For nearly two-thirds of adult San Diegans who were Chargers fans last year, the "thrill is gone," as just 36% of fans polled last week identified themselves as fans of the team that moved to L.A., according to Tom Krasovic of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. With 81% of respondents saying they were Chargers fans in '16, that means about 64% of the club’s San Diego fan base was "lost to relocation." The poll of 800 adults, conducted by SurveyUSA, was "sponsored by the Union-Tribune and KGTV-TV San Diego," and "carries a margin of error ranging" from 3.1-4.6%. Three of four San Diegans "put most of the blame for the club’s relocation" on either Chargers Chair Dean Spanos, "the NFL or the team itself, with Spanos coming in for the lion’s share" at 59%. While the Chargers are still San Diegans' most popular NFL team for 21% of local NFL fans, the faction "isn’t close to a majority." The 49ers "garnered favorite status" from 8% of San Diegans, followed at 6% by three others: the Packers, Patriots and Raiders. One in three respondents said that they will "root for the team to lose its games this season," while 35% said that they will "root for the team to win." Thirty-two percent said that they are "not sure how they’ll react to the organization." Fifteen percent of respondents blamed the city itself "for the NFL team’s departure." As for San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, only 2% of locals said that he is "most responsible for the relocation" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/30).
MAN IN THE MIRROR: Spanos said that he "understood the fans’ ire" over the team's move. But he added, “I can look myself in the mirror after what’s happened.” Asked if he thinks L.A. will be a good two-team market, he said, “Time will tell if this is the right decision. But where were the two teams that moved going in their (previous) markets? The potential for growth is so great here. We know we have to win. That’s obviously a big key in this market.” He also said that the 46 suites and the "nearly 30,000 seats in the StubHub Center have been sold." Asked about StubHub Center's capacity compared to other teams, Spanos asked, “Is that bad? Is it bad that every seat is sold, and the fan experience is positive? How is that bad? You may start to see the downsizing of stadiums in sports anyway" (MMQB.SI.com, 7/31).
