NFL reportedly considering moving Chargers back to San Diego

Yeah, I’ve long suspected they will move back. We’ll see. But it really does make more sense for them to be in SD. But moving to LA keeps the Raiders out which I think is actually significant to many of the owners. Plus the Chargers have some real leverage to try to strike a SD deal.

I’ve thought all along that the Rams in LA in the Kroenkedome, the Chargers in SD in a new stadium, and the Raiders anywhere but the coliseum in Oakland was really what the majority of owners would prefer. And it may still happen. And I hope it does cuz I no wanna be in the same stadium as the Chargers.

zn wrote:

Vincent Bonsignore‏ @DailyNewsVinny
#NFL refutes story about sending #Chargers back to San Diego (It’s absolute crazy talk)

What would be the consequences of saying anything short of that?

Nothing stops anyone from suing. The question is, “would they have a winnable case?”

I don’t know, and I’m not an attorney, so I can only guess. And my guess is that to win that lawsuit, they would have to prove that San Diego moved to LA just to prevent the Raiders from doing it, and meant to return to SD all along. And I don’t believe that’s a Thing. There is no provision in the terms of the LA deal that would cover a temporary move to LA, and a change of heart.

Secondly, the Raiders would then face a lawsuit from the Las Vegas entities because THEY have a deal. Then…there is the NFL. The owners voted to approve the move to Las Vegas. I can’t imagine they would be interested in turning around to vote on cancelling that move, and voting for the Raiders to move to LA instead. The Raiders could argue in court that their move to LA was already approved in the event San Diego did not exercise their option, but that’s more litigation, and litigation against a likely hostile league.

I think it’s too late for the Raiders to change course at this point, and if it isn’t yet, it soon will be. I don’t know if they have actually had groundbreaking at the Las Vegas site, but…. I don’t think the Raiders, at this point, would be interested in getting all tied up in that mess.

But – in the end – I don’t think San Diego returns without a stadium deal. So that has to happen. And talks about a stadium deal will leak eventually, and Don Banks doesn’t say those are even going on. Just that the league isn’t happy with San Diego’s reception in LA. Right now, this is just stating the obvious, imo. The league isn’t happy with the Chargers’ occupation of LA AT THIS MOMENT, and San Diego is the preferred city from their point of view. That’s really all that’s being said, and I don’t think that’s any big revelation.

There is no revelation until there are stories about a stadium deal in San Diego getting serious discussion.

I happen to think – on the basis of zero evidence, but just that corner of my brain that tells me that businessmen keep their options open – that there is likely some conversations happening about a stadium possibility. Does the reality of the Chargers playing in LA increase what San Diego is willing to put into a stadium? It might. Would Spanos and the League prefer the Chargers to be in a swanky new stadium in San Diego? I think the answer to that is Yes.

Two teams in L.A. Was such a stupid idea.

Chargers moving back to San Diego? Not much of a chance

Sam Farmer

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-back-to-san-diego-20170922-story.html

The Chargers’ move to Los Angeles has been more underwhelming than any franchise relocation in memory.

The club doesn’t have a big fan base here, and failed in its debut to sell out the 27,000-seat StubHub Center, less than half the size of the next-smallest NFL stadium. Although the team has talent, it lost two close games to slip to 0-2 in a division where everyone else is 2-0. It has been a turbulent start made even bumpier by the recent success of the Rams, who are finally gaining some traction after stumbling last season and going 4-12.

San Diego is seething about the Chargers, and — as many predicted before their final decision to move — Los Angeles greeted them with a yawn.

There are a lot of people in the NFL who likewise were (quietly) unhappy about the Chargers leaving San Diego, and thought the decision of owner Dean Spanos was impulsive — even though he had flirted with the idea of moving the team north for more than a decade.

Recently, there have been rumors in NFL circles that the Chargers might wind up moving back to San Diego, talk that has gone crazy on the radio and web. While that ostensibly might avert a situation that could go from bad to disastrous in L.A., there’s nothing to suggest at this point that it’s anything but a remote possibility.

For the Chargers to unwind this relocation, which would be unprecedented, it would almost certainly mean the Spanoses would have to sell the team, which the family has long insisted it has no plans to do. Certainly Spanos couldn’t bring the team back; he’s loathed in his former city. His sons might have better luck, but it’s highly debatable whether even they could rebuild that blown-up bridge.

And the NFL wouldn’t simply let the family turn around and sell the team, reaping the benefits of moving to Los Angeles. Financial penalties are in place to discourage owners from acting like house flippers, even if they were they so inclined. That goes for the Rams, too.

Say someone did buy the team and move it back. San Diego would still have the stadium problem Spanos complained about for so many years. Unless someone is willing to privately bankroll a billion-plus-dollar stadium (on top of buying the team), that’s not going away. What’s more, the Chargers’ former home will be imploded at some point, so it’s not as if a return is an infinite possibility.

The NFL knows the Los Angeles situation is a problem. The attendance part is unquestionably embarrassing. But there will be political spin from all corners — “This is only the first quarter … ” or “It’s far too early to judge … ” — but there’s no denying this has been a colossal belly flop.

There is a caveat to that, and a big one: winning. The Rams’ worldview looked very different before the offense came alive, and they started scoring points and won a couple of games. The Chargers are banking on the notion that if they can win some games, they will win over a lot of undecided fans.

Is a return to San Diego realistic? Probably not. But the fact that people are ruminating about it now, nine months after the move, speaks volumes.

Yeah…Al Davis burned bridges behind him in Oakland.

Then went back.

The fans may not like Spanos, but as far as developers and the city is concerned, his money is as likable as anyone else’s. I don’t buy that as a reason. And the fans won’t desert the team because of its owner. There are plenty of historical examples to prove that.

I think the problem is that San Diego just can’t do it without a bigger nugget to offer. Now a SD offer has to somehow make Spanos richer than Los Angeles makes him. It’s the overall value of the franchise that interests him, I’m sure.