Imagine being a Chargers fan in San Diego these days.
First, your team applied to leave your city for Los Angeles. Luckily for you, the NFL accepted the Rams’ stadium proposal not the Chargers’ and all seemed well… except that the league left open the option for your team to latch on to the Rams’ stadium in Inglewood. Talks between the Rams and Chargers seemed to be progressing quickly, and on Friday the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the two teams had come to a deal. Your team was as good as gone.
Then came good news Friday afternoon, when Chargers chairman Dean Spanos announced the team would remain in San Diego… but only for the 2016 season… except maybe for longer if they could get a new stadium.
So that’s where we stand now: The Chargers will play next season in San Diego while negotiating with the city for a fresh venue, use the deal with the Rams as leverage and depart for the City of Angels next year if no agreement is reached with San Diego. That means another year in purgatory for the Chargers faithful.
Here’s Spanos’ full statement, as posted on the team’s official web site.
Dear Chargers Fans,
Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium.
I have met with Mayor Faulconer and Supervisor Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.
This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.
Everyone on both sides of the table in San Diego must now determine the best next steps and how to deploy the additional resources provided by the NFL.
I am committed to looking at this with a fresh perspective and new sense of possibility.
With deep appreciation for your years of support.
The Chargers have until January 15, 2017 to decide whether to relocate to Los Angeles. According to ESPN, they can extend that deadline a year if a referendum for publicly financing a new stadium in San Diego is not approved by November 15.
If the Chargers don’t bolt (pardon the pun), the Oakland Raiders will have the opportunity to join the Rams in L.A., to the chagrin of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who reportedly would prefer the Chargers as a partner/tenant. The Raiders are apparently so desperate to get out of Oakland they’re exploring the possibility of moving to Las Vegas.
Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers, first opened in 1967, making it the fifth-oldest active NFL stadium.
This all must be extremely painful for every loyal Chargers supporter, who has to watch the team in 2016 not knowing whether or not it will be the team’s final season in town and then potentially do it all over again in 2017.
