Not good for the Chargers

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

MadGoat

Mathematically alive
Joined
Jul 31, 2016
Messages
1,909
Reading some of their fans discussion I get the impression they’d love them back, just with a different owner.
I know the Clippers have actually carved out a decent fan base in LA, but I wonder if Steve Balmer would be more interested in bringing them back to San Diego if he bought the Chargers and it was part of his own version of Kroenkeworld, with facilities for both teams. Or he could just move the Chargers back and have a team in each city now that the ownership rules have changed.
 

LesBaker

Mr. Savant
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
17,460
Name
Les
With the Raiders having a new stadium on the way, the Chargers are basically the last west coast team that needs attention. I have to think the league would be willing to assist "Broke @$$ Spanos" in at least the back end discussions with San Diego's leadership to see whether they want to launch a bring-them-back type of campaign that might include league assistance with the stadium.

They offered 400MIL didn't they? If the voters shot it down twice they will likely do it again regardless of ownership I would guess.

Best thing that could happen to the league is the Spanos family selling the team. Adding another billionaire to the NFL ownership room would be a huge windfall for the league and help the above get rectified. Course that probably won't happen until Dean kicks the bucket.

They make so much money it's unlikely that a sale is going to happen anytime soon unless a backroom deal is done.

I don't know why the Chargers are pulling fans in LA, it could be Spanos and that he isn't likable, it could be lousy marketing efforts, way to high prices to see games or all of the above or something completely different.

Curious on number two, do you think maybe the owners are tired of the Spanos family’s act? I kind of think they might be.

It's possible, but not probable considering they did everything within their power to get the family to LA. Remember 30 owners voted to let them have first right over the Raiders. They are probably surprised at the popularity issues though.

And they aren't going to want to give back that 650MIL is relo fees either.


This is a good thought provoking post. A new owner and a "new team" would have as you say every chance of success. Then a new owner in SD reviving the name/history/colors there would be a hero.

But that owner would have to be able to build a stadium or be willing to take a stadium in SD that isn't a palace like the new stadiums have become.

In all this mess I have to say that I was SURE the Chargers would stay and work something out in SD and that the Raiders were going to go to LA.
 

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
39,157
I know the Clippers have actually carved out a decent fan base in LA, but I wonder if Steve Balmer would be more interested in bringing them back to San Diego if he bought the Chargers and it was part of his own version of Kroenkeworld, with facilities for both teams. Or he could just move the Chargers back and have a team in each city now that the ownership rules have changed.
Yeah it would be an interesting situation, either would work imo. Just need him to want to spend more money on a sports franchise, he has it that’s for sure.
 

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
39,157
@LesBaker I get they voted but it could be they voted against Davis as much as for Spanos. Not a lot of love for Mark and especially his dad.
 

yrba1

Mild-mannered Rams fan
Joined
Jul 8, 2014
Messages
5,097
I know the Clippers have actually carved out a decent fan base in LA, but I wonder if Steve Balmer would be more interested in bringing them back to San Diego if he bought the Chargers and it was part of his own version of Kroenkeworld, with facilities for both teams. Or he could just move the Chargers back and have a team in each city now that the ownership rules have changed.

It's going to depend on financial projections for the Chargers staying in LA vs moving back to SD. Clippers were rumored to move to Seattle but the projections moving didn't have a net gain. Could see it working for the Chargers though, San Diego will welcome Balmer or anyone not-named Spanos with open arms.
 

Merlin

Enjoying the ride
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2023 TOP Member
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
37,528
Curious on number two, do you think maybe the owners are tired of the Spanos family’s act? I kind of think they might be.

I’ve thought since he bought the Clippers that Balmer makes a ton of sense to buy the Chargers and maybe move both back to San Diego.

I do think they're tired of his $#!T. Particularly after he and Davis Jr tried to clown show their way to a stadium solution in LA just to block Stan's plan. Which was the solution the NFL had been waiting for. I suspect the power dynamic in that owner's room has shifted from loyalty among the old guard to things being influenced moreso by the newer owners with deeper pockets who can solve stadium issues going forward.

Stadiums are the most critical element to the league's future. Guys like Spanos are more of a hindrance really to things, as you're just not going to have tax payers continue to pony up bucks. The more of those types they replace with new owners who have billions type of money the better it is for the league.
 

Mackeyser

Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
Joined
Apr 26, 2013
Messages
14,235
Name
Mack
Well, I told yall so.

The rent isn't the issue, it's net revenues and with so much of their split going to construction costs instead of denied as I initially thought, it's still heavily mitigated.

The upshot would be making more money from gate and licensing, but that's not happening.

Every other team that moved, even if they totally alienated their former fanbase went to a place they were embraced or could become embraced.

That's not going to happen, here.

Mark my words...

After the Seahawks sell in the off-season for a record number, you'll see the Spanos family turn their eyes toward selling as well.
 

LesBaker

Mr. Savant
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
17,460
Name
Les
@LesBaker I get they voted but it could be they voted against Davis as much as for Spanos. Not a lot of love for Mark and especially his dad.

They both got the vote to move though. Then owners voted to OK the Raiders to go to LV 30-1.

I think the hatred was really for Al Davis.
 

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
39,157
They both got the vote to move though. Then owners voted to OK the Raiders to go to LV 30-1.

I think the hatred was really for Al Davis.
But neither got what they wanted. They got consolation prizes. What they wanted they failed miserably on.
 

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,545
Name
Dennis
I think the hatred was really for Al Davis.

Nah, I don't like his goofy Red Headed Stepchild either.
bZja0IP.jpg
 

RAMNATION

Rookie
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Messages
301
At the least, they will be a default team for an international game a year, as the home team. The home team gets paid as if they had a sellout at their home stadium in return for that. But while it's good for the owner, it's not good for the team or the fans. Not that the Chargers have many fans.
I know it sounds weird but its very possible to still love a team and be mad at them. I have been there. the Chargers still have a lot of fans.
 

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
39,157
I'mm confused so I have to ask for clarification LOL.



LOL @den-the-coach yer turrible.
Both wanted to share their own stadium between them and own LA. That failed the Rams got LA. One of them was given the chance to try to share it. They didn't get their own stadium what they wanted. They got hand me downs and a seat in the back of the bus.
 

Loyal

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
29,764
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #35
Both wanted to share their own stadium between them and own LA. That failed the Rams got LA. One of them was given the chance to try to share it. They didn't get their own stadium what they wanted. They got hand me downs and a seat in the back of the bus.
But Spanos pushed the move to LA when he didn't have to do it. The Rams had a year lead in reconnecting with the old fan base and Spanos' Chargers came in with sloppy seconds and hardly any pre-existing fan base. With this report about the owners discussing the viability of the Chargers in LA, who will buy future season tickets without some sort of guarantee that they won't lose their @ss....?
 

LesBaker

Mr. Savant
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
17,460
Name
Les
Both wanted to share their own stadium between them and own LA. That failed the Rams got LA. One of them was given the chance to try to share it. They didn't get their own stadium what they wanted. They got hand me downs and a seat in the back of the bus.

Now I see where you where when you posted that.

Yeah when the Chargers and Raiders came up with that proposal the owners had to wonder what to do knowing the Raiders would be viable in LA but SD would be a question mark and sending Kroenke back to STL was impossible to even discuss.

It's fair to wonder if they gave first right to SD to avoid an almost certain move back to LA by the Raiders. On the surface it seems pretty clear, but despite the wealth and power the NFL owners make a lot of bad decisions.

I personally don't care what other team shares the stadium, and I don't know why some people are upset that another team is in it. I do know the Raiders belong in OAK and the Chargers belong in SD. Only one of those two things has a chance of happening.

The way the fans in SD and OAK and STL were treated is something we can all agree was a black eye for the sport. I've talked to scads of fans from other teams because of where I live and not a single one was happy to see it go down like it did and it's a common refrain to really hate on the owners because of the greed displayed.
 

Mackeyser

Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
Joined
Apr 26, 2013
Messages
14,235
Name
Mack
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dean sell the team - especially if he figures their value is at a market peak for the next couple years. I have to think he will have some big time tax bills coming.


The Charger fans I know are absolutely in this boat. I have to say that if it happened, SD would return to being my second favorite team. Dean can eat a bag of dicks.

Well, with Paul Allen dying and his sister saying she has no interest in being an owner, it means at some point, maybe as soon as this off-season, the team will be sold.

I'm certain that the NFL is vetting owners on a 2nd pass if they weren't doing it already once Paul Allen notified the NFL that his illness had returned. The NFL does have a "potential" owners list and after Shad Khan wasn't able to purchase the Rams, he was basically fast tracked as "the next owner".

Seattle's going to sell for a record price. It has a solid stadium that's still good and a loyal fan base that both shows up and travels well.

Once Spanos sees those numbers he's going to want to get some of that and it's all too likely in lieu of the decreased revenue forecast (his financial advisors shouldn't just be fired, they should be publicly caned for the level of incompetence they put on display) that his basis for moving the team continues to evaporate by the day.

What I'm saying is that even with revised estimates for revenue being cut more than half, there's no guarantee that those figures are conservative enough.

With Seattle likely selling for greater than $3B, while the Chargers won't likely get that much, it's likely they'll fetch something like $2.8B or maybe less due to the unsettled stadium situation. I say unsettled because the Chargers aren't a viable entity in LA and a new owner could return the team to SD and be truly embraced.

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see either this or next spring/summer the Chargers being sold.
 

RamFan503

Grill and Brew Master
Moderator
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
34,043
Name
Stu
They both got the vote to move though. Then owners voted to OK the Raiders to go to LV 30-1.

I think the hatred was really for Al Davis.
As you’ve said yourself, the NFL is fairly powerless in trying to stop a team from moving if the owner reall wants to move. I think a fair amount of that vote was a white flag. As to choosing Spanos over Davis for LA, I really think it had a fair bit to do with the element that was (probably still is) the LA Raiduh fan base. I’ve really never witnessed anything even close.

I wouldn’t doubt the LAPD chimed in as well. A public entity with over 12,000 members and policing jurisdiction can have a crap load of sway. Hell... the tiny by comparison Reno PD almost shut down the 2nd largest car event in the nation Hot August Nights and managed to shrink it by limiting venues due to the amount of resources it required. After seeing the number of cops (not just security) at the Raiduh game I went to, I could easily see them telling the NFL there would be a hefty price tag for any home game or that they simply weren’t going to put their officers through that shit show.
 

EastRam

Pro Bowler
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
1,994
Wonder how the Jets and Gianta compare in pricing?

It would seem to me this is an NFL product in the same stadium in the same market so both teams pricing should be the same.

I get supply and demand. But but but.