NFL San Diego Chargers

St. Louis Rams’ L.A. Stadium News Should Not Comfort San Diego Chargers Fans

Fresh Videos

By

Getty Images

Getty Images

It was announced by many sources on Monday that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke has purchased a large amount of land in L.A. with the hopes to build a new stadium. The large amount of land, approximately 60 acres, has led many to speculate that the Rams are all but gone from St. Louis in 2016. That speculation is already giving many fans in San Diego and Oakland reasons to hope their respective NFL teams will be staying put for the long term.

In terms of the San Diego Chargers and their stadium, it has been a bone of contention for many years. Qualcomm Stadium is old, dilapidated and behind the times when it comes to technology, fan interaction, comforts and aesthetics. Built almost 50 years ago, the “Q” has been the home of many NFL big moments, including a few Super Bowls. Nestled in the heart of San Diego, the stadium has been able to rely on year-round near perfect climate and a beautiful background to draw in big business for NFL and other sporting events. But it has outlived its usefulness and the venue has been long overdue for destruction and a rebuild.

The problem for the Chargers and their fans is that the citizens of San Diego are not interested in funding the building of a new stadium. Whether it’s the economy, a general fan malaise or something else altogether, the city of San Diego isn’t backing a new home for the Bolts.

The Chargers hope to put a proposition on a ballot in 2016 that draws enough interest from fans to vote for a tax increase to partially fund a new stadium, but several polls in recent years show that type of move won’t be well received. And the Chargers’ ownership isn’t willing to fund it all themselves no matter how much revenue a multi-use facility like the one they have planned will bring in.

San Diego fans love their teams, but only at a certain cost; when the Chargers or San Diego Padres are playing well and contending every year, the fans come out. Throw in a losing streak or a few non-playoff years, and the TV blackouts and empty seats begin to become more prevalent. Alex Spanos and his family know this well and have experienced the struggles in keeping their team profitable during the 1980s and early 1990s. They know what a new stadium would mean to their franchise: More exposure, more excitement and most importantly more revenue for the Chargers organization. They won’t wait much longer for this to happen in San Diego.

This means that even though the Rams look potentially poised to move to L.A. sooner rather than later, the Chargers could easily go as well. Many NFL owners, including influential ones like Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, have voiced their desire to see as many as two NFL teams in L.A. in the future.

Just because the Rams might go doesn’t mean the Chargers won’t, and with the unrealistic chances of a stadium sprouting up in San Diego as well as the loss of revenue from a team other than the Chargers in L.A., the Bolts staying in San Diego isn’t a lock by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, Kroenke’s recent purchase might make the Spanos family even more desperate to move.

Chargers fans might be excited about the news coming out of St. Louis on Monday, but they should temper that with the realization that their team is no closer to a stadium deal in San Diego than it was before the news broke.

Jonathan George is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonageorge. “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on