Artist’s rendering of the view from the end zone during a Los Angeles Chargers game in StubHub Center.

The most interesting part of the Chargers’ announcement last week that the NFL team would move to Los Angeles was that the team initially will play at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., the home of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy.

Wow.

Plenty of MLS teams have played in NFL stadiums, but the Chargers will be the first NFL team to play in an MLS venue. Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building a new stadium in Inglewood, where the Chargers will join the Rams in 2019. Until then, the Chargers’ home games will be in the 20,000-seat soccer stadium, which is expected to add 3,000 seats for football.

The Chargers’ new logo.

Actually, I think this shows innovative thinking from the Chargers. As they try to lure new fans, the optics of being a tough ticket in small, packed arena will be much better than playing before acres of empty seats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Consider the Rams. Since the team’s return to LA, critics have ridiculed the franchise for the number of empty seats at home games. Whatever crowd they draw still looks sparse in the 93,000-seat Coliseum.

The Chargers drew an average of 57,000 fans for 2016 home games in San Diego. If they can attract half as many to their temporary home in Carson, they’ll still pack the place.

Cutting the seating supply in half should boost demand, especially in image-conscious LA, where folks want to see and be seen at the latest hot spots.

And fans at StubHub Center will enjoy a unique, up-close experience unavailable at other NFL stadiums. But it will be a limited-time offer – available for only two seasons, until the Chargers and Rams occupy their new, 80,000-seat stadium.

StubHub, I’m sure, is thrilled about getting NFL exposure after paying for MLS naming rights.

Sure, the Chargers are taking a gamble. Naysayers likely will chirp about a small-time venue for a small-time team, but I disagree. Using a cozy stadium offering a new kind of NFL experience will yield great optics for a team that needs to replace most of it’s San Diego fan base. And it’s only for two years.

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Stu Robinson practices writing, editing, media relations and social media through his business, Phoenix-based Lightbulb Communications.

Tags: Chargers, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, NFL, Rams, StubHub Center