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Chargers players are upset after their arena played the Steelers' fight song in an attempt to 'Rick Roll' opposing fans

Chargers players are upset after their arena played the Steelers' fight song in an attempt to 'Rick Roll' opposing fans

Tyler Lauletta

Sports3 min read

Katharine Lotze/Getty Images

The Chargers haven't had a home-field advantage since moving to Los Angeles, but Sunday's game against the Steelers was especially brutal.

The Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in Los Angeles on Sunday in a stadium that was taken over almost entirely by fans of the visiting team.
In the fourth quarter, the stadium briefly played "Renegade" by Styx - a Steelers fight song - before "Rick Rolling" their fans.
The joke was not taken well by some Chargers players, who according to the Los Angeles Times, expressed disappointment that the stadium was already in the hands of Steelers supporters.
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The Los Angeles Chargers have had a tough time filling their stadium with their own fans.

Numerous times over the past three years since the team relocated from San Diego, the Chargers have seen their temporary home at Dignity Health Sports Park overtaken by opposing fans.

This was once again the case on Sunday, when the stands were packed with Pittsburgh fans cheering on the visiting Steelers to a 24-17 upset victory.

But this week, some Chargers players were especially irked when the arena decided to play the Steelers' fight song in an attempt to "Rick Roll" the visiting fans.

With the Chargers losing and their stadium already going wild for their opponents, the arena began playing "Renegade" by Styx, a song that is a regular staple of Pittsburgh's home games. Just as the fans swelled to sing along, the video changed to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," effectively "Rick Rolling" the Steelers supporters in attendance.

The decision was not appreciated by some of the Chargers players.

"It was crazy," running back Melvin Gordon said, via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. "They started playing their theme music. I don't know what we were doing - that little soundtrack, what they do on their home games. I don't know why we played that."

Offensive lineman Forrest Lamp went a step further. "We're used to not having any fans here," Lamp said. "It does suck, though, when they're playing their music in the fourth quarter. We're the ones at home. I don't know who's in charge of that but they probably should be fired."

Pranks like the one the stadium pulled off on Sunday have become more and more common in recent years, giving opposing fans a light jab from the home crowd. That said, the joke plays a bit differently when the stadium is almost entirely filled with fans of the road team.

The Chargers home-field woes aren't likely to improve any time soon, with upcoming games against the Packers and Chiefs in Los Angeles - two teams with fans that travel well. After the Chargers' reaction to this week's game, the stadium might be a bit more careful about any in-arena jokes or at least be sure the home team is winning before playing them.