Why I love the Rams

[CGI_Ram]

I was thinking about this over a cup of coffee this morning...

Probably overthinking things... Bored, certainly.

Simple question though...

Maybe the answer should be simple? I've been a fan for so long, grew up with them, etc. That's it, right?

After years of poor play, why do I love this team? Do I enjoy the punishment? Something is going on... otherwise the cumulative effect of losing would seem to drive a sane man away.

So what gives?

For me the most simple answer might be; I love hanging out with you guys. I enjoy reading your opinions. ROD brings me considerable entertainment.

Without ROD would I be off the bandwagon? I doubt it, but it's worth asking.

So here is what I've concluded; I love the anticipation of game day. Regardless of our record, I wake up on Sundays excited to watch football and always have a belief we will win... "and here's how".

I am fascinated by the strategy of the NFL.

The strategy of building a team; draft, choosing players to retain, and free agency.

The strategy of game day; how to win the the matchup at hand.

I love the horns. This is my team. I am invested. That's no surprise to you guys, but I don't know how a person breaks away from it.

That is all.

See you in the vent thread.

 

[DaveFan'51]

This is my " 66th year as a Rams Fan, I can't stop a Life Time Habit! The High points out weigh the Lows for me!!

Three Champion-Ships and a couple of Championship Loses, not to mention the Conference and Division Titles/ Title Games!
Watching all the Truly great Rams of the Past and present, From Bob Waterfield to Kurt Warner, Les Richter, Night-Train Lane, Merlin Olsen, Bruuuce, and soooooooo many other. ( Way too many to List here!)
And to have been able to say " Deacon Jones was a personal Friend" :wow:
I feel Like it would be a Mortal Sin to EVER Turn my back on MY beloved Rams!!
Rams Forever!! GO RAMS!!

 

[Angry Ram]

If ROD was the victim of an EMP attack tomorrow, I would still be a fan.

My first internet message boards for the team was during facebook groups (real groups, not these pages you "like" these days).

The losing sucks, it really does. But when that day comes when they are in the playoffs winning a SB, I'll look back and think, "wow, remember how they were in 2009?"

 

[Merlin]

Nice post OP. I don't need my team to win to keep me loyal, basically all my teams are LA and of course it's been a while since any of them have delivered, the last being the Kings. You pretty much nailed it for me, where it's the journey being more important than the end result, although of course when your team does come together man there are few things better.

This is why I do appreciate this board greatly, too. Lot of negativity out there in Rams nation and it's nice to see a collection of fans that can discuss things with some perspective, without acting like spoiled kids.

 

[DaveFan'51]

This is why I do appreciate this board greatly, too. Lot of negativity out there in Rams nation and it's nice to see a collection of fans that can discuss things with some perspective, without acting like spoiled kids

Nothing better than ROD has come into my Life as a Rams Fan! ROD is my "Support-Group"!!

 

[RamFan503]

OK - this is two fold. I'm going to go into why I love the Rams and also, why I love RamsOnDemand. I was going to say why I love ROD but that would have been throwing a sucker pitch to @-X-

I'm a third generation Rams fan raising a fourth. This team is part of my overall family fabric. From going to my Grampa's house and sitting on his living room floor in front of his little black and white TV, to going to games with my dad in the Coliseum, to going to games with friends, and even flying all the way out to St Louis with my 80 year old dad and sons to meet up with some of the ragged refuse of ROD for a celebration of life and opening day game, this team is simply part of me.

In the 48 years I have been a Rams fan, there have been lots of highs and lows - lots of fist pumps and head drops - lots of high fives and head in the hands. I take losses very hard and wins with great joy. But aside from our two Superbowl losses, I am done with the losses in about 10 minutes and I'm already thinking about the next game or what our team can do to get better.

The Rams are an important pass time for me. But they are indeed a pass time. I have no control over them and don't pretend to. I can spend money on them when I feel like it. Many times that is governed by whether I feel they deserve my money. I generally don't piss and moan if they are losing. I just don't spend money on jerseys or games.

With all of this comes my version of being a "realist". I have grown to hate that term because it is inevitably used by those that lean negative. They seem to feel that if you are a homer you can't be a realist and you are blind to what is happening with the Rams because you aren't frothing at the mouth for coaches/GMs/COOs to get fired, players to get benched in favor of who you may see as the superior talent, etc... My version of being a realist is realizing I can do one of a few things. I can bitch and complain to everyone so they really enjoy reading my posts and hearing me whine, I can pull back my enthusiasm for the team and act like I don't give a shit, I can shit on the team even when we win because they might have lost if not for (enter pathetic JT reasoning here), or I can go into each game thinking we can win and be jazzed when we do and bummed when we don't, Anyone want to guess which version of being a realist I go with?

I can see when the offense is terrible. I can see when the defense falls apart. I can see when the coach decides to challenge a play that everyone can see was called correctly. I can see when they guessed wrong on a player in the draft or maybe shouldn't have let a guy get away in free agency. But it's all part of the game and frankly, some organizations have done a better job than others. And no amount of whining will change that for my team.

So I chose several years ago to leave all those other BS Rams boards behind and follow Paulie over here to ROD. I felt I shared his vision of a board where it felt more like buddies sitting at a bar talking about our team or watching a game together over a couple beers. And much like that scenario, anyone here just wanting to whine, vent, or rag on our team was uninvited pretty quickly.

Over the years I have been here, the site has grown quite a bit. The ownership has changed hands a couple times. But the constant is that each time it has grown or changed hands, the mission has remained the same and the people involved as well as most of the members here have worked to keep that mission going. I was honored to be asked to help with that some time back and though it is a fairly large time commitment, I was happy to do it - still am.

This place called ROD is very special to me. It has become synonymous with the Rams themselves. When I was a kid, I met players and my buddies and I played in our yards under the names of Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones, Jack Snow, and Roman Gabriel. Here at ROD, we have chats with players and Rams execs, bullshit about our team, and meet up at games when we can. Over the years I have met dozens of you RODers. I have made some pretty good friends among a few of you. I've hit the town with a bunch of you in several cities. I got pretty damn wasted with a few of you too (you know who you are). Hell - I've even apparently made out with @Selassie I 's parrot Rasta.

Bottom line is that this place ROD is the best damn Rams site in existence - period. The Rams are the only NFL team I care about - period. Long live RamsOnDemand and the original helmet logo.

GO RAMS!!!

 

[FaulkSF]

Been a fan since I grew since i had to choose between Raiders and Rams.

I'm on ROD cause Turd Show Times ain't got shit on yall!

 

[Mojo Ram]

basically all my teams are LA and of course it's been a while since any of them have delivered, the last being the Kings.

Clippers fan? Cuz if you're a Lakers fan you get one of these for not delivering "in a while."

 

[…..]

:shades: Well.....you really haven't lived until you make out with a Parrot.

 

[RamFan503]

Clippers fan? Cuz if you're a Lakers fan you get one of these for not delivering "in a while."

C'mon man. Almost any long time LA fan says, "Oh yeah... those guys are in LA too. Forgot about them." when someone brings up the Clippers.

 

[RamFan503]

:shades: Well.....you really haven't lived until you make out with a Parrot.

Right?

 

[Selassie I]

I think it's stronger than "love" for me. It's like a combination of addiction, love, and family... and it's been that way for 43 years.

Plus... The Rams are the Coolest fucking football team on the planet.

 

[den-the-coach]

Loyalty, it is my greatest strength and weakness and one could surmise, when it comes to the Rams, I am loyal to a fault...However, it's the horns and it will always be the horns, but I am convinced the reason I have an ulcer is because of my beloved football team. Once a Ram fan always a Ram fan!

 

[bubbaramfan]

Simple. I've never known anything else and too old to change.

 

[Faceplant]

I <3 this thread. It's weird with these Rams. I have been a fan since the late seventies. Not sure how I got into them, considering I live in Maryland , but I fell hard for them and haven't been able to shake that crush yet. I love other teams, like the Orioles and Capitals, but not like the Rams. The Rams are different. They are like an abusive girlfriend. They get drunk and smack the shit out of you. They screw around with other guys, and are basically a pain in the ass. . . . But they're MY pain in the ass. Sorry. . . . OUR pain in the ass.

I was lucky enough to have seen Paulie's post (on a Crappy board that shan't be named.... I said shan't) a long ass time ago, about starting this forum. His reasoning was simple. Create a place where Rams fans can shoot the shit , without shitting on the team or each other. Brilliant , yes?

Love my Rams. Love my ROD Brothers. Thank you @-X- , for being that dude. Thank you @Selassie I for keeping it real. Thank you @RamFan503 , @CGI_Ram , @Prime Time and all the other good peeps that keep this place running smoothly . Even when it means calling us out when things get chippy.

Now lets go win this fucking division . It starts today.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

One life
One team
GO RAMS!!!!

 

[rdlkgliders]

Because I love Football and as long as I do I will be a Rams fan because the Rams are football and all others are Imposters. I was born with a Rams jersey and Ball almost 53 years ago and it is all I ever want to know Period.

 

[Ramhusker]

Great thread! It's really hard to explain being a Rams fan to someone who isn't but to fellow Rams fans, it's almost like a broken record. We are all obviously the loyal dedicated type that are not quitters. We can endure punishment and are capable of patience of a grand magnitude. And from meeting a few of you, we are a lot like our team and its history.

We are an unique, often unconventional lot that seem to be knowledgeable about football but keep following a team that tests our sanity with uncanny regularity. We love a team that sports an impressive list of firsts. Our Rams were the first team to have something on their helmet, the first team to rotate QBs, the first to swap owners, the first to have a female owner, the first to have a black player, the first to draft an openly gay player, the first and maybe only to have had a Philipino QB, and probably more firsts I have forgotten.

As far as I can tell, I'll always be a Rams fan. I couldn't imagine it any other way. The Rams are more a part of me than any other sports team or hobby. Nothing affects me more than a Rams win or loss. I've been able to distance myself from the pain and disappointment of losing seasons as of late probably from experience but that doesn't dash hope. I still see us winning every game until the clock and scoreboard dictates otherwise. So GO RAMS! Let's win out!!!!!!

 

[PowayRamFan]

Loyalty, it is my greatest strength and weakness and one could surmise, when it comes to the Rams, I am loyal to a fault...However, it's the horns and it will always be the horns, but I am convinced the reason I have an ulcer is because of my beloved football team. Once a Ram fan always a Ram fan!

Wow, couldn't have said it any better, this is me in a nutshell. Loyal to a fault, damn it gets in the way of rational thought at times.

 

[Adi]

It's become an addiction, I think I'm more into it now then I was years ago when they won a lot of games . I love watatching the rebuild process, even though it's very stressful at times it keeps me glued to this team .