San Diego Chargers Go Hollywood

After a 56-year marriage under the palm trees and brisk sun, the San Diego Chargers bolted for greener pastures.

A tumultuous relationship at times, the Chargers were tough lovers to the southern Californian city, with highlights few and far between. Canton is home to the blue and yellow with a total of eight Hall of Famers representing San Diego. The late Junior Seau is the most recent inductee.

The San Diego Chargers were entrenched in a division with teams like the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders; franchises riddled with history and gridiron glory. Unfortunately, the Chargers became the odd team out.

Their best success in the league was their lone Super Bowl appearance in 1994, where they fell to the San Francisco 49ers’ dynasty 49-26. The Chargers only made the playoffs thirteen times since the Super Bowl era.

In addition to their playoff woes, the front office proved difficult for young athletes. Joey Bosa, a lock for the defensive rookie of the year award, struggled with the management and held out; missing the first four games of the season.

More from With the First Pick

Bosa is the most recent of a long list of examples. Other grievances came from the likes of All-Pro safety Eric Weddle and two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, who demanded a draft day trade. Some of the franchise’s greatest players had holdouts. LaDainian Tomlinson, Quentin Jammer, Philip Rivers, and Shawne Merriman all had holdouts against the Chargers during their careers.

Now the Chargers belong to Los Angeles and the move became a situation of when instead of if. Los Angeles went from a town dedicated to all sports but football to an NFL juggernaut.

The LA Rams have yet to make a significant splash amongst both fans and the league alike, so another franchise that is far from the playoffs seems like a stretch. The Chargers proved fun and entertaining, but a loss to the one-win Cleveland Browns doesn’t help.

And the worst of the breakup comes with the timing. The Chargers announced the decision to leave and immediately threw up their logo that looks eerily similar to their neighbors in Elysian Park.

It’s sad to see cities dedicated to their teams like St. Louis and San Diego fall to the corporate reality of professional sports. Let us hope that the Los Angeles community welcomes the new team and that both teams thrive in their new environment.

The Chargers also unveiled their new head coach; Buffalo Bills interim coach Anthony Lynn.