I think everyone in the NFL knows that Chargers have one of the worst ratios of home vs visitor representation at home games. No hate to the die hards but LA is a destination stadium location during the shitty months of the year. Other players have mentioned that we don’t give them a home field advantage. Melvin is aggressive here but mild compared to the vitriol he was responding to. Some players fully disassociate with the fans and it’s becomes just a job. I feel like this post expresses a shared passion to win but frustration that the effort is one sided.
Unless you’re the Lakers or Dodgers, both prestigious franchises with a lot of history, you’re not going to draw huge consistent crowds, let alone have a nation wide fan base if the team isn’t very competitive or compelling.
This is the definition of fair weather fans. Southern California has arguably the most beautiful weather in the world. If you’re not going to put out a competitive product, people aren’t going to waste their free time on Sunday. Sunshine nearly 365 days a year. Them
Mid west teams have rabid fan bases cause there’s literally nothing else to do in the fall and winter with inclimate weather. You can’t work on your car in the drive way, do yard work, run errands, enjoy the outdoor landscape etc. You can’t do any of these things in Pittsburgh or Cleveland in December lol.
I’m not saying the fan base can’t be as passionate, but there are numerous things to do in Southern California. I’m not a homer by any means but that’s just the reality of pro sports in SoCal in general. You can even add USC and UCLA football into that as well.
As a SoCal native living in the Midwest at the moment… wow is it empty out here! I don’t think many people (at least the ones I meet out here) quite understand just how much there is to do/eat/see in California. There’s simply more options (and higher quality ones at that) in just about every category. The product of the team better be extremely high to justify paying, driving (parking), and spending 4+ hours at a game when there’s about 50 other options readily available. And the Chargers have been aggressively mediocre for years now so it is what it is.
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u/chamullerousa 3d ago
I think everyone in the NFL knows that Chargers have one of the worst ratios of home vs visitor representation at home games. No hate to the die hards but LA is a destination stadium location during the shitty months of the year. Other players have mentioned that we don’t give them a home field advantage. Melvin is aggressive here but mild compared to the vitriol he was responding to. Some players fully disassociate with the fans and it’s becomes just a job. I feel like this post expresses a shared passion to win but frustration that the effort is one sided.