San Diego Padres: Helping Chargers Fans Move On (In Padres Gear)
By s.a. rose
If you are a fan of pro sports in San Diego and you did not light your Chargers gear on fire, the San Diego Padres have a deal for you.
Right now, the San Diego Padres are the only game in town in America’s Finest City among the five major sports leagues. The San Diego Chargers’ move after 56 years to Los Angeles has been met with nearly unanimous negativity from other NFL owners, fans of football in San Diego and by the collective shrug of the shoulders of Los Angeles, who, after 21 years without a team in the NFL, now have two.
Like a good friend in any break up, the Padres are trying to help San Diego residents move on. At the #CelebrateSD rally on Saturday February 11, San Diego fans will be able to bring in used Chargers gear (in good condition that hasn’t previously been set on fire) for a $25 dollar discount on new Padres gear to show support for a team loyal to the city.
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Although Padres fans will not be able to buy any thing new in the “mustard and mud” color scheme that is a favorite of a “vocal minority,” a $25 dollar discount provides a little bit of value to fans in a city where the hashtag #ChargersAreDeadtoMe is popular on Twitter and a sure sign that most San Diego fans will never wear Chargers gear again.
While 2017’s navy and white ensemble has not been universally well-received, it is as good a time as any for San Diego sports fans to get behind their team (even one that is not expected to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants in the NL West this season). With Wil Myers signed to a team-friendly contract extension and a number of high-ranking prospects in the minors and coming in from last year’s international market haul, there might not be much success this season, but the near future does look brighter (although with the farm system the Dodgers have, it might not be that bright) for San Diego fans.
The Padres’ bright future isn’t all that San Diego has to look forward to and to help them forget the Chargers. While it has been a rough month for San Diego sports fans, there is some hope on the horizon with the announcement of a strong expansion bid planned for Major League Soccer and the planned redevelopment of an area around Qualcomm Stadium that does not require any public funding.
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While it may not be the NFL, the Padres might have some company on the pro sports landscape before too long and can start to put the long love affair with the Chargers behind them.