Bolt Beat poll results: Just over half would remain fans if Chargers move

With the 2016 season coming closer to the end, questions about the Chargers and their future location remain a mystery. Unfortunately, there’s a real possibility the Chargers will bolt to Los Angeles.

It’s scary, I know. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just recently joined the suffering, the thought of the Chargers leaving America’s Finest City is terrifying.

I’m not from San Diego, and I live far from California. That said, one of the reasons why I chose to root for the Chargers when I was a youngster was because they were from San Diego (I surf–and the San Diego/surfing connection reeled me in). Long story short, I’ve stuck with them ever since.

Nov 6, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers fans hold up signs in reference to defensive end Joey Bosa (99) during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

And now they might be leaving. Of course, these are all rumors, the same rumors that we heard last year. Owner Dean Spanos reportedly wants to stay, but will he? And what will he do next to try and stay? Measure C, the initiative that would have allowed city officials to raise hotel taxes from 12.5 percent to 16.5 percent and use that revenue to pay for a new stadium located in the downtown area, failed to receive a two-thirds majority in November, which pretty much put doubts in everyone’s minds going forward.

So what if the Chargers do relocate? I decided to create a poll on Twitter and find out how many fans would stick with the Bolts should they move north to L.A. Here were the results (based off 280 votes):

So I ask, now that the season is over, the Chargers could end up in L.A. in 2017..Are you still going to be a fan?

— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) December 5, 2016

As you can see, many fans are mixed. Some of the fans who voted yes said others wouldn’t be “true fans” if they suddenly stopped supporting their team, while fans who voted no said they disliked the organization and wouldn’t waste time/money on the L.A. Chargers. One fan said they would root for the Chargers but with a “little less passion” if the team moved.

It’s a tough situation. Are you willing to leave a team that you’ve spent so many years cheering for and so many years getting emotional over? Would you feel like all that would be wasted if you stopped rooting for the Chargers? Or would you leave those memories in the past and move on (to potentially a different team)? Feeling betrayed seems to be quite the popular phrase.

And unfortunately, the Chargers’ lack of winning isn’t helping their cause. But do Spanos and the Chargers really want to play second fiddle to Stan Kroenke and the L.A. Rams? NBC San Diego’s Derek Togerson recently published a piece on what could happen with the Chargers.

Getting that new facility would be more viable with an increase in private financing because it cuts down on the amount of public money the team would need to request. According to Save Our Bolts, the Chargers are willing to put together another citizens’ initiative to try and build in San Diego and put it on the ballot before voters in November of 2018. – NBC San Diego

Buckle up Chargers fans, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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