You would be hard pressed to turn on Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS)'s ESPN today and not see the pundits talking about the San Diego Chargers'
decision to leave its home of 55 years in favor of
L.A.
Unexpected Winner
While the decision has been controversial, it has been in the works for over 15 years, as the team battled with city officials
to get a new stadium — a difficult task with public money in California.
The unexpected winner from the team's decision? EBay Inc(NASDAQ: EBAY)'s ticket reseller
marketplace StubHub,
according to Bloomberg. The Chargers have announced they will play two seasons at the StubHub Center, a 27,000 seat stadium in
Carson, California, that also serves as home to the MLS’ L.A. Galaxy.
Fútbol Stadium Welcomes Football
The move will give the stadium some significant presence over the next two years and, according to analytics firm Apex Marketing
Group Inc., gives Stubhub between
$9 million and $14 million worth of exposure now that it is hosting an NFL team. The StubHub center will be by far the smallest
and most intimate venue in the NFL.
“Soccer teams often play in football stadiums,” Eric Smallwood, managing director of sponsorship and analytics for Apex, was
quoted as saying in the Bloomberg article. “It’s rare for that to go the other way.”
The next closest stadium in capacity? Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum at 56,000, which may not see another NFL game either, as
the Raiders are looking to move to Las Vegas.
The move by the Chargers instantly raises the profile of the stadium in Carson, as it will provide a unique vantage point of the
NFL. It isn’t a bad deal for StubHub either.
Image Credit: By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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