Todd Gurley Blames Los Angeles Traffic for Rams' Low Attendance

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By Khadrice Rollins
October 25, 2017
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/25/todd-gurley-los-angeles-traffic-rams-attendance


Rams running back Todd Gurley has an interesting theory behind why attendance has been so bad for Los Angeles football games this year.

"Definitely a basketball town," the third-year back said during an appearance on SI Now. "Hasn't been football over here in 20 years. So you just can't expect someone to just start coming to football games all the time. And I heard the traffic for football games is probably the worst, so I'm pretty sure why people don't come to the games as well."

The Rams are 27th in the league in average attendance this year, and the Chargers are dead last, so there definitely is a trend when it comes to people in Los Angeles coming to NFL games. Last season the Rams were second to last in the league in attendance, with only the Raiders brining in fewer fans each game.

It has become common to see pictures of empty seats at Memorial Coliseum or StubHub Stadium on Sundays, but Gurley said the players have no issue playing in front of so few home fans.

• How Do Los Angeles Fans Really Feel About the Rams' Return to California?

"At the end of the day, it is what it is," Gurley said. "We don't play the game for fans to show up. At the end of the day, we have to go out there and play a game. If they show up, they show up, if they don't they don't. Obviously we would love to have the stadium filled every week for sure, and that's the goal for us: To just keep winning. You have to win in order for fans to show up or want to come to a game. We understand that and want to just keep winning so we can get LA fans to come to the games."

The Rams have already surpassed last season's win total, but if the traffic for Rams games is anything similar to what it was like after Game 1 of the World Series, it makes a lot of sense for people to decide to stay home, no matter how good the team is.


View: https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/923287702287642624

The 5-2 Rams are on the road to take on the Giants this week, but will be back in Los Angeles for a Nov. 12 matchup with the Texans.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

I don't like making excuses but LA area traffic is just off the charts horrendous, the Coliseum location, not exactly a decent place unless you're into thugs and crime

What Gurley is saying does factor in, the newer location is much more upscale

 

[yrba1]

Good thing I'm taking the Metro to get to the Coliseum in Nov 12 against the Texans. That game is going to be a nice followup after the Dodgers-Astros World Series

 

[ramfan46]

He isn't wrong. I lose the entire day attending the game whether I tailgate or not. I live 30ish miles from the Coliseum and leaving directly after the game takes me an hour and a half to two hours to get home. I sit in an hour traffic to go to work and to come home from West LA 5 days a week. By the time Sunday rolls around, I just don't want to deal with more traffic. This coming from a diehard car and motorsports person. I hate driving in LA, too many people who don't drive well AND they're all on the phone.

 

[majrleaged]

Good thing I'm taking the Metro to get to the Coliseum in Nov 12 against the Texans. That game is going to be a nice followup after the Dodgers-Astros World Series

Getting to the game on metro is good. Waiting an hr to get on the train after the game sucks.

 

[Micah]

The only traffic I think that's worse than the 10- I5 exchange is the 405 and the 90-I5 bottleneck in Seattle as a worse traffic scenario. Plus all the traffic around LAX I would imagine he's right to a degree but LA isn't your prototypical cold weather football town like you have up north. No offence it is what it is. There's other things to do in LA like Disney and the beaches. Up here in the rainy-snowy pacific northwest it's get lit and watch some football lol

 

[fearsomefour]

I don't like making excuses but LA area traffic is just off the charts horrendous, the Coliseum location, not exactly a decent place unless you're into thugs and crime

What Gurley is saying does factor in, the newer location is much more upscale

It's all good though.
Cali has all the problems licked.
Schools are great, highways are usable, no homeless.....now on to the last bullet train that no one wants and will cost billions....
LMAO.

 

[SteezyEndo]

The new stadium is in a better location then the coliseum. Lets see if they can expand the 405, 105 and 110 in that area or have better public transportation.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I took the metro down to the Seahawks game from Santa Monica and Uber'd back. Figured it was the best way to go. All in all, seemed to work out pretty well. I was definitely not gonna brave the metro lines back.

Problem with Stan-adu Stadium is that there won't be a metro line to it.

 

[MarkMyWords]

the Coliseum location, not exactly a decent place unless you're into thugs and crime

Just want to add for those thinking about flying in for a game that Figueroa Street seems very safe. It runs in front of the coliseum and has a hundred restaurants, the Natural History Museum and the space shuttle exhibit and is wall to wall USC students. We stay at the Radisson which is right there too. Though I only went to one game last year and will be going to another this year, I have found the most dangerous part is walking into a telephone pole while noticing the pretty coeds....

 

[RamBall]

LA area traffic sucks. The thing that stood out the most was the high % of cars, new and old with damage to at least 1 of its 2 bumpers.

 

[FaulkSF]

Silver line and other buses are great on game day. Looking like that's how we'll go for the Saints game.

 

[Pancake]

He says they don't play for the fans to show up but then he says the goal is to fill the stadium....

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

He says they don't play for the fans to show up but then he says the goal is to fill the stadium....

It was awkwardly worded. I think it didn't come out the way he wanted so he added the second part.

 

[RedRam]

I've been taking Lyft to and from the Coliseum. Usually get dropped off and picked up near the corner of Figueroa/Exposition.

 

[JackStraw]

IMO the best crowds in the game are in KC, Denver, Oakland, Pitt, Philly, Green Bay and Seattle. Rams will never compare but who cares - the sweeter the home the easier it is to let down on the road. Right now we're 4-0 outside of LA and I don't have any immediate plans to visit CA so it's all good. All I can ask for is that the city supports embraces them and within 5-10 years there will be a demand for a TV channel 100% dedicated to the Rams like the YES network(Yankees)

 

[Dodgersrf]

Well... 50.0000 people in a 100,000 seat stadium tends to look half full. So whatever

 

[den-the-coach]

Todd Gurley Hoping Rams Fans Fill Stadium –Video

Rams RB Todd Gurley shares with the First Take crew what it’s like to be the new team in town and gets honest about the pressure to win.

Watch Gurley Interview

 

[LARams_1963]

Honestly, I live with traffic almost everyday like most of us Angelinos. That being said, gameday doesn't really bother me, it's not any worse to me than a normal work day.

 

[Rmfnlt]

You have to win in order for fans to show up or want to come to a game.

While true for most NFL (and professional sports, for that matter) markets, particularly true of LA. There's just too many other things you can do than spend time and money on a bad product.

The new stadium is in a better location then the coliseum. Lets see if they can expand the 405, 105 and 110 in that area or have better public transportation.

Problem with Stan-adu Stadium is that there won't be a metro line to it.

Well, all I can say is.. here in DAL, they didn't think much about infrastructure when they put The DeathStar right next to The Ballpark in Arlington (Rangers). When there's something at both venues simultaneously, it's a disaster.

Sadly, infrastructure is usually the last thing they'll spend money on... there's just no real return on investment there.

Hope the new stadium is different.