Chargers Week 4 Team Headlines: Is Los Angeles Already Done With The Chargers?
By Dave Thomas
So, how much worse can things get for the Los Angeles Chargers?
Facing an 0-3 start, the Chargers prepare to host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the finale of a three-game home slate.
After home losses to Miami and Kansas City, respectively, the Chargers are one of only five NFL teams without a win heading into the first Sunday of October.
Making matters worse, Charger fans are becoming harder and harder to find these days. Most notably, it is hard locating them at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., the facility the team is calling home for several years as new digs are built in Inglewood. Even more embarrassing, the stadium only seats 27,000 fans.
During this past Sunday's 24-10 home loss to the rival Kansas City Chiefs, a chant of "Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs" could be heard towards the end of the game. Making matters worse, the home team for the most part stunk it up on the field for the third week in a row.
How Is Chargers' "Fight for LA" Campaign Going So Far?
To be honest, one would have to say that while things could always be worse (aka the Browns), at least Cleveland fans have remained loyal for the most part to their miserable franchise. Meanwhile, a fair amount of Chargers fans have obviously decided not to make the drive from San Diego to Carson on Sundays.
Yes, dealing with traffic in the greater Los Angeles area can be a downright nightmare, but that is far from the main reason many longtime Chargers fans are avoiding Carson on game days.
When Dean Spanos announced he was moving the team to the Los Angeles area, many loyal Chargers fans in the greater San Diego area had said enough is enough. Given this franchise has only been to one Super Bowl (lost to San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIX 49-26), there is not a lot of positive history for fans to hang their hats on. Yes, the team has had a number of AFC West Division titles and some of the greats to ever play the game (Lance Alworth, Dan Fouts, Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson), but it's still a franchise that has come up short more times than not.
Although the Los Angeles Rams have been equally horrid over the last decade or so, the "other" Los Angeles team is off to a 2-1 start this season. The Rams do have a Super Bowl title under their belts, albeit when they were in St. Louis. Making matters a little better for them to rebuild their fan base, the team plays its home games in the large Los Angeles Coliseum for the next few years. And yes, the Rams have had some trouble drawing fans, too.
Remaining Schedule Could Prove Embarrassing On And Off Field
With six home games left in the season, things may get much worse before they get better for the Chargers, on the field and in the stands.
In looking at the remaining home games, one would have to figure there will be a large turnout of opposing fans for games with Philadelphia (Oct. 1), Denver (Oct. 22), Washington (Dec. 10), and Oakland (Dec. 31). As for games with Buffalo (Nov. 19) and Cleveland (Dec. 3), the Chargers should have more fans in attendance.
The bottom line is that this move north has been far from a success in the short time it has been going on.
Sure, getting in the new stadium in Inglewood with the Rams in a few years could very well signal a new beginning for a franchise that has called San Diego home the majority of its existence. For now, however, this move to the greater Los Angeles area (specifically Carson) for the next few years should be flagged for 15 yards.
As a Chargers fan, what are your thoughts to date on the team playing in Carson?
