San Diego is a special place for many reasons, one of which is that it is home to a rare asset — a National Football League franchise. To retain that asset, and to leverage it in a way that brings maximum benefit to the local economy for years to come, voters should approve Measure C on next month’s ballot, paving the way for a new downtown home for the San Diego Chargers.
For many critics, Measure C is a philosophical nonstarter: They don’t want even tourists to help pay for something wealthy owners could pay for themselves. But we see it differently: Here is an opportunity for local residents to define what kind of city we want and to commit to a big vision in which sports are a catalyst for growth, commerce, civic pride and global prestige.
This ballot measure is about much more than football. This is a time for San Diego to think big.
We want to live and do business in a vibrant city that is home to an NFL team and first-rate facilities for major events. We want to see the remarkable revitalization of downtown continue and expand. And we want to polish our already superb international image as a destination. Passage of Measure C will help us achieve all of that.
Good for Downtown
There are only 32 NFL teams; a franchise is a tremendous asset. So are facilities that can host Super Bowls, Final Fours and other elite events. The multi-use stadium and convention center annex contemplated in Measure C add to possibilities of what we can do downtown. Having hotel guests pay for the majority of the project is the model competing markets have used and one we can endorse.
Because NFL franchises are so difficult to get, we shouldn’t take for granted the team we have but rather position it to bolster the regional economy as never before. People worry so much about whether pro-team owners are “using” their communities for their own greed; we should consider instead how we can use our teams to improve our local business climate.
In this case, that means facilitating a real estate project that will accelerate what began with the construction of Petco Park. If you have any doubts whether a stadium project can really transform a neighborhood or city, just consider downtown San Diego before and after Petco. A new home for the Chargers nearby would give San Diego a sports entertainment district as fine as any in the United States, and that will mean more good things for downtown.
Opportunity Is Real
Even opponents of Measure C concede that Petco has been a good investment. So why not add a new chapter to that success story? To presume either that downtown has reached its optimal state, or that a football stadium and expansion of convention facilities would fail to bring Petco-like gains is, in our view, erroneous.
Some say 16 acres downtown would have a greater economic impact as part of a major university, or with high-tech companies or an anchor employer. Here’s the problem: No one is proposing such projects. This opportunity with the Chargers is real. Everything else is just speculation. We’ll take real opportunity every time, especially when it is as far-reaching as this one.
We know the power of community and pro sports is one of the few intangibles that can draw us together. A surging sports franchise injects optimism into the entire business climate of a city. Sure, it would be easier to win that point if the Chargers or Padres had won a championship since 1963, but make no mistake, pro teams are good for local economies. Community gathering places are part of the mix in every vibrant metropolitan market in the country. It’s a cost of doing business
A Business Decision
To be sure, Measure C has shortcomings. It was composed by the Chargers on a tight deadline and approved for the ballot minus the input of key stakeholders, which means the financial commitments and safeguards promised since then by the Chargers are not legally binding.
It’s also evident that owner Dean Spanos alienated some voters with last year’s effort to move to Los Angeles. The way those voters see it, if the owner didn’t think San Diego was an NFL-caliber city a short time ago, why should they vote to help him now? The answer to that dilemma is twofold: First, we shouldn’t make billion-dollar decisions based on whether we like someone — this is a business decision. Second, seeing it that way should help us realize that Spanos is a businessman who has to make business decisions, too. Right now, his decision is to keep the Chargers here. That’s good for the local economy.
The truth is, the Chargers always have strengthened the fabric of our local business community and bolstered tourism. That will only be more so when the team kicks off inside a world-class, state-of-the-art stadium in our glistening downtown, with millions watching on television, wishing they were here.
