these guys came from Phoenix..

That could be quite possible, as well. I lived in SoCal for about 7 years, and if I were making an educated guess, I'd say 3 out of 4 people who live in the area aren't originally from there, and they bring their football allegiances with them.

 

[NEhomer]

Holy shit those fucking stupid towels are, well, fucking stupid.

 

[evolver115]

stupid towels are, well, stupid.

As most Patriots fans are expert at saying, "everyone is doing it."

 

[Eugene Baker III]

Holy shit those fucking stupid towels are, well, fucking stupid.

I still have a Padres World Series Bound towel from 1998. 64,000 people waving those even in Game 4 in 1998. (The only WS ticket I could get.)

 

[boltfan72]

Actually you're both right. We have a huge military population and a lot of transplants. Most people in San Diego are not from here. Steelers also have a huge fanbase nationwide that comes with winning 6 titles. That's not to say Steeler fans are bandwagon fans, as I think their base in Pittsburgh is one of the best in the NFL.

Second, if you're going to plan a trip to see your team play on the road what cities would be at the top of your list? I'm guessing the mainland's #1 tourist destination would be right at the top for most fans.

Third, the stadium is a shithole, plain and simple. Charger fans don't see the value so season ticket holders that still want to see a few games often sell tickets to the games that they will profit the most from to keep their seats while not having to attend every game.

The OP is absolutely correct about LA. There are no Charger fans there, and LA has even more transplants than we do. Spanos claims that 30% of his season ticket holders come from LA every Sunday, but a little research by a local radio guy concluded that the bulk of those 30% are purchased by ticket agencies that sell the tix to travel agencies, which is why you see so many fans of other teams.

I've been a Charger fan for 35 years. I know it doesn't look great when visiting teams have 30% of the fans, but I can tell you Charger fans are great fans, they're just fed up with the underachieving and the dump the team plays in. A lot of us refuse to spend a dime on anything Chargers until the stadium issue is resolved. For me, if they go to LA, they're dead. I won't have an NFL team anymore. I'll still watch games as a fan of the game, but I'll no longer have a team. The Chargers are my team because they're in my hometown. It would take decades to build the fanbase in LA that we have in San Diego. And LA doesn't support losing teams, period.

 

[Eugene Baker III]

Sooo...do ya think Dean is the Machiavellian dude I think he is?

Or did he not see "there are no Chargers Fans in Los Angeles" in his Future?

 

[Eugene Baker III]

(I was born a Rams Fan, Roman Gabriel jersey, preseason meet and great, the whole freakin' thang and Georgia divorced me and the other fans)

For me, if they go to LA, they're dead.

I grew up in the Inland Empire. Georgia Frontierre divorced us so I sure as shoot can divorce The Spanos' and their football team too.

 

[boltfan72]

Sooo...do ya think Dean is the Machiavellian dude I think he is?

Or did he not see "there are no Chargers Fans in Los Angeles" in his Future?

I think he and the rest of the league are forgetting that there's a reason not one, but two teams, left Los Angeles for Oakland and St Louis. It's a terrible football town.

In my opinion, the league is looking for a stadium that's not just a football stadium, but a destination. Something that dwarfs even the Cowboys stadium. They're looking for a Disney World level atmosphere. For that reason I think the Rams are the most likely team to go, since Kroenke could buy Spanos 20 times over. Hell his wife is worth more than Spanos. The Chargers could be the 2nd tenant, but I think Spanos' ego is too big to be the tenant. We'll see. Of course I'd like them to stay but part of me wants to see them go so I can see the whole thing blow up in his face.

 

[Eugene Baker III]

I think he and the rest of the league are forgetting that there's a reason not one, but two teams, left Los Angeles for Oakland and St Louis. It's a terrible football town.

In my opinion, the league is looking for a stadium that's not just a football stadium, but a destination. Something that dwarfs even the Cowboys stadium. They're looking for a Disney World level atmosphere. For that reason I think the Rams are the most likely team to go, since Kroenke could buy Spanos 20 times over. Hell his wife is worth more than Spanos. The Chargers could be the 2nd tenant, but I think Spanos' ego is too big to be the tenant. We'll see. Of course I'd like them to stay but part of me wants to see them go so I can see the whole thing blow up in his face.

Wisdom. Thank you.