Is anyone surprised that a stadium named after the telecommunications company that made your dad’s cell phone in 1995 looks like it hasn’t been refurbished in 20 years? I’m almost more surprised they haven’t sold the field’s naming rights to Colecovision. Everything about this team, from the uniforms to the sponsor to the stadium itself, is outdated.
And let’s be honest — the Chargers aren’t exactly the New York Yankees. There is no nostalgia argument for keeping this dump. The team has been to one Super Bowl in 44 seasons in the NFL.
What’s worse, there have been three Super Bowls held at Qualcomm (XXII in 1988, XXXII in 1998, Super Bowl XXXVII 2003), so it’s not just Chargers fans that are impacted by the rather disgusting conditions currently seen throughout the entire facility. In fact, the visiting team’s locker room looks like the break room at a Dunder Mifflin — except it’s rotting. Literally. Other teams will start getting sick if they have to continue using a place with moldy ceiling tiles like this…
It’s gotten so bad that the franchise has joined forces with the Oakland Raiders — yes, the only NFL team with cooties — to pursue a $1.7 billion shared stadium in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, that’s being considered as a last resort in the event San Diego doesn’t cough up the dough to build the team some new digs. Getting any financial commitment, however, has become increasingly difficult.
The team initially tried to piggyback on the city’s plans to build a downtown convention center, but that was squashed because it was deemed too complicated. Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office has instead suggested a site in Mission Valley (where the current stadium is), which the team seems ok with — but only if that means they’ll get the money they’re looking for. To further complicate the process, Faulconer may end up putting any public financing deal to a vote, which isn’t the kind of assurance the Chargers want, hence the Raiders-Chargers a petition drive yesterday in Carson, California.
So what does the community think about building a massive stadium in their backyard that would be home to two NFL teams? Naturally, they’re excited (until their taxes go up), but there’s a catch. The petition — which handed out the two teams’ hats to signees — ran out of Raiders gear almost immediately, while the Chargers stuff went mostly untouched. The 8,000 signatures were disproportionately from Raider fans, which only adds to the Chargers stadium conundrum. They’re not wanted in L.A.
Invariably, the best plan will be sticking it out and praying that the city of San Diego gives the team money for the new stadium adjacent to/on top of their old one. Otherwise, the Los Angeles Chargers will end up as the third wheel in a city eager to welcome the return of two familiar franchises. That’s like moving in with your girlfriend and her two best friends.
Hey, if all else fails there’s always Mexico City.
Renderings, below.
