The Chargers haven’t sold out a home game since November 1. Now, as the team is finishing out a meaningless string with a visit from the hapless Raiders, enough people have bought tickets to allow the local blackout to be lifted.
The Chargers have announced that sufficient tickets have been sold to allow the game to be broadcast in California, a curious development for a non-contending team facing another non-contending team, especially since the Chargers have been struggling all season to put butts in seats.
In October, G.M. A.J. Smith said that, if the team doesn’t make it to the playoffs, it will be time for a “new era in Chargers football.” So maybe the fans have opted to show up in anticipation of celebrating the end of the old era, and the inevitable onset of hope.
Either way, it would be a shock at this point if Smith or coach Norv Turner return. Almost as big of a shock as the news that the Chargers actually sold out their final home game of the season.