Los Angeles is starved for NFL football to come back and the Rams can finally end the 21-year famine by making a permanent move from St. Louis to Inglewood.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke has shown he is more than ready to move the team 1,590 miles west to L.A. and the fans are waiting with open arms.
Out of all the teams, the Rams have the most leverage and merit a move to the west coast. They were the longest tenured football team in the city, playing 21 more seasons in L.A. than the Raiders. After moving to L.A. in 1946, the Rams had a considerable amount of success, producing 25 hall of fame players, 21 playoff appearances, 14 division titles and one Super Bowl appearance.
Kroenke has been going back and forth with the NFL for the past couple of years about moving his team to California; the NFL should just let him already. Quite frankly, Rams fans in L.A. have been desperate to show that they are capable of selling out an NFL stadium.
That desperation manifested itself this past week in Oxnard, California as Rams fans got the experience of watching their team play for the first time in the area since the team left after the 1994 season.
Fans gathered in droves to watch the team scrimmage against the Cowboys at their annual training camp. Supporters sported Eric Dickerson and Jack Youngblood jerseys, two of the most notable hall of fame players from the Los Angeles Rams’ glory days.
There were twice as many Rams fans than Cowboys fans at The Cowboys own team’s practice. When it comes to L.A. Rams fans, still waters run deep. The impressive turnout by the blue and gold fans was a rowdy experience, but the violence stayed on the field.
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Despite the successful past of the Raiders—another team lobbying to come to L.A.—the idea of a stadium housing the black hole is not a good idea. In 1983, The Raiders won the city’s only Super Bowl, but the violent history of the fan base posses an ongoing security risk.
After a Chargers home game versus the Raiders in 2011, a fan was fatally stabbed in the parking lot of Qualcomm stadium. Three months prior to the stabbing, two men were shot in the parking lot of Candlestick Park after a San Francisco 49er preseason home game versus the Raiders. One of the victims in the shooting wore a bold t-shirt that read “f— the 49ers.” Violent incidents like this give the silver and black’s hopes of relocating, a black eye.
The Chargers are a third team looking for a move to the city of angels, but have very little to no history in the city at all. After only one season in 1960, the Chargers managed to only make one playoff run to the AFL championship game.
The Rams are the most logical and lucrative franchise to move to Los Angeles, due to its deep-rooted history in L.A. and the resources allocated to make the move possible. Kroenke has presented an appealing offer to the NFL by providing a $2 billion stadium, while using very little public funding for the facility.
Although it is not written in stone, the dream of a NFL team coming back to L.A. is becoming more of a reality, and the Rams should be the team with the words “Los Angeles” in their name.
The Southern California fans quite honestly would prefer to be reunited with the Rams. It would be an instant success for the team and the NFL. Southern Cal will love their team immediately with the Rams, not so much with the other two.
I am all for the move! I have been a Rams fan all my life. I am 56 years old and have lived in Northern Cali all my life. My late father was a huge Rams fan and raised me right. My son is also a huge Rams fan. We have already talked about travling and attending 2 to 3 games a year, and of course the playoffs. It is very sad that the second largest TV market has not had a Pro Football team in 21 years. It makes perfect sense for the team to move back to Los Angeles. Lets hope it happens, and soon. Go Rams, Dodgers and Lakers!!!!
Thank you Don