Report: NFL owners concerned about Chargers’ viability in L.A.
A year and a half in Los Angeles apparently has done little to convince NFL owners that the Chargers’ move is going to work long-term.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, the team’s Inglewood revenue projections have been revised down significantly, and the team has struggled to sell personal seat licenses to fans.
A major discussion topic among NFL owners/executives at this week’s league meetings is the Chargers’ viability in LA. PSL sales have been a struggle and team is expected to revise its Inglewood revenue goals sharply to a more realistic number: $400m to around $150m, per sources
— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) October 17, 2018
Nothing is imminent, as admitting failure in this experiment after only two years is surely not on Roger Goodell’s agenda. It’s pretty clear, though, that Los Angeles has, at best, a middling interest in two NFL teams. The Rams, who came to the city with an established history there and are proving a huge on-field success, seem to have won the battle, at least for now. The signs have been there for all to see: they’ve at times struggled to sell out the NFL’s smallest stadium, and when they have, it’s often been because of an invasion of away fans instead of overwhelming support for the home team.
