It is rather interesting that the NFL came down on an Eagle for promoting a product, but find it perfectly acceptable that the team the Eagles play this weekend may be named after one. The Los Angeles Chargers came into the AFL in 1961 (they moved to San Diego a year later) and thier initial owner was one Mr. Barron Hilton, Conrad’s son and Paris’s grandfather. His company had just gotten into the credit card business and he had a new card called the Carte Blanche. There was a fan submission contest to name the team, with the owner Hilton having the final say . There are many who believe that Hilton selected “Chargers” because it tied in nicely with his new line of business. However, on wiki answers, there is an answer from Les Land (great name, btw), who claims to be the first business manager of the Chargers: my recollection and understanding is that Barron Hilton selected it because he liked the USC cheer of “CHARGE”, and was influenced to some extent by his friend Tom Eddy, who was a graduate of USC; Tom was Barron’s front and leg-man during the early formative years. I have never heard Barron indicate that the name was derived because of the credit card name “Carte Blanche”.

Was Hilton as inspired by credit cards as his granddaughter? Hard to say. Is a guy named “Les Land” on wikianswer really the first business manager of the Chargers? Who knows? All we know is that a guy named Gerald Courtney of Hollywood submitted the name “Chargers” and won an all-expenses paid trip to Mexico City , where he was kidnapped and held for ransom where I’m sure he and his family had a fine time. Why did Hilton pick Courtney’s entry? Perhaps there are some hidden clues in the Paris Hilton sex tape, but as for right now we simply don’t know.