Cause for concern is mounting about the future of the Chargers in Los Angeles despite a 5-2 start to the season, the best for the Bolts since 2014.
During the two-day conjugate NFL fall meeting, the Chargers were brought up as a point of discussion by multiple owners and representatives who remain anonymous. Despite their title contending status in the league, they hold the lowest attendance numbers of any organization tossing a pigskin in 2018.
This came after Chargers officials announced they could not meet their original lofty revenue interests of $400 million for their Inglewood home. Their new estimates are sliced below half at $150 million.
It’s far from a shock as they recently moved into star-studded Hollywood with a rental home in Carson called the StubHub Center. Inglewood stadium may prove to be the Beverly Wilshire of football, but it’s Rams territory. Stan Kroenke, the Rams owner, is building it and the Rams will own it.
The Chargers are merely leasing it in a contract they are held prisoner to for 20 years.
The StubHub Center itself holds under 30,000 people, compared to the Rams who are selling out the Coliseum, the largest football stadium in the country. The next smallest arena is Oakland’s miniature Coliseum; holding 53,000 members of Raider Nation.
It’s a predicament that will take a long time to solve as Chargers media representatives are trying to play the long game in an effort to grapple a sizeable slice of the Los Angeles pie.
Moving is not an option for this team at this time.
A study by Custom Ink (according to Google search interest data) found that the Los Angeles Chargers are the favorite out-of-state team in four different states, good for the sixth most in football. Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, and Oregon love some Chargers football. The 49ers lead the pack with seven.
The Chargers just beat the Tennessee Titans in London, where the NFL sees up to 80,000 fans cheering on American football. The league already envisions a future where a certain team strikes across the Atlantic. Depending on how much of a show the Chargers put on, they could be placed on the league’s shortlist.
The Patriots, Giants, and Seahawks are UK’s darling teams according to jersey sales statistics while Jacksonville remains the favorite to take the leap as they play in London annually through the 2020 season.