Chargers

Fascinating that the media reaction to the Chargers move to LA is that it's a sign of weakness for the NFL: that San Diego voters overwhelmingly rejected a stadium referendum and that now the Chargers will be the second team in a city that has not wholeheartedly embraced the first team that just moved there. See here, and here especially.

Admittedly, I haven't been paying too close attention to all the machinations in the league office and in San Diego - only that Spanos got screwed by his fellow owners when he proposed moving to LA last year (with the Raiders), only to have his fellow billionaires award the Rams the LA franchise (and giving Spanos a year to decide if he wanted to play second fiddle in LA (and get San Diego voters to pony up for a new stadium)).

Now we have our answer. Spanos is going to LA. What I didn't realize is that the Chargers have to pay a $650 million re-location fee to the other owners. Which got me thinking. How the hell couldn't Spanos pay for his own stadium for less than $650 million?!!?? You're telling me a replacement to Jack Murphy Stadium might be a lot more than that? In other words, Spanos won't pay for his own stadium in San Diego but will pay $650 million to the NFL to be a tenant in Stan Kroenke's pleasure palace. And that doesn't even take into account the rent Spanos will have to pay Kroenke.

Bizarre.