You may have heard recently the market research group Nielsen Scarborough released its annual ranking of the most devoted fan bases in the NFL. The Chargers ranked 20th on the list of 32 teams (which, not surprisingly, had the Green Bay Packers in the top spot), a disappointing if not overly surprising revelation.
According to the study, 55-percent of adults in the San Diego market consumed a Chargers game in some capacity in the 2014 calendar year. That means they watched or attended or listened to one of the Chargers’ 22 games (two in the 2013 post-season, four pre-season and 16 regular-season games in the 2014 season).
On the surface, that would seem like the fan base is not all that enthralled with the local NFL franchise. However, and this is how it ties in to what’s going on today with the St. Louis Rams, I believe the San Diego Chargers fan base is a sleeping giant.
I go on the road. I see plenty of fans in opposing stadiums wearing powder blue. In fact, the Week 16 game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara looked a lot like the Week 15 game at Qualcomm Stadium. At the Chargers’ final home game, Broncos fans packed the Q. Just six days later, the 49ers home field was about 30-percent Chargers supporters.
That showed me the Bolts have a loyal fan base. The problem is; who wants to go watch a game at Qualcomm? If there was a decent place to see a game, with some local restaurants and drinking establishments within walking distance for fans to have fun before and after games, the Chargers fan base would show up en masse.
Oh, and winning a few playoff games would help, too.
