Getty Images Melvin Gordon's not a fan of the Chargers new location.
As select NFL teams are beginning to find new locations, many fans and players seem to have very mixed feelings about it. A couple of years ago, the Rams relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles. As if one team in L.A. wasn’t enough, the Chargers decided to make the same move, except they were doing it from San Diego. Recently, the Raiders decided they actually wanted to leave California, and take their team to Las Vegas.
While we all know the backlash the Raiders and Rams received from players and fans, we didn’t hear too much about the Chargers. After all, they aren’t as far as the other franchises. But still, not everybody can be satisfied. Take Chargers star running back, Melvin Gordon, for example. The former Wisconsin running back loves his team, but he’s not the biggest fan of playing in Carson, California.
Last week, Sports Illustrated spent 24 hours with Gordon to experience what his preparation before a game is like. While he studies a ton of film, wears his lucky Badgers visor, and goes through Twitter to see what’s going on around the league, he also spends an undesirable amount of time sitting in traffic trying to get to the Stub Hub Center on gameday.
Melvin’s Not a Fan
Gordon begins to calculate just how much of his game day he spends in his Range Rover. It’s a time for meditation, to get lost in the hip hop bellowing through the speakers—it’s not a time for brake lights. “I don’t really like this area too much, to be honest. I loved San Diego. It was my kind of energy, my kind of vibe. It was a perfect place for me. Everything was perfect.”
Like a handful of fans, Gordon isn’t really sold on the travel to their temporary stadium located in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He makes it clear that San Diego was a perfect location for him personally, as his parents also moved out there to stay close to their son.
Now that the Chargers are playing elsewhere, Gordon has a long commute to work and has to deal with a ridiculous amount of traffic during odd times. His parents, who attend all of his home games aren’t the biggest fans of the commute as well. It’s unfortunate, but the Chargers won’t be going back on their decision as they are well into year two of their L.A. Stint.