The San Diego Chargers are not participating on National Volunteer week, the team announced Tuesday.
The team said the decision came as a result of the team being unable to secure enough volunteers for its events during the week, which starts Tuesday.
“As we have noted previously, we are committed to helping our local communities and businesses thrive,” Chargers spokeswoman Toni Fadel said in a statement.
“We appreciate the contributions of the local volunteers who made the Chargers a better organization.
However, as a business, it was not financially feasible to do so on our own.”
In response to the announcement, many online petitioners expressed outrage at the Chargers’ decision.
“We have heard many stories about our local sports teams not participating during National Volunteer Weeks,” said a petition titled “The Chargers not playing during National Volunteers Week” on Change.org.
“These stories are heartbreaking, but also understandable.
As a sports fan and a supporter, I have always been frustrated that we are not getting the support we deserve to make a difference in our communities.”
The petition, however, was quickly deleted.
The Chargers, who have a strong and active fan base in Southern California, did not make any public statements regarding the decision.
The team did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
