San Diego State should give Chargers fans a few weeks to grieve over the franchise’s relocation to Los Angeles.
Let the fans get through the denial, the anger, the bargaining and the depression — then spring into action the moment they arrive at acceptance.
I’m sure SDSU doesn’t want to seem overly eager. You don’t ask the widow out at the memorial service. But there’s nothing wrong with bringing a meal by the house a little while later.
There is an unprecedented opportunity here.
Gather the marketing team, order some pizzas and begin brainstorming how to grow the football fan base. There are 30,000 to 40,000 people looking for a new team to call their own.
How about the Aztecs? They’re coming off back-to-back 11-3 seasons, just finished ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation and have appeared in a school-record seven straight bowl games .
Here are a few marketing ideas to get started:
• Spring football begins in February. Welcome Chargers fans with open arms to watch practice and when workouts come to their conclusion in mid-March, play the final scrimmage at Qualcomm Stadium. Encourage pregame tailgating, provide postgame autographs and woo the heck out of everyone in between.
• Make sure to have a booth full of SDSU hats, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, jackets, pins, buttons, bobbleheads, key chains, cups, chairs and blankets available for purchase at every opportunity.
Give former fans of the team that left town a 20 percent discount on new Aztecs gear if they trade in old Chargers gear (which will be donated to charity).
• Create an Adopt-an-abandoned-fan program, where an SDSU fan gets a gift for bringing a Chargers fan into the Aztecs family (purchasing a season-ticket package).
• Get the SDSU band director to come up with a catchy disco-themed ditty to play about 20 times a game.
• Point out that it costs about the same to attend an entire season of Aztecs games as it did for one Chargers game — and exhibition games (scrimmages) are free.
• Tell them about a senior named Rashaad Penny, who should be among the top running backs in the nation.
• Tell them no one ever misses games because of contract negotiations.
• Tell them SDSU’s head coach tells it like it is and has no problem playing against the percentages.
• Get in touch with a grill company, a BBQ company and a beverage company and create a strategic alliance for an enhanced tailgating experience.
• The NFL’s 2017 Hall of Fame class will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, on August 5.
Among the finalists are former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and former Chargers and Aztecs head coach Don Coryell.
Tomlinson should be a shoo-in and Coryell’s enshrinement is long overdue.
Four weeks after the Canton ceremony — on Sept. 2 — is SDSU’s season opener against UC Davis at Qualcomm Stadium.
Invite LT and/or members of the late Coryell’s family to be honored in the city and at the stadium where they realized their greatest glory.
• Naming rights to Qualcomm Stadium end in May. Speak to the city and line up a company to underwrite a state-of-the-art videoboard — as well as some spackle and paint — in exchange for their name on the building the next couple of years (you can drop off the other scoreboards at one of the local high schools when they have an electronics recycling event).
• Dust off the old Aztecs slogan “Step up to a winner” and put it on everything from billboards to bumper stickers.
The Chargers weren’t too happy with the phrase (circa 1973), while in the midst of seven straight losing seasons as the Aztecs were enjoying 17 straight winning seasons.
Too bad. Bring it back.
• While we’re suggesting slogans, the Aztecs should plaster this one all over town: “We’re never — ever — leaving San Diego.”
kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com / on Twitter: @sdutkirKDKenney
