I don't know much about San Diego these days ... but did spend about 6 months at various Navy schools there in 1983 and liked it quite a bit then. But I do know you are right about Spanos being an idiot ... just a spoiled, entitled little trust fund brat that never had to earn anything in his life - and now wants somebody else to pay for his stadium.
It's worse than that.
In an age where public financing is going the way of the dodo... when the last two mega stadiums were totally self financed by the owners...
He COULD have had both public financing AND league money to go in with San Diego State.
BUT... HE wanted to have a DOWNTOWN WATERFRONT ENTERTAINMENT complex and wouldn't settle for ANYTHING ELSE. Moreover, he wanted the taxpayers to pay the bulk of it while he got to own the bulk of it.
It was a crap deal and the people of San Diego, in light of the entirely reasonable alternative to go in with San Diego State (they need a new stadium, also, and SDSU is a pretty big deal down there) decided that they weren't going to be held hostage and ultimately lose out like the folks in St. Louis.
The only way they would have stayed is if the taxpayers in San Diego completely bent over, but not before signing a blank check to Spanos.
I used to like the Chargers... now? I hope Rivers makes good on his threat to retire and they suck for a generation...
And that new logo? It's ugly like a 200lb catfish...