Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers: Rivals or Roomies?

Last week a report by Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times revealed that the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers ownership would be exploring a joint stadium venture in Carson, California. The news was just the latest in a series of roller coaster events that have had many fans in Oakland and San Diego wondering if they will be cheering for their favorite teams in their home towns for much longer.

Chances are the decision for either or both teams to move to a new stadium in Carson or somewhere else will have many more twists and turns, but one thing is for certain. These two teams should never call the same stadium home, no matter how nice that stadium is or what it costs. It doesn’t matter if the teams were offered a state of the art stadium that would be 100% publicly financed. It’s just plain wrong, and the National Football Leagues collective ownership, as well as Roger Goodell, should feel the same way.

Nov 16, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver

Kenbrell Thompkins

(85) runs after the catch while defended by San Diego Chargers free safety

Eric Weddle

(32) and strong safety

Marcus Gilchrist

(38) and inside linebacker

Kavell Conner

(53) during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders and the Chargers aren’t what most would call the most bitter of division rivals, but they aren’t too far off from it. Rivalries like the Redskins and Cowboys probably have more hatred between the teams, and the Packers and Bears could probably tout more history. But the Bolts and the Silver and Black have plenty of their own history, as well as fireworks, to prevent this unholy marriage from ever actually occurring.

Remember the “Holy Roller” game in 1978? It was the one that allowed the Raiders to win via a continuous “fumble” into the end zone. It ultimately led to a changing of the rules for all NFL games, prohibiting a similar play from occurring at the end of a game again. What about the tightly-contested 1980 AFC Championship game? The Chargers, a No. 1 seed that year, were playing at home for a chance at their first Super Bowl appearance only to be thwarted by their division enemy, who eventually went on to win Super Bowl XV against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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These two teams have history that goes beyond the numbers. Al Davis, the face of the Raiders even to this day, got his start in professional football coaching as an assistant for the Chargers, albeit the L.A. Chargers of the AFL. During the 1990s, the Raiders dominance had San Diego home games looking like road games. The following decade saw a flip-flop with the Chargers taking advantage of Oakland’s fall from grace.

Trying to imagine these two teams in the same stadium, with one of them switching to the NFC, is almost unfathomable. If the Vikings announced that the Packers would be joining them in their new stadium to offset costs and one of the two teams would switch to the AFC, NFL fans and owners would likely freak out. Why is this any different? It shouldn’t be. Out of sheer respect for history, the NFL ownership as a group should come out publicly and state their commitment to veto this type of move if it is presented to them.

There is no guarantee this joint venture will ever occur, but the fact that it is being considered is sad for both Raiders’ and Chargers’ fans on so many levels.

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