The Chargers are due to host the Saints for a preseason game on Sunday. A tropical storm, the first in 84 years, is also due to arrive in L.A. on Sunday.
And the game, inexplicably, is still on.
Via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com, the game will be played as scheduled on Sunday, at 4:05 p.m. PT.
The NFL, per Terrell, held a conference call with the two teams on Friday afternoon regarding potential options for the game. Given that the primary option is “don’t play the game” and the primary consequence would be “refund the tickets,” it’s not hard to see why the game is going forward.
It’s a mistake. There’s no need for it. The two teams spent two days practicing together this year. Fans shouldn’t have to decide between venturing out of their homes for several hours and staying home.
As it relates to fan safety, it’s not just a question of getting to and through the game. The fans then will have to get home, potentially in a downpour.
Besides, we already know SoFi Stadium doesn’t do well in the rain. It became a slipping hazard for fans at the college football championship game earlier this year. At a minimum, scenes like that will play out again — unless proper steps have been taken to remedy the problem.
There’s still time for the powers-that-be to do the right thing. Surely, there’s an insurance policy that will reimburse any losses experienced by the Chargers or their L.A. landlord, Stan Kroenke. Even if there isn’t, sometimes doing the right thing costs a little money.
