The Bye Week

Raider fans understand the value of being seen. Say what you will about their dysfunctional team, or their reputation for antagonism and crime—they revel in their ability as a community to overwhelm other fan bases.

Seahawks fans realize the value of showing up together. Together, they have established a reputation so potent that they are assumed to change the course of games. They call themselves “the 12’s”—as in, the 12th man—which is as brilliant a marketing scheme as you’ll ever see. The genius of the 12th Man concept is that it is self-sustaining: their pride is renewed by the mere act of showing up together, no matter what the team is doing. No one can intimidate them.

We, the Charger fans have yet to establish an identity that transcends the team and brings us together.

Changing the narrative about our fan base—that we don’t show up unless the team is on top—requires we be seen together. As individuals, we are easy to write off.

I live in San Diego county, and I still feel awkward wearing my Chargers gear around town. I wonder if people might resent me, or consider me pathetic or weird. But I persist and will continue, because when I see more of you in public, I feel a little less alone. A little less eccentric.

I feel hope that San Diego will proudly be Charger country once again. We need only show up together—in public, and in unexpected places at unexpected times to make this real.

We are, after all, Bolt Fam year round, 24x7.

That is why I called a Bye Week gathering of Bolt Fam in San Diego county today, and will do so each year.

Bless you all and Bolt Up! ⚡️