Raiders Fans Take Over Chargers 'Home' Game in LA
Oakland Raiders fans have taken over Southern California, as the team's supporters turned Sunday's "road" game against the Los Angeles Chargers into a home atmosphere. Yes, the Chargers' final home date at Dignity Health Sports Park turned into yet another massive embarrassment for the franchise.
How bad was it? The Chargers were loudly booed while taking the field for their final game in Carson, California:
#Chargers booed coming out of the tunnel for one final time in Carson pic.twitter.com/1xRGuv0uDw
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 22, 2019
Then when the Raiders scored the game's first points, the crowd went absolutely nuts:
Hunter Renfrow is back for the #Raiders and he delivers early. 56-yard TD and the crowd goes wild. This is a #Chargers “home” game. pic.twitter.com/JmB8o1dFWB
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) December 22, 2019
While there were actually a ton of empty seats in the 25,000-seat venue, that crowd that was there was clearly dominated by Raiders fans:
That fan also took issue with the crowd photos I post at games so here's another one. pic.twitter.com/A9arsqPAY7
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) December 22, 2019
Probably not shown on tv, a lot of empty premium seats at 50 yard line on #Chargers side. #raiders pic.twitter.com/uXXmk4A54h
— K.C. Alfred (@KCAlfredPhoto) December 22, 2019
Let’s play one final game of Find The Chargers Fan In An Image Of A Chargers Home Game (the first one is easy to spot but look closely for #2 and #3!) pic.twitter.com/a1oBCV9Q8l
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) December 22, 2019
That initial 60 percent Raiders fans estimate was off. More like 75 percent
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) December 22, 2019
Yes, 75 percent and really loud. For the second week in a row, the Chargers dealt with huge crowd noise issues, as quarterback Philip Rivers couldn't get the signals from the sidelines or relay the snap count to his teammates:
Philip Rivers complaining he can't hear because of how loud the Raiders fans are. For a Chargers home game. pic.twitter.com/gS9f4hTeT1
— Tyler Bischoff (@Bischoff_Tyler) December 22, 2019
The Chargers had to call a timeout because Rivers couldn’t hear. The Chargers are the home team.
— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) December 22, 2019
So the Chargers’ screaming PA guy keeps screaming whatever it is he screams and Raiders fans keep responding to him with louder boos.
— Jay Posner (@sdutPosner) December 22, 2019
CBS commentator just acknowledged "Raiders heavy crowd." Then added "you seldom see visiting players imploring the crowd to make more noise." Raiders leading with a chance to win final "home" game.
— Bill Center (@PadresCentral) December 22, 2019
Here's a smattering of other Twitter reactions:
This is what crowd looks like at kickoff for @Chargers @Raiders game. Pretty sparse, pretty Silver & Black. @footballnightsd pic.twitter.com/cibYZdrTsy
— Todd Strain (@TODDSTRAINNBCSD) December 22, 2019
Chargers cannon shirts into the crowd but raiders fans throw them back. Lol. Classic Raider move. pic.twitter.com/XmVdWH1oRN
— I FEEL BETTER. ⭐️⭐️ (@SeattleFutbol) December 22, 2019
In what could be Rivers' final home game with the Chargers, he was booed and had to deal with opposing fans dominating the crowd. The Chargers are finishing their third season of home dates in Carson and virtually every week has been a massive embarrassment.
This is all Dean Spanos' fault for being a greedy moron who moved his franchise as part of a cash grab and never saw this coming. Los Angeles never wanted the Chargers and San Diego has abandoned them. It's been hilarious to watch, as Spanos has gotten exactly what he deserved after screwing San Diego over.
Three years of embarrassment apparently haven't been enough for the Chargers' owner, as his team will enter SoFi Stadium next season needing to filly 70,000 seats when they haven't been able to fill 25,000 for three years. I'm sure that will go well.