Chargers fans knew for several years that this dreaded day could be coming, that their beloved NFL team might move up the freeway to tap the perceived riches of Los Angeles.
That didn’t make it any easier Thursday, when the San Diego Chargers ceased to exist after 56 seasons.
They’re now the Los Angeles Chargers, set to join the recently relocated Rams to give the nation’s second-largest media market two NFL teams for the first time since 1994.
Team chairman Dean Spanos, who tried to move to LA a year earlier, announced the move to his employees at a morning meeting at Chargers Park. At the same time, the team posted a letter on its Twitter account, which was rebranded as the Los Angeles Chargers.
Just like that, decades worth of Sunday afternoons spent cheering original AFL stars Lance Alworth and Keith Lincoln; Air Coryell guys like Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner; and on through to Junior Seau and LaDainian Tomlinson, became even more distant — and now bittersweet — memories.
The Chargers were born in Los Angeles in 1960 and were moved to San Diego the following year by Barron Hilton. They gave San Diego a unique identity, with the distinctive lightning bolt logo on their helmets and powder blue jerseys. Alworth, known as “Bambi,” and Keith Lincoln, the “Moose of the Palouse,” helped deliver the 1963 AFL title, the city’s only major championship.
In a statement, Spanos lauded the passion of the fans. “But today, we turn the page and begin an exciting new era as the Los Angeles Chargers,” he said.
In return, fans lashed out at the family that bought the team in 1984.
As Spanos was driven to the airport to fly to Los Angeles to meet with civic officials, Chuck Homenick got close to the SUV and yelled an obscenity.
Homenick said Spanos’ decision was “pretty horrible. Born and raised here in San Diego and been going to these games, and just can’t believe they’re leaving,” Homenick said. “I knew the decision was coming up soon and I was hoping they were going to stay. Business decision, but when it comes to money vs. fan support and loyalty, they’re not going to have much fan support up in L.A.”
Joseph MacRae held a sign that read, “Alex Spanos would never leave SD! You failed us Dean.” Chargers owner Alex Spanos turned over control to son Dean years ago.
“It’s really a dark day in San Diego sports history,” said MacRae, 30, who wore a Chargers jacket. He said he’d been going to Chargers games since he was 7. “That’s what it was all about, September through December, football on Sundays.”
Throughout the day, more fans gathered at Chargers Park. Many tossed jerseys, hats and shirts onto a growing pile in the parking lot. Someone tossed a helmet onto the pile and began smashing it with a piece of wood.
While many fans still supported the team despite several seasons of lackluster performances, they were angry at Spanos for his scorched-earth tactics the last two years.
The move had been in the works for years, as a long, bitter saga failed to result in a replacement for aging Qualcomm Stadium.
The Chargers’ decision to move comes less than three months after San Diego voters resoundingly rejected team-sponsored Measure C asking for $1.15 billion in increased hotel occupancy taxes to help fund a $1.8 billion downtown stadium and convention center annex.
The Chargers privately admitted they believed Measure C wouldn’t pass. Spanos had spent 2015 trying to get approval for a stadium in Carson near Los Angeles that the Chargers would share with the rival Oakland Raiders. That plan was voted down by fellow owners, but the Chargers were then granted the option to move to LA.
Civic leaders were angry at Spanos.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the Chargers could have worked out their differences on financing a new stadium but the team insisted on more taxpayer money than the city could ever agree to spend.
“In sports, teams win and individuals lose. The Chargers were ultimately never willing to work with us as a team so we could achieve shared success,” Faulconer said. “Dean Spanos made a bad decision, and he will regret it. San Diego didn’t lose the Chargers. The Chargers just lost San Diego.”
San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts said the Chargers quickly dismissed proposals by local leaders for a new stadium at the team’s existing site and launched a “quixotic quest” for a downtown stadium without any public input. He said voters wisely rejected the Chargers’ plans.
“We have a lot of great memories but, when it comes to the public treasury, there are limits to what you’re willing to do to keep something like this here,” Roberts said.
“I can’t sugarcoat this. This is a very disappointing day for us. It’s a day in infamy in sports history here in San Diego,” said Roberts, who turned emotional at times and compared Spanos to Donald Sterling, who moved the NBA’s Clippers from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984.
Even San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman expressed sympathy for Chargers fans. “I am truly sorry, and you do not deserve this,” he said.
“We had countless good-faith discussions (with the Chargers). Unfortunately, we didn’t have a good-faith partner,” he said.
SDSU also plays football at Qualcomm Stadium. The school is interested in expanding onto the Qualcomm Stadium site, including a new stadium that could be shared with an MLS team.
Other pro sports teams piled on about a new logo the Chargers unveiled Thursday, an interlocking LA similar to the Dodgers logo.
It’s unclear if the team will keep that logo, but the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning were among teams poking fun at the logo change on Twitter.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that the Chargers worked “tirelessly” to try to find a stadium solution. “That work — and the years of effort that preceded it — reflects our strongly held belief we always should do everything we can to keep a franchise in its community. That’s why we have a deliberate and thoughtful process for making these decisions,” Goodell said.
“Relocation is painful for teams and communities. It is especially painful for fans, and the fans in San Diego have given the Chargers strong and loyal support for more than 50 years, which makes it even more disappointing that we could not solve the stadium issue. As difficult as the news is for Charger fans, I know Dean Spanos and his family did everything they could to try to find a viable solution in San Diego.”
The Chargers will become a tenant in the stadium being built in Inglewood for the Rams. Before then, the Chargers will make their temporary home at the 27,000-seat StubHub Center in Carson.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Just like Art Modell did with the original Cleveland Browns. Every NFL team sells out and makes a boat load of money with revenue sharing in the NFL. This scumbag turned his back on the loyal fans of San Diego and their loyal support of 50 years. How much money is enough for this guy?
Upcoming will be the Raiders, which I have the same thoughts about.
I hope the city of Los Angles refuses to accept the Chargers there.
I agree with you there Z. I have been a San Diego Chargers fan since 1974 when I had moved there to Civilized San Diego. That damned POS Greek American Dean Spanos hates winning, loves losing, the exact same thing as that damned late B@&ch Georgia Frontiere did to the Los Angeles Rams & Rams fans, she still lived in Los Angeles after she moved the team to St. Louis to what was the Con Artist St. Louis Scams, charging people ten dollars a person to watch them practice. Where I live at in the Damned Sh@thole Loser City Tucson metro area NFL fans of the Cardinals, Chargers,Rams,Raiders,49’ers & Broncos are hated. Well I hate the damned Tucson area, I ended up there because of a POS white trash Communist draft dodger named former Figurehead Bill Clinton did with his base closures where he screwed over many states on purpose. I’m selling everything I own that I don’t want in the damned Sh@thole Loser City Tucson metro area and will leave that area for good, moving 8,500 miles West of there. The very worst NFL owners of all time are the late Leonard Tose who owned the Philadelphia Eagles-at least he didn’t move them, the late Georgia Frontiere late Los Angeles Rams later St. Louis Scams owner, Art Moddel owner of the original Cleveland Browns which are now those damned gangbanger, thug Baltimore Ravens and Dean Spanos himself current San Diego Chargers so to be Los Angeles Chargers is that POS SOAB doesn’t leave the Chargers colors, logos & history in Civilized San Diego.
This Is An Sad Day For San Diego Who Were Betrayed By Some Young Money Hungry Weasel Who Has No Appreciation For The Long Running Loyal Support Of An City And It’s Citizens. I Don’t Believe That The Team Should Retain The Great Charger Name Instead It Should Be Changed To Something More Appropriate Like The L.A Nut Jobs. Or Mental Pygmies. At Any Rate The Charger Name Should Be Totally Disassociated With Los Angeles’ Newly Acquired Football Team That Does Not Deserve To Wear The Proud Charger Name Which Belongs To The City And People Of San Diego And Not To An Bunch Of Traitors.
the Chargers need to divest them selves of the Spanos. The Chargers will never be a L A team! San Diego is the only home of the CHARGERS!!!!
The Chargers need brand new ownership, Dean Spanos is the male version of that late B@&CH Georgie Frontiere who destroyed the Los Angeles Rams on purpose & moved them to St. Louis to be what was the Con Artist St.Lousi Scams & A–hole Art Moddell what he deliberately did to Cleveland and moved the original Browns to Baltimore which are now those damned Gangbanger, Thug Ravens. Dean Spanos is the very worst NFL owner today.
This is the original “shoot yourself in the foot” comparison. I’ve spent time around Dean Spanos, and he is cocky and basically a spoiled brat. Yes, his Dad gave him control of the team, but that’s where it stopped. All San Diego wanted was a winning season, just s playoff spot (even a Wild Card spot would have done). But, no, they always came up “short”,….sputtering in the end of many games. Well,…I doubt LA will give him the welcome that San Diego, who has had 1 and only 1 pro football team here for 1/2 a century+. Let’s see what he does trying to share a stadium with the Rams. Good Luck with that, Dean.
I don’t know why fans are so upset, every beginning of the season they cheered like crazy and in the middle the Chargers were out. The money they got for doing half a job! Mark my words, there will be another team coming here, with more ambition to make good for the huge salaries they are getting and the adoration of the San Diego public.
They are from LA originally–spending taxpayer $ to build a stadium was wisely turned down by smart voters–the owners should pay for stadiums and the damn nfl—and the nfl is going down the tube–it needs a complete overhaul! Spanos is greed personified and so are most of the owners in football—it is just a big business to them!
As a fan of the San Diego Chargers for over 42 years, what that damned POS SOAB Greek American named Dean Spanos did was a complete disgrace. That damned Dean Spanos is the male version of the that damned late B@&CH Georgia Frontiere who deliberately, intentionally & purposely destroyed a winning Los Angeles Rams football team before that damned B@&CH moved them to St. Louis to be the Con Artist St. Louis Scams. Our current NFL commissioner Roger Goddell doesn’t care one bit about San Diego at all, but if the Bufdalo Bills from my birthplace in my no good ROTTON birthstate were to move, that I dot would stomp his feet down immediately and say you’re doing no such thing, end of the story. The NFL need a new Commissioner who is pro expansion, one who will tell certain NFL owners that you’re not moving, not blocking any expansion into cities like San Antonio, Memphis, And others who do deserve to have their own teams in the NFL. In San Diego there are cooperation so homebased there that could have bought the Chargers team if they truly & really wanted to, companies such as Quallcom, Cox Communications, WD-40 Corporation, BumbleBee foods, FoodMaker(Jack in the Box), PetCo, but no-they didn’t want to at all, hose same companies could have provided the money for a new stadium if they wanted to, but no. Shame on those companies, they helped let it happen on purpose.
It’s all about bottom line today!!!!
My heart is with you, San Diego. The turds in LA have never supported a team – all they care about is themselves.
The NFL gave a message to San Diego and all other NFL cities-and potential cities. Give us exactly what we want, or we will leave town. The NFL gave that message to Minneapolis a few years ago. The local politicians gave lip service to a fight, but they caved and gave the NFL what they demanded-new stadium and many concessions with a Superbowl game. Look on the bright side, San Diego. Now you can find something else worthwhile to do on Sunday afternoons. With your typical Southern California weather you can find all sorts of fun things to do.