The Chargers have been the pride and joy of San Diego for fifty-six years. However, on January 12th, 2017, loyal San Diego fans received devastating news—their beloved team is relocating to Los Angeles.

The team posted a letter from Chargers owner Dean Spanos to the website, which stated, “After much deliberation, I have made the decision to relocate the Chargers to Los Angeles, beginning with the 2017 NFL season.”
The move is motivated by financial troubles. USA Today reported that Spanos felt the team could not compete with the rest of the league at Qualcomm stadium, but the city was not willing to spend the high amount of taxpayer dollars that the team asked for to construct the new stadium. According to NBC 7 San Diego, the mayor of the city Kevin Faulconer said, “At the end of the day, the Chargers wanted a lot more taxpayer money than we could ever agree to.”
One instance of this occurred last November, when the people of San Diego voted against an initiative that would have increased hotel taxes. The Washington Post reports that this tax would have generated $550 million for the construction of a new stadium in San Diego.
In Los Angeles, the team plans to share the Inglewood Stadium with the Rams once it is completed in 2019. Until that point, they will play in the Stubhub Center in Carson, CA.
Yahoo Finance reports that, due to the huge media market in Los Angeles, some expect the team’s value to skyrocket. However, LA is already home to numerous sports teams, including two Pac 12 college football teams and another NFL football team. Critics are skeptical that the Chargers can attract a fan base in LA with such a saturated sports market.
Although rumors and suspicions had been circulating long before the official statement was released, Charger fans were still shocked and heartbroken. Many fans gathered in front of Charger Park, where they dumped their team gear in a pile and shared hugs and tears according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The team represented more than just the sport of football to these fans; they represented family bonds, cherished memories, and most of all, community. “The whole experience has been extremely painful and heartbreaking… People who are native to San Diego will understand when I say this: The Chargers moving to LA is the biggest slap in the face ever,” said one Chargers fan and San Diego native.
Some fans have taken their protest a step further. Twenty seven San Diego moving companies banded together soon after the announcement, refusing to help the Chargers move their equipment to their new home. The companies are listed in wewontmoveyouchargers.com, which was started by Ryan Charles from HireAHelper.
A statement on this page says, “We are all professional movers who don’t want to see our 56 years of San Diego Chargers history be pulled out from under us.”
The website also invites any San Diego fans to sign the petition to keep the Charger name in San Diego, even if the actual team moves to Los Angeles. The petition, which already has over 7,200 signatures, states, “The Chargers name should stay and belong to San Diego should we ever form another team and Dean Spanos should be forced to find a new team name in LA.”
Regardless of these last minute efforts to keep the Chargers in San Diego, Spanos seems to be determined to begin a new chapter in Los Angeles. According to Los Angeles Daily Times, Spanos said upon being asked if the Chargers will consider returning to their previous home after the recent upset, “That’s not even a consideration. There’s no looking back. We’re moving forward.”
The future of the Chargers seems uncertain, and as the team moves forward with their relocation, the fans heavyhearted reminisce on their memories. As said by Faulconer, “The Spanos family may own the Chargers franchise, but our community, our San Diego community, is and always will be the rightful owner of the Charger’s legacy.”