- The Chargers played the Chiefs in Los Angeles in both teams’ first game of the 2018 NFL season.
- While it was nominally a home game for the Chargers, Chiefs fans took over the StubHub Center and essentially robbed Los Angeles of its home field advantage.
- The Chargers’ tendency to have its stadium overrun by opposing fans is beginning to become a trend.
The Los Angeles Chargers hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in their first game of the season on Sunday, but one look through the crowd might have left unfamiliar fans questioning their surroundings.
Chiefs fans effectively took over the Los Angeles stadium, making the game feel much closer to a Kansas City home game than what the Chargers would have preferred.
There are a couple #Chiefs' fans at the StubHub Center this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/0G2rdvzcsv
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) September 9, 2018
How many Chargers fans do you see in this image of a Chargers home game pic.twitter.com/F97c2YiQuu
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 9, 2018
#Chiefs fans doing their chant as they lead 31-12. Empty seats here in the third quarter. Hasn’t seemed sold out, but announced attendance numbers by team to come. People also taking shade under awnings in concourse area, so that’s to be considered too. pic.twitter.com/9qkflNTRSd
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) September 9, 2018
What I’ve told is there are a ton of #Chiefs fans in #SoCal who were loyal to Joe Montana dating to his years with the #Niners. Regardless, large pockets of red @stubhubcenter. pic.twitter.com/XjCGr3hXLu
— Don Muret (@breakground) September 9, 2018
The traveling supporters would leave the stadium happy, with the Chiefs pulling off a 38-28 win over Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for the Chargers, this has become something of a trend for the team since moving to Los Angeles last season. Despite playing in a converted soccer stadium with a capacity of just 27,000, the Chargers have struggled to sell tickets - averaging just 25,335 per game last season. When the Chargers do sell tickets, too often they seem to go to opposing fans, as was made clear when Eagles fans took over the StubHub Center in 2017.
If the Chargers are going to be able to establish any sort of home-field advantage for the 2018 season, they'll have to do it soon - their next two home games are against the Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders, two teams whose fans would not have to travel far to once again take over enemy territory.