Since the Rams left L.A. over 20 years ago, football fans have not had a home team they could root for. However, on Jan. 12, sports enthusiasts celebrated when they received news that, not one, but possibly two teams, would be moving back. The Chargers will wait one year to confirm their decision, but the Rams have already left St. Louis and are looking to build a stadium in Inglewood.
The Rams’ return to L.A. seems like a win-win situation, since the NFL can collect revenue in the second biggest market in America and L.A. reunites with its old team. However, the Rams may have a hard time living up to the city’s expectations.
As a L.A. sports fan, I want to see the Rams succeed in California. However, there are just too many obstacles preventing them assimilating into L.A. The Rams have consistently finished in the bottom half of the NFC West division and haven’t made the playoffs since 2004. L.A. fans are notorious in the sports world for being a market only attracted to stars and no one is exactly on the Nick Foles bandwagon. The team once known as “The Greatest Show on Turf” has been relegated to “the mediocre show on dirt.”
This homecoming would have been more significant if L.A. didn’t have some of the most historic teams in sports. L.A. has collected five NBA rings, three Stanley Cups and a World Series win. L.A. sports have been successful during the absence of football and the Rams will have a hard time living up to legacies of the Kings, Dodgers and Lakers.
The Rams will also have to keep pace with other football teams. During the 21 years that L.A. did not have its own team, many of the city’s residents pledged their loyalty to other franchises, such as the Raiders. It will be hard to convince football fans to switch their allegiance. The NFL may need the L.A. market in order to increase revenue, but L.A. would be just fine without the addition of the Rams.
Although it seems like an uphill climb for them, they can still win the hearts of Southern Californian sports fans. The team has improved dramatically in the past five years by building around young players they drafted. Players such as Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald are talented, so the Rams just require an ace quarterback to become a great team, potentially reaching the playoffs in two years. Hopefully a few years from now, a Rams Super Bowl game will be a very real possibility.