Social media has been a really visceral, emotional place since Wednesday night, when ESPN reported that the Chargers were planning a move to LA.
A pile of NFL jerseys, hats and scarves sits in front of the team's headquarters in Murphy Canyon. Fans have been adding to the pile since the team confirmed early Thursday that they were leaving their home of 56 years to move to Los Angeles.
“I’m broken hearted,” said Steven Johnson. He had just walked by a number of camera crews to throw an armful of team jerseys onto the growing pile.
“This team is part of my family,” he said fighting back tears. “Been part of my family for 50 years.”
“Go to LA. Have a good time. Take your family with you. Get out of my city,” he said to the building.
A number of Bolts fans were taking to Twitter and Facebook to share their heartbreak, some noting they wanted to burn their team memorabilia.
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Some pondered how well the team would do in LA, a market that already has the struggling Rams. Others questioned whether fans would follow the team north.
“I’m heartbroken; sad. It’s like a family member leaving the house, moving out,” one Chargers fan told NBC 7. “It’ll probably sink in more later in the day.”
“I can’t understand why you want to leave San Diego,” said Chargers fan Elizabeth Orozco. “You’ve disappointed the fans; the little fans – the little fans that are newborns, growing up to be Chargers fans. Now they’re not going to get the chance to go to their first Chargers game. San Diegans are not going to drive up to L.A.”
"Emotionally, it's frustrating," another Chargers fan told NBC 7, referring to the team's move to Los Angeles. "Ownership here clearly doesn't care about our fanbase'; [it's] clearly not a factor at all."
At Chargers park late Wednesday night, a fan was spotted throwing eggs at the main building front door.
The next morning, another fan brought candles to prepare a vigil, though a security officer quickly shooed the person away.
Another fan drove to the park with a "Spanos Sucks" bumper sticker on the car.
Some fans told NBC 7, they would support the team regardless of the move but were upset with Spanos.
"I love my Chargers. This is all family. The City of San Diego, how could you just take the Chargers," said Joanne Provencio.
She had been part of the the Save our Bolts movement to keep the team in San Diego.
"There are so many things we can use a stadium for, not just football," said Maria Santyo, who voted yes on the Downtown Stadium.
One fan told us he became a fan of the team when they beat won the 1994 Superbowl. Tyler Goetz said he was at Qualcomm Stadium when the team was welcomed back.
"What hurts the most is to see how a professional organization like Chargers can treat a city," he added.
Here's a snapshot of some of the reaction on Twitter and Facebook.
If you're on a mobile device, you can check out the fan reaction here.
