New on Sports Illustrated: Melvin Gordon Not Worried About Games Without Fans After Chargers Tenure

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Games without fans in the stands? Melvin Gordon has been there before.

No fans? No problem

Though the NFL appears intent on playing games with fans in the stands this fall, there’s a real chance that the roar of the crowd will be replaced by dead silence. After spending the past three seasons playing with the Chargers in Los Angeles, Melvin Gordon wouldn’t mind the lack of spectators. 

Gordon was interviewed by former NFL cornerback Marcus Cromartie (his old Wisconsin teammate) and was asked about the prospect of playing without fans. 

“Bro, we didn’t have fans anyway,” Gordon said. 

“I’ll be honest with you, we didn’t have many Charger fans at the games,” he continued. “Much loyalty and love but we ain’t have many, so I’m not missing anything.”

As a percentage of stadium capacity, no team in the NFL attracted more fans last year than the Chargers. It’s just that not many of them rooted for the Chargers. 

After failing to fill many seats (an average of just 25,335 per game in a stadium with 27,000 seats) in 2017, their first season in L.A., visiting fans flocked to the converted soccer stadium to see their teams play on the road. They averaged 32,768 fans in 2018 and 31,750 last year. Again, hardly any of them were there to root for the home team. 

No matter who was playing, it was tough to find anyone in the stands wearing powder blue. 

Gordon is able to keep it real about the Chargers’ lack of support in Los Angeles because he just signed with the division-rival Broncos. If Chargers fans want to voice their displeasure, they’re welcome to come out to a game at the team’s new $5 billion stadium. Maybe they won’t get drowned out by Broncos 

The best of SI

The Premier League has a full plan in place to resume play on June 17. ... The oral history of the time Barry Bonds was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, 22 years ago this week. ... In another example of the league rejecting new and interesting ideas, the NFL’s onside kick replacement idea failed pass. ... This American MLS player made it his mission to improve his Spanish skills so he can communicate better with his Argentine manager.

Around the sports world

The hockey team (yes, ice hockey) at the University of Alabama–Huntsville is on the verge of shutting down unless they can raise $1 million. ... HBO is coming out with a docuseries on Tiger Woods, perhaps in time for the fall Masters. ... A New Jersey brewery came out with a beer targeting the Astros called “Trash Can Banger.”

Dame with one very solid point and one vicious burn

Lightning forward Alex Killorn made this great Mighty Ducks tribute

This mask thing is going to take some getting used to

So that’s how he breaks all those tackles

Madden isn’t going anywhere

Not sports

Pedro Pascal’s masked performance in The Mandalorian led the Golden Globes to institute a rule change. ... Two men hired to break into a house with machetes and fulfill a man’s sexual fantasy of being tied up in his underwear and “stroked with a broom” broke into the wrong house. ... Amazon briefly went down for people in the U.S. ... The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is getting a sequel.

Before the Steve Carrell show, CBS briefly aired a sitcom with an all-female cast called The Office

Whoa ...

I gotta come up with a scam like this

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

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