The Los Angeles Chargers will play their final game at Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly knows as StubHub Center, this Sunday when they take on the Oakland Raiders.
After moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017, the Chargers used the stadium that served as the main home to the L.A. Galaxy as their temporary home for three seasons.
The stadium that held 27,000 didn’t seem like home for the Bolts as the stands were flooded with fans to the opposing team, where their cheers outnumbered the Chargers fans and quite often booed them, too.
The high cost of tickets made a habit of selling their tickets for profit. But it’s been tough for the Chargers to build a market as there hasn’t been a football team in Los Angeles for two decades and because of it, those seats were filled with colors other than blue and gold.
For many of the players and coaches, they’re ready to start a new era when they move into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA with a seat capacity of 78,000, which will be shared with the Rams starting in 2020.
“I’m pretty excited for the new stadium to open up. Look at the game last week, 90 percent purple, maybe. That’s tough. Hopefully when we go to the new stadium it’s a lot better. Hopefully we have a decent fan base, a decent following,” guard Michael Schofield said.
Coach Anthony Lynn compared it to a high school football stadium in Texas, while punter Ty Long felt like it was similar to the stadiums in the Canadian Football League where he played before signing with Los Angeles.
“We’re going to miss the place. You never are going to play someplace like that again, I believe, in that type of intimate environment. We’ll miss it, but we’re looking forward to going to our new home,” Lynn said.
The Chargers lost their first three games there before winning the final five home games of the 2017 season. They have an 11-10 home record compared to being 14-9 on the road during the three-year stint.
Fans that paid the hefty price to watch their favorite team at Dignity Health Sports Park were able to get an up-close experience as it appeared to be a lower level view no matter where they sat.
But players are excited to move into a new stadium that will give them the feeling like they’re actually playing in the National Football League.
“There’s something about that bigger stadium that feels like, ‘OK, now I’m on the big stage. I feel like a Roman gladiator, a rock star, all that. It’s just part of the experience,” running back Austin Ekeler said, per Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano.
[lawrence-related id=32078,32067,32064,32059]