Dean Spanos will forever be one of the most unpopular sports figures in the city of San Diego. Spanos' decision to move the Chargers to Los Angeles still stings a large contingent of a fanbase that has been nothing short of passionate, even when the franchise didn't give them any reason to be.
Many Chargers fans rightfully feel abandoned after Spanos picked up his team to become renters in Stan Kroenke's Inglewood palace. Spanos had every right to do so as the owner of the Chargers, but it doesn't mean it has to be popular.
Spanos will continue to receive criticism as long as he owns the Chargers and on Friday, a new development served as a source of disparagement. The San Diego Padres are finalizing a $3.9 billion sale to Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, in what will be an MLB record.
So much for San Diego not being a valuable sports town, right?
Dean Spanos seeing the Padres sell for almost $4 Billion must yet be another reminder of what a moron he was to move the Chargers to L.A.
— thehoch (@hochalicious) April 17, 2026
San Diego was a football first town. If he'd stayed, worked to get a downtown stadium, Bolts would be worth way more than they are now.
Dean Spanos catches more strays from Chargers fans after Padres sale
Spanos is never going to live down his decision to move the Chargers and any San Diego-related sports story will serve as another opportunity for Chargers fans to show their frustration. Heck, it wasn't that long ago that Spanos and the Chargers were catching strays all because the Padres had an electric playoff atmosphere.
As satisfying as it may be for San Diego fans to dunk on Spanos, the Padres' sale doesn't change anything business-wise for the Chargers. The relocation deserves criticism across many different levels, but not from a business sense.
The Chargers are worth more in Los Angeles than they would be in San Diego. Media markets matter and Los Angeles is the second-largest market in the country. It's the reason why the Los Angeles Angels are called the Los Angeles Angels even though they aren't even in LA County.
It's the reason why the New York Giants and New York Jets reside in the Big Apple even though they actually play in New Jersey. Market size matters, and just because the Padres sold for an MLB record doesn't change that reality.
The Los Angeles Dodgers would sell for far more than the Padres just sold for. Sure, they have more history, but the Angels would sell for more than the Padres, too. The Angels ranked No. 11 in franchise evaluation in 2025, the Padres ranked No. 16. The Padres are a far more exciting team that has had a lot more success on the field and with ticket sales in recent years. But the Angels "have" Los Angeles.
Chances are Spanos isn't losing any sleep about the Padres selling for $3.9 billion. It's great the Padres could reinvent themselves to be worth that much, but it doesn't change the fact that the Chargers are worth more in LA than they were in San Diego.
The Chargers still should have always stayed in San Diego. For business and financial reasons... they didn't. The Padres' sale doesn't change that fact.
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