Could the NFL really send the Chargers back to San Diego? It's something being discussed, according to longtime NFL reporter Don Banks.
The former Sports Illustrated reporter, who has worked for NFL Media and currently writes for The Athletic, told a San Diego radio station on Thursday the NFL never wanted to lose San Diego as a market and could force Chargers owner Dean Spanos to take the team back.
"I have been painted a picture from people I’ve talked to that the league was sympathetic … to Dean Spanos’ plight," Banks told The Mighty 1090. "Feels like he had been a ‘league guy’ feels like he had waited kind of his turn on the relocation front, thought he had the votes the year before — Jerry Jones and Stan Kroenke pretty much outmaneuvered Dean and Mark Davis with the Raiders to be the first in line for LA. So it was almost as if this was a bit of a make up.
"There are people in the league — including the commissioner — they did not want to see San Diego forsaken. They would rather there be a team in San Diego. If there’s anything viable that they could find to put the league back in to San Diego, I think they will be in that camp strongly."
The Chargers failed to sell out their temporary home, the 27,000-seat StubHub Center, in their home opener last Sunday. Banks wrote at The Athletic the NFL is shocked by how quickly things have gone south for the Chargers in L.A. As the Rams struggle to draw fans to the L.A. Coliseum, Banks said the NFL does not want the bad "optics" of empty stadiums for three years before the Rams and Chargers are scheduled to move into a new Inglewood stadium in 2020. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Calcountry:
Were they ever sure how her husband died mysteriously. I am such a conspiracy theorist. Watched way to many episodes of Columbo.
She was a stripper. She killed him, plain and simple.
The dude was an experienced diver that drowned in his own swimming pool.
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
The Chargers franchise only increase by $200 million by moving from SD to LA
Even at that, that's just by somebody's estimate. There's nothing that definitively says that he would be able to sell the team for more in L.A. with 10k fans attending games vs. San Diego with a full stadium. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
Even at that, that's just by somebody's estimate. There's nothing that definitively says that he would be able to sell the team for more in L.A. with 10k fans attending games vs. San Diego with a full stadium.
The Rams are worth a billion more and its because the own the stadium. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
The Rams organization knew that it would be difficult to rebuild the fan base while playing in the Coliseum and it's a shame that Kroenke World was delayed by a year.
Once it's completed, Goff should be in his prime and the team should be pretty good.
No one wanted the Chargers in town. Not the mayor, not the citizens, no one.
Originally Posted by Easy 6:
I could not agree more
St Louis didnt support their team any better, and maybe even worse, than San Diego
And going San Diego itself will almost certainly never fly, theres just too much bad blood at this point
But San Antonio, Texas? You just know they have the rabid football fan population down there to keep an owner fat and happy
Put a stadium halfway between Austin and San Antonio and you're good. As an Austinite, this beats the he'll out of driving 3 hours to Dallas or Houston for a game.
Do a color scheme reboot like the rams did, add more black to fit in with the San Antonio vibe. For whatever reason San Antonioans associate themselves with the black and white spurs colors. They would have no problem selling out games, especially if they market it as South Texas's team.
Realistically, if they were to move back to San Diego, they would need some city money, and San Diego's city leadership is in such disarray that this would never happen. Qualcomm's location is good and accessible via light rail, but they need a new facility. It is literally falling apart. Feel free to Google some of the giant slabs of cement falling during the off-season.
South central Texas is football hungry. Bring us a team. [Reply]
Jerry Jones will never allow another team in Texas. Moving back to SD makes some sense, but there is so much bad blood between the fans and Spanos I don't know that will work. Maybe it is time for the NFL to force a sale. [Reply]
Originally Posted by NWTF:
I dont think placing them back in San Diego will work. Not that the NFL wouldnt attempt it, but I dont think they will be welcomed.
You now have the Rams in LA, and the Raiders soon to be in LV which are both more popular and better draws than the Chargers. The Raiders already had a lot of fans in San Diego. I dont think theres enough fan support for the Chargers in So Cal.
Maybe they will become the London team the NFL wants by 2020.
I don't see how 1 team in London could work at all. You would have to have a whole division in europe or it would be AFU [Reply]
Originally Posted by KChiefs1:
Albuquerque Chargers has a nice ring to it.
All kidding aside...the Mexico City Chargers...NFL wants to break into that South of the Border market, and as I recall, the Mexico City games have been well attended. I wouldn't be surprised to see that... [Reply]
