After going 21 years without an NFL team, Los Angeles is now set to have two.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the San Diego Chargers are set to announce that they are moving back to Los Angeles, and the announcement could come as early as Thursday. Los Angeles is where the franchise played its inaugural season in 1960, then as a member of the AFL. The Chargers reportedly have notified the league and its team owners of their decision.
The Chargers received approval from the league to move to Los Angeles last season, but opted not to move at the time, instead seeing whether San Diego could build them a new stadium. Voters did not approve such a measure during the election, defeating a potential last hope for the city to retain the professional football team.
Even though Schefter reports that the Chargers are planning to move, he says it’s still not yet a done deal.
From Schefter’s report:
But as one league source cautioned Thursday night, Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has yet to send a formal relocation letter to the NFL, yet to notify public officials in Los Angeles or San Diego of the team’s move, or even tell the members of the San Diego organization about his plans. The source insisted nothing is final.
The Chargers are in somewhat of a hurry to move to Los Angeles because they need to compete with the Rams for market share. The Rams returned to LA after 21 years in St. Louis to great fanfare, though the support quickly fizzled out amid a 4-12 season that saw Jeff Fisher get fired. At 5-11 and also searching for a new coach, the Chargers are not exactly in better shape than the Rams.
