Comic-Con Tops Chargers In San Diego

There are plenty of interesting things to do in the great city of San Diego, but watching the Chargers play football is apparently not one of them. In an online poll conducted by the San Diego Union-Tribune, 59 per cent of responders voted in favour of Comic-Con being more important to the city than its football team.

The findings come fresh off the reports that San Diego has finalized a two-year deal to keep the comic book and science fiction convention in the city through 2018. San Diego’s convention is arguably the most hyped of its kind in the world, having developed a reputation in recent years as the place for the biggest film studios to drop the biggest bombshells regarding upcoming releases.

The international event brings over 130 000 attendees – many of whom are not San Diego locals – into the city, giving the local economy a surge in the process. Unfortunately, the survey doesn’t exactly stifle the warped stereotype that San Diego supporters are casual fans at best.

But what exactly is the reason for such an overwhelmingly negative response? One could argue that “nerd” culture has never been more mainstream, and with it comes a host of rabid fans whose interests don’t necessarily cross over into sport. But the NFL is a corporate monster, dwarfing even the most powerful film conglomerates in financing and public reach alike. Is it exactly fair to say, then, that football – the most adored sport in the nation – is less sacred to San Diegans than Comic-Con?

Whatever the reason, the Chargers’ future in San Diego is looking bleaker by the day. Through no means of confirmation bias should anyone suggest that it will be this poll that finally forces the relocation, but the suits that make these decisions do pay attention to gauges of public interest like this one. For the hundreds of thousands of true Charger fans still holding out hope, the outcome will be an ugly one.