The Los Angeles Chargers doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
The Chargers actually began in Los Angeles 57 years ago before moving to San Diego a year later, where they played the last 56 seasons.
"San Diego has been our home for 56 years," said Chargers owner Dean Spanos in a letter to fans."It will always be part of our identity, and my family and I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the support and passion our fans have shared with us over the years. But today, we turn the page and begin an exciting new era as the Los Angeles Chargers."
In Los Angeles, the Chargers will share a new stadium (set to open in 2019) with the Los Angeles Rams. However, the Chargers plan to play at the Stubhub Center in the meantime. The Stubhub Center is located in nearby Carson, California on the CSU-Dominguez Hills campus and is home to the LA Galaxy. It has a NFL capacity of 30,000 people, which is less than half the size of their former Qualcomm Stadium home.
“For more than a decade, the San Diego Chargers have worked diligently toward finding a local stadium solution, which all sides agreed was required," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. "These efforts took on added intensity in the last two years. A year ago, NFL owners granted the Chargers an option to move to Los Angeles. Rather than immediately exercising that option, the team spent the past year continuing to work on finding a stadium solution in San Diego."
So what the heck happened?
“The Chargers worked tirelessly this past year with local officials and community leaders on a ballot initiative that fell short on election day," Goodell continued. "That work – and the years of effort that preceded it – reflects our strongly held belief we always should do everything we can to keep a franchise in its community. That’s why we have a deliberate and thoughtful process for making these decisions."
The Chargers will leave San Diego for an awesome new stadium in Los Angeles, which will host the Super Bowl in 2021. Don't expect the Chargers to be playing in it though. Since the 1995 Super Bowl, the team has had seven winning seasons, going 8-8 or worse in the others.The Chargers will have a new head coach as well. The team fired Mike Mccoy after two straight ten loss seasons (4-12, 5-11), both with a injury-prone receiving core.
A letter from Dean Spanos pic.twitter.com/rTNIvrsN1A— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) January 12, 2017
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