The Los Angeles Rams are trending upward. A rocky first season in L.A. gave way to a 1-0 start in 2017. Last year’s worst offensive team exploded for 46 points against the Colts, giving former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff his first win as a starting quarterback and setting the tone for a promising year.
Saturday’s Texas-USC had more in attendance than Sunday’s Rams and Chargers games. Combined.
“Los Angeles is an NFL town!” - the 30 people who bought tickets.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The local fans, however, haven’t seemed to notice.
The Rams hosted Washington on Sunday in front of a mostly-empty stadium, casting doubt on whether the City of Angels is a premier market for one NFL franchise, let alone two. The red and white seatbacks of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum were plainly visible throughout the first quarter as a smattering of fans took in the action live.
The NFL is still confident that Los Angeles will eventually show up.
For comparison’s sake, here’s what the Coliseum looked like less than 24 hours earlier, when two college teams with actual fanbases took the field.
This marked the second straight week where Rams players were greeted by a sea of empty seats. Tickets for last week’s game against the Colts were as cheap as $6, but there were few interested buyers.
Even adding in the fans that attended the Chargers’ first game wouldn’t match the amount that showed up for USC’s game against Texas.
The Coliseum is the Rams’ temporary home through 2019, when they and the Chargers will move into the under-construction Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park. Attendance figures aren’t much rosier for the San Diego transplants in their first season up north. Despite playing in a soccer-first stadium that seats only 27,000 spectators, the club failed to sell out of tickets for its home opener.
NFL celebrations are fun again. FINALLY.
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