New San Diego Chargers Stadium: How CBA Deal Affects Potential Downtown Site

For eight long years, the Chargers have toured the county, looking for the prime site for a new stadium for the team. Eight years later, and millions of dollars spent, the Chargers continue to play in Qualcomm.

However, the Chargers have an ideal spot to put their new stadium. Next to Petco Park, the Chargers have found a potential home.

Lately, enormous pressure has been placed upon the shoulders of the Spanos family. In Los Angeles, the AEG group has big plans for a downtown stadium next to the Staples Center in order to attract an NFL team to the area. Many signs point to a Charger departure from San Diego to L.A.

Rodger Goodell, however, has other plans for the Bolts.

While addressing the media in Dallas, the stadium search was brought up in the commissioner's press conference. Here is what Goodell had to say on the issue: 

"The Chargers have been committed to getting a solution for their stadium in San Diego for, I believe, well over eight years now. They’ve spent an extraordinary amount of time and resources to try and develop those solutions and they still continue to this day."

Goodell also stated that a solution must be found in San Diego, and that he wants NFL franchises to stay put.

So, how does the Collective Bargaining Agreement affect the Chargers and their quest for a new stadium? The answer lies in an NFL fund called the "G3." The G3 is a loan provided by the league to help foot the bill when building a new stadium.

So, why hasn't the NFL given a loan to the city of San Diego?

The G3 fund has been dry since at least 2007. The Jets/Giants new stadium was granted $300 million in 2006 to help costs go down. However, the money has run out. This leaves the Chargers and 49ers on their own when funding the stadium. This could change, possibly within the next few weeks.

In order for funds to become available in the G3, Goodell has drawn up a conclusion. Goodell has proposed a deal that has NFL players contribute a percentage of their contract cash to the G3 loan. Because most NFL players make millions of dollars a year, I believe that this is a great idea. It gives a chance for NFL players to give back to the league and to cities in need of "financial aid."

If the deal is agreed upon by both sides, and a new CBA is found in time, the Chargers could be one step closer to "breaking ground" downtown. If the Chargers can get a loan from the G3, a potential $100 million could be awarded to help lift a burden off the taxpayers.

Now that San Diego has the support from the NFL and commissioner, the Chargers can now look for other sources to help pay for the new stadium. The Chargers have been talking to several companies about the naming rights to the "New Chargers Stadium." If the Bolts can ink a deal with a company for the naming rights, millions more can be added to the stadium fund.

Finally, by selling the current Qualcomm site and possibly the San Diego Sports Arena, more money can be collected. Both sites are in a decent location, and could be the final step in keeping the Chargers in the city where they belong: San Diego.

For more news on the search for a new stadium in San Diego, visit:http://sdstadium.org/.