Peter King: Rams fans might surprise the league

[Prime Time]

Browns fans are the most loyal imaginable

Much respect to Browns fans. While living in San Jose, CA and watching the games at sports bars, I can tell you that Browns fans were always the most in number and in volume.

I'll never understand why people feel the need to be a jerk at a sporting event.

Alcohol, the great truth serum, of course. It usually reveals the true personality of the individual that is usually hidden the rest of the time. My two ex-wives can attest to that having lived with me during my boozing years. Here's one to testify...

 

[LesBaker]

With cheaper seats, you'll unfortunately see the assholes who want to cause trouble. When the team moves to Inglewood most of those people will likely be priced out, thankfully. I'll never understand why people feel the need to be a jerk at a sporting event. Hell, my girlfriend got beer poured on her at a Blues game when she was only 17 for wearing a Kings hat, who does that? Let people enjoy the game, if youre a home fan, let visiting fans enjoy, and if you're a visiting fan cheer for your team respectfully.

I dunno blue, hopefully you are right but I have to say I have seen shitty behavior in the high end seats and in VIP areas.


I'm going to guess that the guy who poured the beer on your girl left the arena on a stretcher LOL.

 

[snackdaddy]

Rams led the NFL in attendance like 14 times in LA.

It's only surprising to those with no concept of history or stubbornly clinging to memories of 1994.

Yeah, one thing that cannot be understated is the stability of a franchise. If fans think they're losing their team, couple with poor play on the field, they stop supporting that team. It happened in LA and it happened in St Louis. The team is now committed to LA. The owner is building a brand new state of the art stadium. Fans will come. Even during losing seasons.

 

[LesBaker]

Man, let that just sink in for a minute
It honestly makes Martz/Linehan/Spags drafts look not so bad...

Look at the entire list going back to when they returned in 95. It's pathetic and truly those fans deserve much better. Al Lerner was a decent owner, but when he died and his son Randy took over he didn't give a shit about anything but money, he was worse than Modell. He was a complete failure with his Premier League soccer team as well.

The current owner Haslam is no better, he cares only about the money and prestige of owning a team.

It's sad, that's a "cornerstone" franchise IMO and seeing it mismanaged so badly is terrible. It's so bad that coaches, CEO's and GM's they let go are so undesirable I don't think a single one has ever gotten a second chance somewhere else.

 

[Psycho_X]

I've gone to a lot of Rams games over the last couple of decades and I've only ever had two bad experiences. The first was at the Ed against the Whiners... can't remember the year but it was some where in the mid 2000s. It was a back and forth game but we eventually pulled it out in the end. Me and some of my family in a row and about 6 Whiner fans behind us. As the game drug on they got drunker and drunker and more belligerent. My sisters husband was seated next to me and had about enough of them when suddenly one of the dumbasses lost their balance and literally rolled over our shoulders and into my arms. I was literally holding him like a baby (I'm a fairly large dude). The guy looked like he was about to piss his pants and started apologizing and I just turned around and set him back down in his row like a child and told him to be careful there's children around. They shut up the rest of the game and was better but was amazing the things they were saying with kids around. Just embarrassing.

The other was at Soldier Field in... 2003 maybe? We won the game and Faulk had a huge 50ish yard touchdown run I remember. But anyway, a mob of angry Bears fans started trying to get me to fight them in the bathroom. Long story short I basically just bull rushed myself out of the bathroom and headed for the nearest security guard. But nothing like being literally crammed into a bathroom unable to move when a mob starts to push your buttons.

But besides that it's always been pleasant.

 

[So Ram]

No question this is going to be a honeymoon year for attendance. How could it not be?

Losing will make any city fickle and attendance suffer. LA will be no different in a year or two.

So the Rams need to win, just like most every other team, to keep the attendance strong. Pretty simple.

Yeah but as a Rams fan do you see the light ? Truth be told there is a thing called Free Agents.

I talked to this Chinese gal who was offered a great job in St. Louis. She wants to stay in California if she has her choice.
Your also talking about one of the best Stadiums ever built. This owner some Ram fans talk so Bad about is building it with his own money.He is also the main reason The Rams were able to move.He bought that 40% interest,and helped get that sweet heart deal.The one thing he is besides a excellent businessman.He is also a serious Sports owner.

 

[So Ram]

I was at a Rams game that was as loud as it gets in 1985.

It was Bud Grants last season coaching the Vikings. The score was 13-10 Rams !
Vikings were on the 1 yard line with 3 seconds left .

Bud Grant was going to go for it !! Talk about a goal line stance. The Rams stuffed the play to win the game with no time on the clock.
The Ram fan could not get any louder !!!!!!! What a great feeling & win it was.It was an end of a era against The Vikings & Rams. Remembering back to the Fran Tarkington days.

 

[LesBaker]

I just turned around and set him back down in his row like a child and told him to be careful there's children around. They shut up the rest of the game and was better but was amazing the things they were saying with kids around. Just embarrassing./QUOTE]

I was in STL for a get together for the Herd board for a SF game. An overtime win against the 49ers. I was positive there were going to be fights after the game because there were a lot of drunk guys yelling at each other. And the streams of obscenities coming out of the mouths of fans during and after the game was crazy, it was a tight and tense game with a very hard fought 4th quarter so emotions were high.

One small group of 3 49ers fans were screaming fuck the Rams and same old sorry ass Rams as loudly as they could after the game which was an indication of how drunk they were since their team just lost LOL..........and I have to tell you parents within earshot were not happy and I was surprised they didn't get mobbed. They were out of control. I get what you mean in the part I quoted. It's really rude and it's awkward for small children too not just the parents.

 

[LesBaker]

Yeah but as a Rams fan do you see the light ? Truth be told there is a thing called Free Agents.

I talked to this Chinese gal who was offered a great job in St. Louis. She wants to stay in California if she has her choice.
Your also talking about one of the best Stadiums ever built. This owner some Ram fans talk so Bad about is building it with his own money.He is also the main reason The Rams were able to move.He bought that 40% interest,and helped get that sweet heart deal.The one thing he is besides a excellent businessman.He is also a serious Sports owner.

Nothing matters except winning. Period. No team in any sport is immune to that fact. If a team puts up losing seasons fans will stay home, the stadium doesn't matter and in the case of some of the more expensive stadiums it will be an additional obstacle since the cost to go will be so high.

The 49ers are a good example of that. IIRC they have the highest cost to attend a game since they opened their new stadium. When they were winning it was sold out, but there were a lot of empty seats last year after an 8-8 season in 2014 and last years 5-11. A new fancy yet expensive stadium won't bring in fans. Only winning does that.

Kroenke is far from an excellent sports owner and in fact has a pretty spotty history..........

 

[RamFan503]

So is it possible to talk positively about Rams fans in LA without making it a contest or qualifying it? I grew up watching the Rams in LA. Those who say the attendance and fans of 1994 was typical are idiots. And I would suspect, those who thought the attendance last season in Stl was typical of the fan base are probably idiots as well. I will say that though the turnout was extremely meager at the opening game last season, those that were there rocked the house.

I'd once like to read a positive article about the fans in LA without someone dismissing it.

 

[A55VA6]

We will be loud, I ain't worried about that. I want to get these fans trained to shut the hell up when the offense is on the field. I'm seeing morons trying to start "Let's Go Rams!" chants when the O is at the line of scrimmage!

Yeah, I noticed that too. Love the fans being loud and excited.. definitely going to help us, but like you said - they gotta calm down when we're on offense. Some teams fans go nearly silent when their team is on offense.

 

[RedRam]

Much respect to Browns fans. While living in San Jose, CA and watching the games at sports bars, I can tell you that Browns fans were always the most in number and in volume.

Alcohol, the great truth serum, of course. It usually reveals the true personality of the individual that is usually hidden the rest of the time. My two ex-wives can attest to that having lived with me during my boozing years. Here's one to testify...

Yeah, Browns fans typically dominated the sports bar scene in the Bay Area. Even up at Rickey's in San Leandro, right in the heart of Raiderland, Browns fans were there in very large numbers.

That's one of your ex-wives?? Oofah! She really hit the wall at high speed!:shocked::death: Unrecognizable! :shades:

 

[EastRam]

There are solid fans in both markets LA & St. Louis But neither compare to NE or Pittsburgh. Just to name two teams.

If the Rams are going to ever build such a fan base then they better start winning over the long haul. Unfortunately it looks like they are following the Jheri Jones blue print.

Jerry World and the Rams new stadium is to create revenue "other" than football. Which is fine and smart to a point. But will price "football fans" out of the game.

Just seems the new guard is going about building a winner and following backwards.

Build a building and they will come? I doubt it.

Build a winner and they will come. Most likely.

 

[Prime Time]

That's one of your ex-wives?? Oofah! She really hit the wall at high speed!:shocked::death: Unrecognizable! :shades:

Nah, they probably look even worse than that by now. By the age of 60 everyone should have the face they deserve. :eek:

I'd once like to read a positive article about the fans in LA without someone dismissing it

That's gonna take years, if ever unfortunately.

Nothing matters except winning. Period. No team in any sport is immune to that fact. If a team puts up losing seasons fans will stay home, the stadium doesn't matter and in the case of some of the more expensive stadiums it will be an additional obstacle since the cost to go will be so high.

While what you're saying makes sense, some of these stats counter that argument. The Cowboys have had a combined record of 46-50 over the last 6 seasons. Yet they are still packing the house for every game in Jerry World.

If you click on the link below and scroll down, you will see the average attendance of every NFL team. The Rams ranked dead last and averaged 52,402.

http://www.statista.com/statistics/...ague-teams-ranked-by-average-attendance-2013/

Teams of the NFL ranked by average regular season attendance in the 2015 season

The statistic shows the teams of the National Football League ranked by average attendance during the 2015 regular season. Home games of the Dallas Cowboys had an average attendance of 91,459.

The Dallas Cowboys were the most supported home team of the 2014 season with an average of 90,069 passing through their gates for every home game. The Cowboys have maintained a consistently high attendance of over 85,000 since they moved to their new stadium in 2009. The total regular season home attendance for the Cowboys stood at 720,558 across eight home games in 2014. The record total home attendance for the Cowboys is 720,558, which was achieved in 2014.

 

[Psycho_X]

So is it possible to talk positively about Rams fans in LA without making it a contest or qualifying it? I grew up watching the Rams in LA. Those who say the attendance and fans of 1994 was typical are idiots. And I would suspect, those who thought the attendance last season in Stl was typical of the fan base are probably idiots as well. I will say that though the turnout was extremely meager at the opening game last season, those that were there rocked the house.

I'd once like to read a positive article about the fans in LA without someone dismissing it.

Only thing that caused my reply was the quote "As one Los Angeles vet told me after last Saturday’s win over the Chiefs, “We might have the kind of home field advantage the Seahawks have.”" I'll defend the fans in St. Louis till the day I die, I appreciate that the vets on the current Rams roster was never in St. Louis when the team did not suck and there wasn't relocation looming. So they really don't know but it makes me want to speak up and defend the fact that the dome was the loudest place for opposing teams to play in before 2008 as was said many times by media and opposing players at the time. That is my only point.

And I want to be abundantly clear that I have zero ill will towards LA fans. My only ill will is directly towards Kroenke and Demoff with special mention to Jerry Jones and Goodell. And that ill will really has nothing to do with the move... it is what it is and I understand the $ involved. It's the way they did it with the lies, the deceit, and the scorched earth approach that rubbed me wrong. But I won't dwell on that here, the point being if LA sells out every game going forward than good for them. The significance of the Rams returning to LA and those fans that were there originally is not lost on me and I know they'll defend pre 95 Rams fans as much as I'll defend the Lou Rams fans.

So anyway, long story short I will defend and speak up for us poor bastards here in the Lou. The media and the NFL will use every chance they get to try and build up LA and tear down the Lou. But I don't want anyone to think my defense of STL is directed as a disparagement to LA fans. We've both been stabbed in the back by this team at one point in our lives if you are of a certain age at least. Yet some how we're still cheering for them despite it. I fully realize they will never come back.

TL;DR: I will cheer for my team in their new city while always defending the place I fell in love with them.

 

[EastRam]

Only thing that caused my reply was the quote "As one Los Angeles vet told me after last Saturday’s win over the Chiefs, “We might have the kind of home field advantage the Seahawks have.”" I'll defend the fans in St. Louis till the day I die, I appreciate that the vets on the current Rams roster was never in St. Louis when the team did not suck and there wasn't relocation looming. So they really don't know but it makes me want to speak up and defend the fact that the dome was the loudest place for opposing teams to play in before 2008 as was said many times by media and opposing players at the time. That is my only point.

And I want to be abundantly clear that I have zero ill will towards LA fans. My only ill will is directly towards Kroenke and Demoff with special mention to Jerry Jones and Goodell. And that ill will really has nothing to do with the move... it is what it is and I understand the $ involved. It's the way they did it with the lies, the deceit, and the scorched earth approach that rubbed me wrong. But I won't dwell on that here, the point being if LA sells out every game going forward than good for them. The significance of the Rams returning to LA and those fans that were there originally is not lost on me and I know they'll defend pre 95 Rams fans as much as I'll defend the Lou Rams fans.

So anyway, long story short I will defend and speak up for us poor bastards here in the Lou. The media and the NFL will use every chance they get to try and build up LA and tear down the Lou. But I don't want anyone to think my defense of STL is directed as a disparagement to LA fans. We've both been stabbed in the back by this team at one point in our lives if you are of a certain age at least. Yet some how we're still cheering for them despite it. I fully realize they will never come back.

TL;DR: I will cheer for my team in their new city while always defending the place I fell in love with them.

Very well said and exactly how I feel.

I will cheer the Rams and get goose bumps everytime I see them play at the Coliseum.

As for ESK.....

 

[LesBaker]

Jerry World and the Rams new stadium is to create revenue "other" than football. Which is fine and smart to a point. But will price "football fans" out of the game.

NFL attendance will start falling in a few years. It's too easy to get the games so many different ways now.......... when the younger fans get older and make the kind of money where they can afford to go they probably will have families and won't go simply because they get everything on their tablet/phone/laptop or even desktop.

4K a year is a lot of money to watch games live.

Oh, and hey whats that in the rear view mirror? Soccer is that you?

 

[RamFan503]

NFL attendance will start falling in a few years. It's too easy to get the games so many different ways now.......... when the younger fans get older and make the kind of money where they can afford to go they probably will have families and won't go simply because they get everything on their tablet/phone/laptop or even desktop.

4K a year is a lot of money to watch games live.

Oh, and hey whats that in the rear view mirror? Soccer is that you?

I can get any game I want on TV or through streaming and yet I flew to St Louis for a game and scheduled my vacation around the Tampa game the year before. I generally go up to Seattle to watch the game there with several other Rams fans and those tickets are not cheap - not to mention the travel and food expense. My sons attended their first game last season and absolutely can't wait to go to their next. They figure they will pay $250 or so for a decent ticket and still plan on going to at least one game even though we live nowhere near LA and they haven't been alive long enough to remember the LA Rams.

In most ways, watching the game on my HD screen is way better. But you simply can't replace the game day experience.

 

[RamFan503]

Only thing that caused my reply was the quote......

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't singling anyone out here. I just wish we could take a positive report about the Rams' fan base and not have it stray into a tit for tat of St Louis vs LA. It just gets old and I don't understand the point.

 

[Psycho_X]

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't singling anyone out here. I just wish we could take a positive report about the Rams' fan base and not have it stray into a tit for tat of St Louis vs LA. It just gets old and I don't understand the point.

That's fair, I will try not to get worked up about random indirect quotes as long as they don't directly call out the STL fans. And I didn't feel like you were singling anyone out I just wanted to be clear to people here that I am in no way against LA or its fans even though I know I've had a few rants over the last 8 months about this whole move thing and ownership. I'm actually feeling a little less jaded as each game passes by and actual football is played again. It won't go away completely but manageable tolerance is slowly creeping in lol.