KollegeStudnet Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 (edited) In the past 24 hours since Toronto announced AEG's potential buying of 35% of Alex Spanos' Chargers... It has been a HUGE topic in the San Diego sports radio world today...a point which left Scott Kaplan of The Scott & B.R. Show on XX 1090 in San Diego, a show similar to Schopp and The Bulldog on WGR...dumbfounded...disheartened and speechless... knowing this could be THE END in San Diego... NOW, Alex Spanos doesn't have to sell to AEG...However, he is...meaning Spanos' Chargers will be 35% owned by AEG... -The Spanos family will be WELL taken care of by AEG after Alex's death! -L.A. will have their team! -L.A will have their new stadium! -nobody in L.A. will care! Edited December 1, 2010 by KollegeStudnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 LA can't support one team let alone two. I'd rather see one in Kalamazoo. Its good to see that K-zoo is now in the ECHL with Elmira! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernMan Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 LA can't support one team let alone two. I'd rather see one in Kalamazoo. I think in that Magic Johnson interview, Jimmy Kimmel hit the nail on the head. It was said in jest, but not far from the truth when he said that he believed the NFL liked to have L.A. as a chronic threat to existing teams. Basically a bargaining chip to get NFL cities to build new stadiums and so forth. A threat the NFL always has at the ready to keep their boys in line. L.A. is the Father Baker of the NFL for crissakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBaumer Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 So between this and Rogers buying Maple Leafs, Raptors, etc, this is very good. Who Else in Toronto would buy the Bills? I have a funny feeling that there is going to be good news about the future of the Bills by the end of the year...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 There is even more to the story and speculation about a LA deal for a NFL team. Magic Johnson has sold his stake in the Lakers, his numerous Starbuck franchises and other assets. He was asked what his plans were on a TV interview show. He stated that he was interested in being involved in bringing a NFL franchise back to LA. When asked what teams he was interested in he simply stated that he can't respond to that question. There is no doubt that he has the ability to put together a group or be part of a group with an immense amount of capital. It seems that a LA group acquiring the adult (father and mother Spanos) shares of the Chargers would be the most dominant group in the Charger franchise because the children all have minority split shares of the franchise. The Spanos family wants a new stadium built for them. It is not going to happen in San Diego for a variety of regions. For one thing this is an intense anti-tax area and the local and regional governments are borderline bankrupt. It is doubtful that there would be any public support for a tax payer paid facility. There is an urgency on the part of the Spanos family to get the estate planning done. The senior Spanos is dealing with the effects of dementia. So there is an impetus to get his business affairs in order. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81c2aa4c/article/owner-alex-spanos-looking-to-sell-minority-stake-in-chargers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Blizzard Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I really wonder why the owners don't simply expand by two teams and put them both in LA. At the end of the day I do not believe LA is a NFL town so simply moving an existing team there will only hurt the departing city and serve as a black eye for the NFL. Sounds good. LA couldn't keep either the Rams or the Raiders. Conversly, San Fran / Oakland - a smaller market - does a great job of supporting both teams, and the cities are less than 5 miles apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seq004 Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I read about this earlier in a story that two groups had contacted the Vikings about LA. Its a lousy NFL town. It was however nice NOT to see Buffalo mentioned for once! http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5868477 They were talking about the Vikings leaving for a long time on ESPN radio today. Thing is the NFL has been tried in LA many times. For whatever reason it just doesn't work, and I believe that will continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 There is a huge buzz in San Diego that The Chargers are selling 36% of the team to Philip Anshultz of AEG. It doesnt bode well, as Anshultz and his team are responsible for LA Live and The Staples Center and rumored to be looking to build an NFL Stadium in downtown L.A... Where there's smoke there's fire, and it doesnt look good. I'm totally opposed to the move. Not because I love The Chargers (I Like them) but because San Diego deserves an NFL team. They are an original AFL team ,who have been here 50 years and get good support. The stadium sucks, but they should keep them here . Here is an interview with Scott and BR and the SD Business Journal: http://www.xx1090sandiego.com/common/global_audio/40/24502.mp3 Funny there was a report out today that had the Vikings exploring moving to LA because they won't build them a stadium there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickelCity Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 LA and SD are both bad sports towns. The chargers moving would be the least painful, after jacksonville. While I'd rather everyone just remain at their current locations, it wouldn't be a big deal for the chargers to move. While there would be an initial outcry from the sd fans, I doubt half of SD's citizens would notice/care, and the chargers would ultimately retain their fans even in LA. Lived out here in southern california for almost 20 years. Just to reiterate I'd prefer all 32 teams to stay put. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Not happening You have read it here first. I saw on the news that the SD downtown center city development group (a SD Gov agency to develop downtown) were having private negotiations with the Chargers and could not comment on what was taking place. My take on Spanos selling off a portion is to raise the money needed to build a new stadium in downtown San Diego right beside Petco park. The pieces all fit. Sorry no cloak and dagger moves. San Diego is not moving to LA. Jaguars might be moving to LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaPolian8693 Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 They SHOULD move to Los Angeles. San Diego fans are garbage. I'm sure there are plenty of loyal and dedicated fans, but the team is a perennial powerhouse and they couldn't even sell out their HOME OPENER this year. I know economic times are tough, but they are tough everywhere, and it's plenty large enough a market that a good fan base would never have seen that happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Here here!! Than than!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 SD is the only likely move to LA because no other team owner is willing to sell 30% or whatever it would take to make it worthwhile for a builder to lay out a billion for a stadium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince61 Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 FYI. San Diego is not an "original" AFL team. The original team was the L.A. Chargers. This would be a move "back" to L.A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 The City of Chula Vista offered property for the Chargers. Nothing happened there. The Stadium sits right in the middle of the county. Probably the worst stadium to watch football in the league. I don't understand why there haven't got a deal struck there. Not happening You have read it here first. I saw on the news that the SD downtown center city development group (a SD Gov agency to develop downtown) were having private negotiations with the Chargers and could not comment on what was taking place. My take on Spanos selling off a portion is to raise the money needed to build a new stadium in downtown San Diego right beside Petco park. The pieces all fit. Sorry no cloak and dagger moves. San Diego is not moving to LA. Jaguars might be moving to LA. Isn't Alex and out of town owner? This makes sense your comment. The rest of the idiots have zero clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 (edited) SD is the only likely move to LA because no other team owner is willing to sell 30% or whatever it would take to make it worthwhile for a builder to lay out a billion for a stadium The Spanos's have said all along they would pay for the new stadium given certain concessions by the city. If I remember right, they own the land, no property taxes, can build condos and shops in the stadium. The major of San Diego is very pro chargers and new stadium so I think a deal will get done. Edited December 2, 2010 by Fan in San Diego Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmohawk Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Two new expansion teams in L.A., that could play in a pacific rim division w new Chinese and Japanese teams. . Just thinking after I read somebody here wrote.......London Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmohawk Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 There's nothing wrong w the chargers stadium, it's a great place to Watch Football. Plus it's easy to get to and the train drops you off right in front of the stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Comments such as San Diego is a bad sports town and that Charger fans are garbage are very inaccurate. The fact is that there are a lot of transplants in San Diego which has been the case for quite some time now. Yes, many stay loyal to their original team but many also support the Chargers. Typically, the kids of transplants become Chargers fans. And winning like the Chargers have done for some time now has expanded the fan base. Are there fair weather fans in San Diego? Yes. Is there a solid enough fan base to compensate for the fairies? Also yes. As for the Chargers not selling out their opener and at least one other game, the economy is very bad. The recession has not bottomed out in San Diego. People are still losing their jobs. And businesses are still closing down. The City of San Diego does have some very serious financial issues. San Diego has been characterized as ground zero for the national mortgage meltdown. Many homes, condos and conversions were built in San Diego before the national real estate market collapse that benefited the developers, those able to keep up with the payments and those able to flip their property before the market tanked. The story is much more involved than this but that is the general picture. Places like Buffalo fortunately did not have to endure the mortagage meltdown such as Southern California, Nevada and Florida. Three cities that have had their home games blacked out: Buffalo, Oakland and San Diego, all have strong fan support but also have economies that are taking a toll on it's citizens. The downtown San Diego football stadium plan sounds great up until the money part. The location is close to Petco park, home of the Padres. When pushing the idea for the baseball stadium, the sales job included plans for construction of nearby condos, shops and other developmental trimmings. It sounded pretty at the time. The reality is while the development dramatically improved the surrounding neighborhood, the infrastructure has yet to reach the hype. Many of the condos sit empty or are rented out and a good number are no longer for sale because nobody is interested in being gouged. The gouging is part of why we had such a miserable recession. No mas, gracias. It is fairly well known that Alex Spanos is a billionaire. He is suffering from dementia and his son Dean pretty much takes care of day to day operations. All the cities targeted for having their teams stripped away should band together as prospects for survival are stronger when there is one unified message to the money grubbers. Otherwise, we are playing Russian Roulette. Yes, with two more teams, the talent pool would be watered down. This drain would be apparent for a couple of years. The real pain is that there would be two more teams not winning the Super Bowl each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple haze Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I think this is good news for the Bills. But if you Google San Diego and LA, they are 2hrs and 4 mins apart by car. I have no idea if this is accurate or not with traffic, but as I have to drive an hour and a half to Bills games, IMO LA already has a team, they are the SD Chargers. 2 hours is about right. If you catch good traffic and foot the gas a bit you can easily make it in 90 minutes. I'll believe a team in LA when I see it. It always starts with one stadium proposal then others start popping up and then it all goes to hell from there. This is a Raiders town anyway. But the Chargers would make sense only because they can't get Diego to build them a new stadium and they NEED a new stadium. Bad parking at Qaulcomm and stadium is real old school. Narrower walkways, smaller concessions and bathrooms than would be in a newer stadium. Chargers have been trying to get a new stadium for years with no dice; which is the only reason the league would let them move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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