If the Chargers stay in San Diego, the last thing they want is one or two teams headquartered 90 miles up the road in L.A. It’s no surprise, then, that the Chargers don’t believe the NFL would ever solve the generation-old L.A. stadium problem by building its own.
“It’s pie in the sky,” Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani told Nick Canepa of U-T San Diego.
It’s also nothing new, according to team president Dean Spanos.
“It’s an idea that has been floated before,” Spanos said. “There’s nothing new to it. For the past 20 years we’ve been hearing about it.”
Regardless of who builds and owns the stadium, the Chargers clearly aren’t interested in encouraging the arrival of franchises that will compete for the same eyeballs and $100 bills.
“[T]he league has been successful without a team there and so has L.A.,” Spanos said. “There are a lot of issues. And you have to sell 24 of the 32 owners that it’s a good investment. It’s a ways down the line, and I’m not sure it has the votes.”
In contrast, Patriots owner Robert Kraft recently said he wants to see a team return to Los Angeles within two or three years. For now, we’ll take the over. And if Spanos has his way, the over will be never.
Unless, of course, the Chargers are the team that moves to L.A.