A "surly crowd of San Diego's most passionate fans" at a town hall meeting yesterday "argued against a Chargers move" to L.A., according to a front-page piece by Dan McSwain of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. They opened the meeting with a "chorus of boos designed to drown out" Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani, as he "blamed a succession of local politicians for the team's inability over 14 years to get a new stadium built in town." After Fabiani left the stage, several speakers "accused him of lies and bad faith, along with his boss," Chargers Chair Dean Spanos. The overall mood "was darker and more discouraged than the previous night's meeting in St. Louis, where a crowd easily double the size spent much of its time professing love for the Rams, along with blasting team executives" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/29). NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman addressed a crowd of about 450 fans that filled the lower bowl of the Spreckels Theater in downtown San Diego, and said, "We want success in each one of those markets. We want the team to be there, and to be healthy for the next 30 years." ESPN.com's Eric Williams noted fans asked Grubman for "more time to get an actionable stadium plan completed in San Diego." They "emphasized that San Diego is the gateway to Mexico, an emerging market for the NFL" (ESPN.com, 10/28). In L.A., Sam Farmer notes Fabiani was a "lightning rod in the hearing." Fans "accused him of convincing" Spanos "to walk away from the negotiating table with the city with a potential deal within reach" (L.A. TIMES, 10/29).
DO THESE EVENTS EVEN MATTER? The NFL is heading for a similar open house tonight in Oakland, and ESPN's Michael Wilbon wondered if fans’ voices "will matter to the NFL in making a decision on whom to ship to Los Angeles" or if these events are "all just for show?” ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said, "This is a dog and pony show. I think what any spokesman says for the NFL could be true. It could be true in the moment. You know, ‘You’re great fans, a great city, you've been supportive, blah blah blah.’ This is a business. You relocate in business because you have a better business opportunity. That's how these cities got teams in the first place, and that's just the way it works for all sports.” Wilbon: “If fans’ voices mattered a damn to the leagues, then the Dodgers would still be playing in Brooklyn. … This is just PR (to) give these people a chance to vent so they might buy some tickets to something else down the line” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 10/28).
