Dear Dean Spanos: Just Leave Already (You, NOT the Team)
It has become more and more apparent that the San Diego Chargers will never succeed with Dean Spanos at the helm.
The man has no respect for the city of San Diego, nor its fan base, and that will never change.
Being that he is an NFL owner, you have to take a certain amount of caution ingesting anything that comes out of his mouth when it comes to his franchise. He has been nothing but disloyal to the city, and continues to burn bridges as though he has no feelings at all for the city that housed his team for over 55 years.
Writing this is like writing a eulogy for a good friend who has not passed, but is terminal, and the inevitable is obvious.
I was a positive fan, and for the most part I remain one, but the writing is surely on the wall. Even if a miracle took place, the present ownership group has fractured the fan base so carelessly that it will be nearly impossible to get back to those glory days.
The Buffalo Bills sold for $1.4 billion dollars in 2014, after their long-time owner, Ralph Wilson, died. Alex Spanos is still alive, but in poor health. The Chargers do have a succession plan in place for Dean Spanos to continue owning the team, but would he consider selling?
At this point that might be the only way to save the “San Diego Chargers”.
A new ownership group could negotiate in good faith with the city, and a deal could be worked out. I believe that. At this point, Dean Spanos has soiled his name when it comes to stadium financing, and that will likely never change.
However, this is nothing but a “pipe dream”. We all know that he will never sell this team. He is already looking at re-branding the team’s name and color scheme if he moves to Los Angeles. That is what the reports indicate, but who knows if that is just another attempt to bully San Diegans into approving his idea of a stadium for the Chargers.
Those kind of tactics are what have made citizens so angry. Yes, the Chargers do deserve a new stadium. They were victims of corrupt city officials, at a time when they should have been seriously given a new stadium. That cannot be argued.
However, the constant tactics used by Spanos in order to bully San Diegans into a new stadium will never work in Southern California. The citizens of the area do not respond to such actions. If they feel any dishonesty, they do not support the team. That is evident in the turnstiles at the games each week. Dean Spanos is treading into dangerous waters with this team. He needs to start kissing butt if he wants this team to progress in America’s Finest City.
The latest in this stadium saga has the NFL possibly stepping in to get a stadium deal done in San Diego. This is all hearsay at this point. Nobody knows what the future will hold. One thing is for certain: the team would be in a better place if Dean Spanos had nothing to do with it. Either man up, and negotiate in good faith, Dean, or leave. It’s that simple.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
This is what should happen…Kroenke should lend the necessary money to the Chargers. He does not want another team in LA. LA does not want the Chargers. The Charger faithful do not want them to move. Kroenke is a billionaire many times over and can cover the costs.
You say that the Chargers deserve a new stadium.
Even if we wanted to build them one, we can’t. For at least the next 4 years, the city will not have the money to do it. During that entire time, we are expected to have a budget short fall. Keep in mind that the City is not Santa Claus. It has financial obligations, which include paying off the $50 million still owed on remodeling the old one. Maybe you can convince some of
the team’s wealthy supporters to privately fund one.