Mall Carriers : Football Team’s Recent Rise Sends Fans Charging to Sports Souvenir Shops

Legend has it that the San Diego Chargers got their nickname because Barron Hilton, the original owner, hoped to bankroll a credit card and needed a vehicle for promotion:

A football team called the Chargers.

Apocryphal or not, the story carries weight, especially now.

Jeff Knepp, a salesman at the Sports Fan in Fashion Valley, said Charger fans are charging, charging, charging at his store, buying up Charger memorabilia faster than you can say winning streak, and doing so mostly with credit cards.

Wild and Crazy Week

“This week has been crazy,” Knepp said. “Just nuts.”

The reason: the Chargers’ 6-1 won-lost record, undefeated home record and sudden renaissance after beating the Cleveland Browns in overtime last Sunday. The Browns were a pre-season favorite to make it to the Super Bowl.

“The past two to three years, (Los Angeles) Raiders’ memorabilia has been our biggest seller,” Knepp said. “But now, it’s like nobody ever heard of the Raiders. Everybody has gone Charger crazy.”

“We’ve really noticed the pickup lately,” said Diane Mack, assistant manager of the San Diego Padres Gift Shop, at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Gate B. Despite the name, the shop sells lots of Chargers’ memorabilia.

“It’s like everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon,” Mack said.

“Is there renewed interest? My God, yes!” said Deanna Wheat, who answers the phones at KCST-TV (Channel 39). KCST, an NBC affiliate, televises most Charger road games and some home games, provided they’re sold out 72 hours before kickoff. That hasn’t happened lately and not much at all since the stadium was expanded to more than 60,000 seats.

“This week, the number of calls has dramatically increased,” Wheat said. “A surprising number are from women. Now, we’re getting calls every day, wondering if 39 will carry the next game (Sunday’s match at

Indianapolis will be shown at 10 a.m.) or any home games down the line. Toward the end of the week, the number of calls almost gets out of hand. People get very frustrated when a home game won’t be shown. More frustrated than angry.”

Peter Weinberger is co-owner of Rocky’s Balboa, a bar in Pacific Beach that has several satellite dishes on the roof. Rocky’s has the power to bring in Charger home games, even when local television snuffs them out. Last Sunday’s blacked-out game against the Browns drew a packed crowd, and many of those whipped out credit cards to pay for pizza and beer.

Business Is Up 75%

“Our business has increased 75% since the strike (by the National Football League Players Assn.) ended,” Weinberger said. “And I’d say 35% of the new patrons are Charger fans, just crazy about the Chargers. We bring in as many as we can.”

Weinberger said he and his partner, Cos Cappellino, anticipate a crush of fans for this week’s telecast of the game from Indianapolis. Even with the game on home TV, Weinberger said a winning team brings in Charger fans in a mood to spend. Or to charge.

“If they continue to win, it’s gonna get crazier and crazier,” Weinberger said in an untroubled voice.

Some local merchants have gone on record as saying they oppose a Chargers’ appearance in this year’s Super Bowl--scheduled for Jan. 31 in San Diego--fearing it would curtail revenues that fans of an out-of-town team would bring in. Such a fear is not in evidence at shops hawking football memorabilia.

Denise Miller, assistant manager of the Complete Athlete, a novelty store in Horton Plaza, said a Super Bowl appearance by the Chargers could “bring a flood” on the store. She said purchases of Chargers items were dramatically slower before the six-game winning streak.

“People are beginning to claim the Chargers a lot more than before,” Miller said. “Before, we sold mostly Raiders and Dallas Cowboys stuff. And a lot of Chicago Bears stuff. Now, it’s Chargers baby bibs, T-shirts, sweat shirts, hats, jackets, sweaters, hooded shirts and even telephones tucked inside regulation Chargers helmets. I hope it keeps up. It’s great for business.”

“It’s really reminiscent of 1984, when the Padres won the National League pennant,” said Knepp at the Sports Fan. “It’s starting to feel like that. And that was really crazy. Still, people are excited, but they sound sort of apprehensive, as though they’re waiting to see if it’s all for real.

“If it is, this town is gonna go nuts. But who cares? They can charge it at the Sports Fan.”