Even with a new state-of-the-art training facility and a highly paid head coach, LA Chargers owner Dean Spanos will always be scrutinized for his perceived hesitation to spend money. It mostly stems from the Chargers' move to Los Angeles after the city failed to fund a new stadium to for the Bolts.
Spanos and the Chargers found themselves in hot water with fans once more in 2025 over the team's international game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Week 1 Brazil game was a designated home game for the Chargers, giving the Bolts one fewer game at SoFi Stadium than originally advertised.
There was just one problem with season ticket holders: the Chargers did not adjust the price of season tickets. This spawned a class-action lawsuit over the matter that is still ongoing. Season ticket holders allege the Chargers advertised nine home games, only ended up with eight, but still charged for nine.
As if a class-action lawsuit wasn't enough, the New Orleans Saints decided to enter the fray and make the Chargers look even worse. The NFL announced that the Saints will be the first NFL team to host a game in France in 2026 and it took the Saints all of 24 hours to announce that the team is adjusting the price of season tickets by 10% to reflect the change.
Saints' proactivity for season-ticket holders makes the Chargers look even worse
Time will tell what ends up happening in the class-action lawsuit and whether or not the Chargers retroactively adjust the prices for 2025. One thing is for certain, though: this is awful PR for a team that should be doing its best to get as many fans in the building as possible.
If anything, this only pushes away the fans that have stayed loyal to the team throughout the off-the-field madness that has been the last decade.
To make matters worse, season-ticket prices have shot up exponentially since the Bolts moved to SoFi Stadium. It's not uncommon for ticket prices to go up, but the rate at which they have gone up, coupled with how this situation has been handled, puts the Chargers at risk to lose a portion of its most supportive fans.
Reddit u/kirby11201 broke down the cost per game dating back to 2021 for club-level season tickets. The user is a season-ticket founder, having signed up in 2019.
Back in 2021, according to the post, it cost $100 per game per ticket. That climbed to $120 in 2022, $125 in 2023 and 2024, and up to $173 in 2025. That's a year-over-year increase of 38% in 2025, made worse by the fact that there weren't even nine home games. At that same rate, the same tickets will cost $238 per game in 2026.
The Chargers are only going to drive fans away if the team continues to operate in this fashion. Yes, Spanos and Co. have a business to run, but that business doesn't exist without the fans.
It's simple: just take care of them. That's it.