Qualcomm Stadium an insult to dumps everywhere
 

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/08/16/qualcomm-stadium/

An Insult to Dumps Everywhere

Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers, is a decrepit hulk, but the city government’s comical dysfunction means a deal for a new venue is as far off as ever

By
Jim Trotter


When Peter King approached me about writing a weekly West Coast-centric column for his website, I found it attractive not only because I believe Sports Illustrated’s football coverage has had an eastern bias, but also because it meant shorter flights from my home in San Diego.

But then the reality hit me. It also meant more time in dumps disguised as NFL stadiums, namely O.co Coliseum in Oakland and Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. (Candlestick Park, thank goodness, has just one more year left; the 49ers move into their new building in Santa Clara in 2014.)

Actually, calling Qualcomm a dump really is an insult to dumps. The JumboTron is so old that some replacement parts can only be found on eBay. There’s no capacity for a hi-definition video board or for new electronic signage. In an era in which the NFL is trying to heighten the stadium experience to allow fans to keep up with scores and stats from other games via their smartphones, connectivity is limited in part by structural issues within the stadium. (At the preseason opener this year, one Chargers exec could not communicate via email with his staff during the game because of poor wifi.) White trash bags cover large electrical connectors that hang from a lower wall, and cracks are visible in the concrete in various places. Heavy rains often cause the drainage systems to back up, which is why the team has rubber boots on hand for fans whose seats are flooded. It’s not uncommon for sewage to leak onto the field and into the visiting locker room. According to an independent audit performed for the city, the stadium needs $70 million in maintenance and repairs.

Yes, I know. Stop whining. Things could be worse. I could have to critique One Direction for a living. But what’s especially irritating is that things don’t have to be this way. For the last decade, the Chargers have proposed a variety of plans for a new stadium that would keep the team in San Diego. The latest is a downtown venue near the convention center and the Padres’ Petco Park. Based on the cost of the Niners’ new stadium, the Chargers’ project would come to an estimated $1.1 billion, with $300 million of that from public sources. Whether you object on principle to any public financing for sports venues or not, the simple fact is that the Chargers don’t even have a viable entity to negotiate with. Their management is dealing with the most dysfunctional city government in the country. That is not hyperbole.

At one point in the last decade San Diego had four “mayors” in five years. One announced his resignation five months after a controversial re-election win over an 11th-hour write-in candidate, and his replacement then resigned after three days as acting mayor when he was convicted (though later acquitted in a new trial) of conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion.

In February, former mayor Maureen O’Connor admitted to federal prosecutors that she had taken more than $2 million from the charitable organization of her late husband, Jack-in-the-Box founder Robert Peterson, to feed a gambling habit, and that over the years she had wagered more than $1 billion at casinos across the country. And current mayor Bob Filner has effectively pulled the emergency brake on city business because he faces at least 15 accusations of sexual assault and mounting calls for his resignation.

The fact that Chargers president and CEO Dean Spanos hasn’t packed up the team already—and there is a gaping NFL void two hours up the coast in Los Angeles—speaks volumes about his sincerity about keeping the Chargers in town, although many of his critics will refuse to accept that. I’ve butted heads with Spanos on multiple occasions over the years, but one thing I’ve never questioned is his commitment to staying in town and doing a deal that’s fair to both sides.

http://simmqb.files.wordpress.com/20...pg?w=800&h=800

His family name means everything to him. As I’ve written before, when his football people are considering a potentially controversial move, his input often is along the lines of: Don’t embarrass my family. He realizes that if he moves the Chargers, he will be to San Diego what Art Modell was to Cleveland. And if he does a deal that gets over on the city while keeping the Chargers in town, well, that would be equally unpleasant.

But how do you do a negotiate with a metropolis that is rudderless? “The city needs mayoral leadership for big projects, and right now it is not there,” city attorney Jan Goldsmith said in a statement to The MMQB. “But, we will get through this turmoil.”

Spanos is clearly frustrated, but not broken. “We’ve been over 10 years in this process, and there have been times where we thought we were close,” he said. “But we may be the furthest we’ve been from getting a stadium done because of what’s happened locally. It’s really a sad situation. But we’re not going to stop trying to get a deal done. I haven’t given up. It’s still the greatest place to live. This is where I’m from. This is where I want to be—and that means a lot. But this is a business, and we have to compete with 31 other clubs. It’s my responsibility to put this organization in the best financial position it can be in to be competitive with the 31 other clubs.”

Spanos recognizes the financial issues facing the city, which is why his group is trying to structure a deal in which any public money (more on that in a minute) would not come from the general fund that’s used for police, fire, road repairs and the like. Some residents are against spending any public money on a proposed project for the Chargers, but the reality is that the city already is spending roughly $15 million a year to maintain Qualcomm and the San Diego Sports Arena, both of which it owns.

Spread those costs over the seven years remaining on the team’s lease after this season, add in the $70 million in deferred maintenance that’s due, and the Chargers believe that by bonding against that money it would cover the $300 million public contribution the team expects to seek. The city also would then be able to sell the 166 acres at the Qualcomm site, as well as the parcel that the Sports Arena sits on.

It’s a significant vision—something the area has lacked for years—because it incorporates three different parts of town: the Qualcomm site in Mission Valley; Point Loma, where the Sports Arena sits; and downtown. But the city needs strong leadership to help get a deal done, and there’s no indication such leadership currently exists at City Hall. Without it, San Diego is sure to lose the team.

My words, not Spanos’s. Just do the math.

The Chargers rank in the bottom quartile in the NFL in revenue. Teams share national television money, but local monies, such as those from TV and radio deals, suite sales, sponsorships and advertising, are kept by the individual teams. The Chargers are among the have-nots in this area.

For instance, if they sell all 113 of their suites at Qualcomm, at an average of $125,000 per suite, that totals just over $14 million. If Dallas sells out its 300 suites, at an average of $250,000, that’s $75 million for the Cowboys. In other words, suite sales alone amount to an advantage of more than $60 million in local revenue. Such differences affect how teams spend on their coaches and how they structure contracts for cash flow.

The 47-year-old Qualcomm was originally built for baseball and football and was more suited to the former—which becomes glaringly obvious when visiting a modern stadium. For one, the seats are closer to the field in new stadiums, whereas they flow away from the field in Qualcomm. The first row of seats in San Diego is approximately 70 feet from the playing field, nearly twice the distance compared to Invesco Field in Denver and the refurbished Soldier Field in Chicago. And many of those front row seats at Qualcomm—great for those old Padres games—are obstructed for football.

With all the turmoil in city government, the Chargers’ path to a new stadium looks just as obstructed for now. So, Candlestick for another year. Qualcomm and the Oakland coliseum for who knows how much longer. Suddenly I’m starting to wonder if this West Coast assignment was a good deal after all.

Los Angeles Chargers

Don't worry they are going be L.A. Chargers with a new stadium soon enough.

:cuss:

I dont think la-ites would cheer for the chargers alot of them hate the chargers

You're right. Spanos should probably start deferring payments to our players so he can afford to build a new one.

Boo hoo

Truthfully, I love San Diego. It's a great city. I'd hate to see the team go to LA, a city which has proven over the years that it no more deserves an NFL team than San Diego or any of the other cities in California large enough to host a franchise.

The fans won't even notice they moved. They'll just show up to an empty shit-hole stadium to play hacky sack on the 50 yard line.

"WHOA BRAH, THOUGHT THERE WAS A SOCCER GAME HERE TODAY OR SOMETHIN?"

At least their shitty team and QB are perfect for their shitty stadium.

SD fans may not show up to watch the games, but SD has one of the largest NFL T.V markets in the country. The fans here love football, but i suppose it's a combination of transplants and so many other, cheaper things to do that keeps the people from filling the stadium.

I'll tell you what though, if SD ever did get a new stadium, we'd be the best SB hosting city in the country. But, 20 straight years of crooked, republican politicians have bled this city dry of any money.

Republican has nothing to do with it.

Politicians in general, all suck. Stop blaming one side.

That's the problem with this country.

oh right cus the dumocrat mayor you bros got right now is doing a class act job

I really can't say that I blame you all.

If I had the option to go hang out on the beach, get drunk, look at some tittehs and play in the sand; that would be a **** of a lot better than watching the Chiefs abortion every Sunday.

DUMOCRAT

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

HOLY SHIT. THAT'S PRETTY ****IN FUNNY.

REDUMBLICAN.

OH MAN I JUST PLAYED OFF YOUR WORD AND ITS STILL SOOOO FUNNY

Oh im not saying the democrat in charge now is worth a shit at all either. But the fact that San Diego is a Republican city that was robbed blind by political scandals obviously has a bearing on where the city is financially at today.

You might not wanna hear it, but it's the truth.

Dude...

Republicans have held the office for 20 straight years.....and in those years this city was robbed by those very same politicians.

Yes, i will blame them.

And if they were Democrats doing the same thing, i'd blame them too.

LMAO And Los Angeles is a well-oiled machine that is responsive to the needs of its people and proactive at job-creating projects and opportunities. LMAO

The old mayor probably screwed a good 1/3rd of all the vaginas in LA County, and the new mayor looks like Phil Dunphy from Modern Family.

The only saving grace for football in San Diego is that Los Angeles will never get its act together.

Not much different than San Diego's current mayor.

Only difference is that Villaraigosa was good looking enough to actually enter through the front door. And the back, when he chose.

LOL. Qualcomm stadium is not that bad. They show a few cracks here or there. So what? There aren't cracks all around the stadium. I've been in there more than 100 times. I live in San Diego. Both San Diego State Aztecs and the Chargers. It's a functional stadium fitting about 70,000 people. It's not nearly as bad as Oakland Stadium and the 49ers current stadium. Those are worse IMO.

I don't think they are close to anything new. San Diego is dysfunctional city with budgetary problems.

ROFL

Have you been to any other stadiums? Because I've been to the Q and needed about a 45 minute long shower to feel clean again. The place is a hole.

Did you make an account here specifically for this thread? Or is this just a mult of Gadzooks?

"Sandiego 49er"?


What in the **** is going on here?

It's in the lower echelon of stadiums in the NFL. It is old and not super IMO. But not as bad as Oakland or the 49ers stadium. Maybe a few others.

Sure they need a new stadium. They have no budget to do it. So it won't happen. It's not really dirty. Just old. What are you finding dirty about it?

No. I like Alex Smith and I want to see how he does for you guys. I think he will do pretty well. So I will be on the board from time to time going forward.

1) I live in San Diego.
2) I have family history from the Bay and have always been a 49ers fan. Still am.
3) I always liked Alex Smith. Now that he is with you I want to see how he does and I will follow him and you guys and post with you guys. Because I'm interested.

I think he will do well for you.

San Diego isn't much different than a lot of cities who catered to the public unions. Unfunded Pie in the Sky pensions is the problem a lot of these Cities face. Doesn't matter what political stripes the Mayor wears. The city counsels are just to blame and San Diego has a fair mix there.

As far as Qualcomm goes yeah it's a POS down in a valley prone to flooding. The way I see the problem of getting a new stadium has more to do with the way the city alone would finance their portion of the stadium. IMHO the team and the stadium is beneficial to the whole county and I believe that if the whole county were involved the deal would get done.

First of all, the concourses are as narrow as a balance beam, so you're constantly bumping into other people and never have anywhere to go. So at the end of the night you smell like a conglomerate of every fan you've bumped into.

Hell, Qualcomm should sell the naming rights to Febreze and send a cropduster over 4 or 5 times a game just to give us all a breath of fresh air.

Second, the game experience is a dud. The article summed that up quite well. You might as well have a guy dressed in a foam lightning bolt keeping score on an abacus. I've seen high school stadiums in Texas offer a better experience.

Third, you just get the feeling it's all about to collapse. I went with a friend a couple years ago and was in the top row of the upper deck. When the flyover happened, it just shook. And not in that "Oh, yeah, 'Merica" kind of power way, but in that "Oh crap, we're about to land on the cheerleaders" (which would be about the only positive) kind of way.

Oh yeah, and this:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3.../0TROPHIES.jpg

The flooding doesn't happen that often. I can remember 1 time in the last 10 years that happened. They are surrounded by mountains and hills. A lot of water runs off into mission valley. Which has a small river (in mission valley). Sometimes it overflows. It is low ground. Probably too low. It was built a long time ago. But you guys are probably overrating how bad it is. It's not a great stadium. But not as bad as you guys are making it out to be.

Qualcomm is pretty bad, man. Ever been down inside the stadium? In the players tunnel? Leaky pipes, water puddles...smells terrible. It needs some work.

I've had season tickets since 2001 and in that time I've had water come through cracks in the cement around my seat multiple times...and a few times there have been hordes of cockroaches coming out of those cracks.

It depends on what your standards are. For an NFL stadium, it's substandard. I had the luxury of getting a small tour when i was a teen...about 10-11 years ago....when you actually go down INSIDE the stadium, it's pretty bad.

My dad had to bid a demolition job at Qualcomm Stadium once, so he got to take me down into the gullyworks and it's even worse than Detoxing makes it sound here, and this was 10+ years ago.

[QUOTE=CaliforniaChief;9890871]First of all, the concourses are as narrow as a balance beam, so you're constantly bumping into other people and never have anywhere to go. So at the end of the night you smell like a conglomerate of every fan you've bumped into.

Hell, Qualcomm should sell the naming rights to Febreze and send a cropduster over 4 or 5 times a game just to give us all a breath of fresh air.

Second, the game experience is a dud. The article summed that up quite well. You might as well have a guy dressed in a foam lightning bolt keeping score on an abacus. I've seen high school stadiums in Texas offer a better experience.

Third, you just get the feeling it's all about to collapse. I went with a friend a couple years ago and was in the top row of the upper deck. When the flyover happened, it just shook. And not in that "Oh, yeah, 'Merica" kind of power way, but in that "Oh crap, we're about to land on the cheerleaders" (which would be about the only positive) kind of way.

********************************************************************************************

I don't bump into anybody walking around in there. Are you drinking a lot and stumbling around? LOL. I don't find shaking anywhere in that building. It's structurally sound. It's not going to collapse. I don't know? Maybe you feel that more in the upper deck? I usually don't sit there. I get Charger tickets sometimes from friends. They are good tickets in good areas. I've sat in the upper deck a few times but never noticed any shaking personally.

Last year I went to the first game and some dick in Body paint ran into me and ruined my brand new Jersey.

That sounds like an unusual situation. I've been in there more than 100 times for San Diego State Aztecs and the Chargers also. I've never had anybody run into me with body paint.

If you see a body paint guy coming avoid him. LOL.

Yeah well if they do move to L.A. the Chargers could look at doubling their fan base. From 4 to 8 hell they may triple it to 12.

Some how Marty Shottenheimers last gleam of hope is represented in that trophy case.

Charger dogs are the worst part about that stadium

OH You're probably right. I went when games at the Dumpster were still relatively well-attended.

Come to think of it, the terraces at our minor league BB team's stadium are the same size as the Dumpster and I don't bump into anyone there.

Also look at this pic I took last year. This dude is wearing Uggs.

http://i.imgur.com/BONRVY7.jpg

ROFLROFLROFLROFL

No worries, nobody uses those seats anyway

:D

What is up with the dumb ****ers following Smiff around like a fluffer? Is he a Mormon? Is he Gay? Why would anyone care about his lack of production as a QB?

As I mentioned in the Los Angeles stadium thread, everything has been approved and is ready to go for a downtown AEG stadium next to Staples. 72,000 seats, retractable dome with Farmer's Insurance locked in for $20 million a year for 20 years.

All that's left is a team willing to move and give up 49% of the ownership share.

Are you a troll? That stadium was built in the 50's and it's a dump. It's almost as bad as the Oakland Coliseum.

Qualcomm Stadium was opened in 1967. All I had to do was search the internet for that. Wasn't hard.

What is your question? I'm interested to see how he does. And I hope he does well for you actually. Also we have a draft pick in 2014 invested in the results too.

But mostly I think he will do well for KC. I hope he does. He's an improvement over what you had.

It took them seventeen years to build it.

No it didn't. They broke ground in 1965. Took 2 years. Also on the internet.

Lies.

The Murph is an old stadium

That's what a lot of these guys think. They think 1950 because it just popped into their head. It's 1967. And it's been remodeled a lot of times. 80's and 90's and 2000's. Not everything in there is 1967.

I went to a chargers game , it was when TG got the record for something,
so it was at least 10 years ago
getting out of that place was a nightmare easier to walk than take the train

That and the O.Co Coliseum.

I believe this is the first time I've ever seen a dude white-knighting a building.

I sat at a Chiefs/Chargers game just two years ago and the Mexican next to me reached in his back pocket to pull out a clear ziplock bag full of marinated string beans. WTF.

LMAO

2-3 hours at practice. 22-21 hours in San Diego. Oh the horror!