Padres 'deeply disappointed' Chargers are moving to Los Angeles
The San Diego Padres are about to become single parents. With the news that the Chargers are moving to Los Angeles, the Padres are now the only pro game in town.
On the surface, that seems like good news for the franchise. Without the competition, maybe more fans will sink their money into the Padres.
That’s not how the team feels. Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and Managing Partner Steve Seidler released a statement Thursday, saying they were “deeply disappointed” that the Chargers were leaving the city.
Statement from the San Diego Padres: pic.twitter.com/et9bGT8CDt
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 12, 2017
That statement read:
“We are deeply disappointed by the news that the Chargers are leaving San Diego. The Chargers are a community treasure, and we have always believed that San Diego is better off with the team here. That said, we know San Diego will continue to grow and become an even more vibrant community.”
Are the Padres truly sad that their competition in August and September is leaving? Or are they just putting on a sad public act in order to play on the emotions of recently jilted Chargers fans?
Perhaps that seems cynical, but it feels like the Padres have a lot to gain here. They are not only the sole major major sports team in the area, but they are the now the only Major League Baseball team without local competition from one of the other “big four” sports, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Admittedly, now is not a great time to go out and spend all your money on the Padres. We ranked the club as the worst in the majors earlier in the offseason, and it’s not like they’ve done much since then to justify moving up.
Sports fandom can be a strange thing, though. With Chargers fans emotional and upset about the club leaving, maybe the Padres do become more attractive? While their on-field product might not be entertaining, there are worse things than spending a summer day outside in San Diego.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
