Earlier this week a disgruntled Chargers fan took his grievances to the local papers to express his displeasure, putting his money where his mouth is at the same time.
Nicholas Esayian, a professional auto racer, spent about $1000 to voice his opinion about the Chargers in the North County Times with a full page advertisement. In his letter that appears in the ad, Esayian takes Dean Spanos to task for the Chargers record of underachievement and the recent decision to bring back Norv Turner and A.J. Smith as coach and GM respectively. The ad appeared in the Sunday edition of the the Times.
Now, I’m not going to critique the politcal assertions that Mr. Esayian makes towards the latter half of this letter, nor am I going to fault him for a few grammatical missteps (though I have to say, if I were going to pay $1000 for a newspaper ad, I might get someone to proof read it first). However, I will say this, if a Chargers supporter is upset enough to be shelling out hard earned money to spew wrath at the owner, what does that say about the relationship between fans and team?
Kind of makes your wonder.
For those of you who have hard time reading the tiny text from the image above, check the full text of the letter below (grammar unedited):
Dear Mr. Spanos,
As a past season ticket holder and competitor in a professional sport, I am writing you to share in my diselief regarding your decision to retain Norv Turner and AJ Smith as the head coach and General Manager of the San Diego Chargers
Throughout the tenure of Mr. Turner and Mr. Smith, the Chargers have perenially underacheived in spite of a vast array of talent at their disposal. When Mr. Turner arrived, Marty Schotenheimer, a good “regular season” coach but weak in the postseason, had the team one step away from the Super Bowl. I was in agreement with his ternmination due to a lack of player discipline and lack of agressive play calling, which led to the team falling short of reaching the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately you proceeded to hire Mr. Turner, who failed in both Washington and Oakland as a head coach and, consequently, was terminated from both positions. The last time he achieved any level of success in the NFL was almost 20 years ago in Dallas in his capacity as their Offensive Coordinator. At best, Mr. Turner is a good Offensive Coordinator. He’s burned through a long list of talented players in San Diego without a Super Bowl appearance. The team’s season has gotten shorter and shorter every year as his failed leadership has irectly resulted in a lack of player discipline, horrible special teams, and poor game management.
Your decision to retain Mr. Turner and Mr. Smith after a second year of missing the playoffs, is a commitment to failure and a poor business decision. If your goal is to move the Chargers to Los Angeles or elsewhere, you’ve just “sealed the deal” for such a move. THere will undoubtedly be no new stadium in this left-leaning, “Occupy” and entitlement rich environment without both the enthusiasm for a winning team, an economic model that shows strong tax revenue for the city, and the ownership’s commitment to winning. A losing team does not get us there.
The Chargers have always been mentioned in the breath of geat teams taht fail to acheive. Having moved here from the Wisconsin area i was fortunate enough to have been a fan of a winning organization in Green Bay. Unfortunately, unlike Green Bay, San Diego will remain a second rate team as a result of this decision. It is not to late to admit your mistake, bring in a staff that CAN win, and give San Diegans what they deserve. A winner.
Regards,
Nicholas Esayian
