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Should Chargers take pass on Mission Valley? I say yes
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Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley.
(Note: Make sure to check out Chargers Examiner Dave Thomas' pro-Mission Valley opinion, which can be found here.)
Economics forced the Chargers to move the first time.
In 1961, after low attendance at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Barron Hilton decided to move his team from Los Angeles to San Diego—at the urging of journalist Jack Murphy.
The Chargers—part of the upstart American Football League—could not compete with the Rams and had to move to greener pastures.
Economics again may force the Chargers to move away from San Diego.
The Mission Valley site is probably the perfect site for the team to play in and to have their new stadium.
It’s in a central location, with public transit already serving the area. It would also not displace the San Diego State football team.
But the Aztecs aren’t in any discussions about a new football stadium in San Diego.
The Chargers have been looking for a new park for years—since 2002. Financially, Qualcomm Stadium has become unviable for the team and the city. It's also become unviable for the NFL, which stated that they will not return the Super Bowl to San Diego until a new stadium is built.
San Diego operates a deficit when running the Q, losing millions the last few years.
And in these woeful economic times—the city had to cut $83 million from its annual budget—San Diego is not going to support giving taxpayer dollars to partially fund a new stadium for the Chargers, even if it wastes more money operating Qualcomm Stadium than it will if it decides to build a new stadium in the long run.
And even though San Diego has reopened talks with the Chargers the last few months—since former city attorney Mike Aguirre has been voted out of office—the Chargers need to look elsewhere, preferably within the San Diego County lines.
The Chula Vista bay front and Oceanside are the two best locales—and are the two frontrunners.
Chula Vista has a city council that’s willing to at least talk to the Chargers, even if it disbanded its two-person subcommittee that specifically talked to the team about the possibilities of bringing the stadium to the South Bay.
The bay front offers plenty of infrastructure—there are existing trolley lines and is located just off Interstate 5.
The problem is that the state nixed plans for removing the power plant there, a huge obstacle in trying to lure the Chargers to Chula Vista.
Oceanside presents an untapped market for the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson and his Bolts are the only professional football players playing in southern California (unless you count Pete Carroll’s USC squad).
The Chargers have the monopoly for everyone living south of Monterrey.
Building a new stadium in Oceanside would lure the Los Angeles area crowd into buying tickets and the team would not have to rely solely on the money coming out of San Diego.
But infrastructure is lacking in Oceanside—especially connecting the rest of San Diego. The coaster works, but isn’t viable.
An updated public system would be needed—for fans out of San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles—if the team does move to Oceanside.
Still, moving the team to Oceanside would be best for the Chargers fiscally, being able to draw on fans in both the Los Angeles and San Diego markets.
For fans in San Diego, moving the team to Chula Vista would best—the 30-minute to hour-long drive to Oceanside may discourage San Diegans.
The perfect site would be Mission Valley—the place where the team has played since 1967.
But it’s not working. Not with a city that is unwilling to stand by the Chargers.
So, economics is going to force the Chargers out of San Diego—hopefully the team stays within the county limits.
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