INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Years of heartbreak showered Dean Spanos on the way to the polished wood, football-shaped conference table he is seated at, located in a conference room just off one of the two luxurious owners suites in SoFi Stadium. It’s Sunday, Aug. 8, and a career-defining day for the owner of the Los Angeles Chargers. About 30,000 fans of the team mill around outside awaiting a practice, their first time inside since the stadium opened a year ago, and the first time the Chargers are welcoming fans to a real home since 2016, their penultimate season in San Diego.
There were the 15 years of fruitless political battles in San Diego over a new stadium that never came; Spanos’ white-faced shock after the 2016 vote by NFL owners in favor of what would become the L.A.
