Come here, Charger fan. There, there. Let it all out. I know how you feel. I was you twenty years ago. I was a loyal Houston Oilers fan, angry and frustrated because the perpetually underachieving team I thought was mine was taken away. Truthfully, Bud Adams made one threat too many (sound familiar?) and the city of Houston, who had already caved once, pulled his card, so he took the team to Tennessee where they currently underachieve for an entire state.
What I came to realize after going through the seven stages of grief, (I will assume you are still in the strange comfort of the angry stage) and having years go by to dull the pain, is that not only was it never my team, there was nothing I or any fan could do.
We all know the NFL is a business that tries to sell you on “Football Is Family”. Sure it’s family. The Mara Family, the York Family, the Spanos family…you get the idea. It’s about those families making as much money as they can from your loyalty.
When it comes to stadiums and relocation, you the fan are powerless. It’s about politics, backroom dealing, ownership power plays and land development deals. None of those things have anything to do with you, the fan. And that is purposefully done. The league has set everything up to make damn sure that there will only be one Green Bay Packers ownership model. We are helpless to do anything when these greedy creeps decide they want what they want.
To you, loyal San Diego Chargers fan, I am truly sorry for your loss. But remember, it was out of your hands. The die was cast. San Diego rightfully did not vote to spend public money on a stadium for a rich guy to increase the value of his team. Once that went down, it was only a matter of time before today’s announcement happened. So Spanos wants to be not only Stan Kronke’s tenant, but the caboose of the L.A. sports scene? Vaya con Dios, you spineless chump.
Here’s what’s sad about this. In a few months, all I have to do is change a couple of nouns and pronouns and this will be applicable to the looming Raiders move to Las Vegas. Such is life…
Check the facts, expose those cats…
Public Enemy
“Harder Than You Think”