Economic impact of losing the Chargers

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Money is a big part of the debate over how to keep the Chargers in San Diego.

The City and region would lose economically, if the team decides to pack up and leave; however, after much research on the local economy, numerous organizations could not give a concrete number on how San Diego benefits from the team.

There is without much doubt, an enormous value from having the Chargers in San Diego, but in many ways, it is hard to measure that in just dollars and cents.

Among fans, the value of having a football team in San Diego comes in sharing a huge sense of hometown pride.

For economists, the value is not as easy to assess.

Economist Alan Gin said out of town Chargers fans are the greatest boost to the San Diego economy.

By contrast, there are concrete figures for the economic benefits of the San Diego Convention Center.

Convention Center visitors pumped $1 billion into the economy last year, and added $20 million dollars in tax revenue.

Steven Johnson with the San Diego Convention Center said most Chargers do not wind up with overnight stays.

A study by a team of 16 economists compared the economies of cities with new stadiums with cities that had invested in other forms of economic development.

The study found that the sports facilities had an extremely small effect on economic activity and jobs.

While NFL teams do create jobs, many of them are part-time during the ten games at home.

As for full-time staff jobs, the Chargers, as a privately held corporation, do not make their payroll public.

Having the Chargers makes San Diego feel richer and more robust as a city, and if they move, most will agree that something is going to be lost.