Chargers' first L.A. game draws a loud crowd ... rooting for Dolphins
The Los Angeles Chargers might feel like they have 16 road games this season.
This is the first team in modern American professional sports history to relocate to a city that didn’t really want it. The first game for the Chargers in Los Angeles (at least since a lone L.A. season in 1960) didn’t seem historic. There were reports that tickets were available for the 27,000-seat stadium in the middle of the week, and the secondary ticket market was plentiful. Associated Press reporter Greg Beacham said attendance was 25,381, which was essentially a sellout because the team doesn’t count comp seats and has to hold 500 ADA seats.
It seems like most of the fans who did go to the Chargers’ first official game in Los Angeles wanted to see the Miami Dolphins.
Bunch of Dolphins fans here at tiny StubbyHub. Team gets ovation when it comes out for warmups.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) September 17, 2017
Might be at least a third Dolphins fans here so far. So there might be legit 15,000 Chargers fans at their L.A. debut.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) September 17, 2017
There is a large contingent of Miami Dolphin fans at StubHub Center. The crowd is chanting, "Let's go Dolphins!" pic.twitter.com/QpspaO7hQM
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 17, 2017
That’s not all. There was a billboard outside from a disgruntled San Diego fan trolling the NFL and the Chargers. There was a sign flown by a plane over the stadium telling Dean Spanos he was the worst owner in sports.
Flying overhead here at StubHub: pic.twitter.com/2UfWPhbvjx
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) September 17, 2017
It probably didn’t help that some general parking around the stadium was $100 according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. Yes, $100. That won’t endear the Chargers to their new city.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Los Angeles, the Rams played in front of a bunch of empty seats at the Coliseum for the second straight week.
Kickoff at the Coliseum between the Rams and Redskins. Not many here to see it. pic.twitter.com/XAwandU2l6
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) September 17, 2017
There are some cool features about the Chargers playing at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, its temporary home until the Rams’ huge new stadium is ready in Inglewood (the Chargers will be the Rams’ tenants there). It’s a small venue and way more intimate than any other the NFL has used in decades. And the Chargers are a talented team. They should be a nice draw.
[Watch on Yahoo: Ravens vs. Jaguars live from London Sept. 24]
But it doesn’t help when Los Angeles isn’t welcoming the Chargers. Every other team that has moved has gotten a nice bump in their first season due to the novelty. Maybe the Chargers will grow on everyone in L.A. over time, because it doesn’t seem to be happening immediately.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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