After more than a decade of no professional football teams in Los Angeles, it looks like we may be about to have two. Unless something drastic happens in the next month to keep them in San Diego, the NFL’s Chargers will be joining the Rams here in L.A. next year.
When the Rams made the move from St. Louis, the Chargers were also granted an option to move if they wanted, but they would have to commit by January 15, 2017. The team’s owners wanted a new stadium in San Diego, but didn’t want to put up the $2.6 billion to get it built. Voters in San Diego decided they didn’t want to either and a November ballot referendum that would have allocated public money failed. With no new stadium in the works, they’re probably going to be using their option to skip town entirely.
ESPN is reporting that “barring a miracle” the deal will go through to move the team to Los Angeles starting next year, though the public announcement will not be made until after the football season wraps up.
The Inglewood stadium already in progress for the Rams would also be the home for the Chargers. They would pay a lease fee to use the stadium for games rather than build a whole new place of their own. The two teams would sell tickets separately, but share portions of revenue from things like stadium naming rights. Where they would play until the stadium is complete has yet to be decided.
Closing a deal with the Chargers would block out Oakland’s NFL team, the Raiders, who have been rumored to be looking for the same arrangement. If the Raiders can’t lease space in the Rams’ stadium, they now seem set to go with their second choice, moving to Las Vegas.
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