As the Chargers return to Los Angeles for the first time since 1960, their first season of existence, they’ve adopted a slogan: “Fight for L.A.”
It showed up in the letter from owner Dean Spanos announcing the move, and it’s the name of the website at which fans can make deposits on season tickets for the 2017 season at the 30,000-season StubHub Center.
The Chargers have applied “Fight for LA” to the “larger identity campaign . . . intended to convey the commitment of the Spanos family and entire Chargers organization to earn the respect and loyalty of Los Angeles football fans.” (And, of course, their money.)
“Our ultimate goal is to bring L.A. a Super Bowl championship,” Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in the press release announcing the move. “When we say we will fight for L.A., this is the essence of our pledge. “
It’s a phrase with multiple meanings, and the primary opponent in this new “Fight for L.A.” obviously becomes the other team in L.A. The other team in the stadium the Chargers will share. The other team that will be instantly trying to market the same product to the same community.
So some blatant pandering can’t hurt. And it invites the Rams to do something more tangible and strategic than simply show up.
Ultimately, the loser of the real “Fight for L.A.” will have a problem. They’ll become second fiddle in a town that perhaps isn’t big enough for two NFL franchises. If it gets bad enough, another relocation won’t be out of the question.
