Los Angeles Rams welcomed back with open arms by fans
LOS ANGELES — There were horns, flags, music and fireworks. The weather was good, as usual. The mood was more than upbeat. It was festive. People were spreading love.
They flocked to the historic Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday to watch some NFL football.
It had been a long time coming. After 21 seasons in St. Louis, the Rams belong to Los Angeles again.
"This is what we’ve been dying for,” Wyatt Ford, a middle-aged fan wearing a throwback Eric Dickerson jersey, said as he watched all types of fans — young and old, black and white — mill about a crowded concourse before the main event commenced.
Ford remembers when the Rams bolted to St. Louis in 1995 but never abandoned the team. He also refused to give up hope that they were not gone for good.
“I knew they would come back,” Ford said.
Maybe every person at the Coliseum — and nearly 90,000 were in attendance — had a personal recollection to draw on while marking the most significant preseason game in these parts in decades.
Jackie Slater, the Hall of Famer, played left tackle for the last Rams team to play in Los Angeles — and then the first Rams team to play in St. Louis in 1995.
“I never thought I’d live to see this day,” Slater told Paste BN Sports, as he stood at field level before the game and surveyed the stands as fans poured into the bowl.
Slater shared a story about an exchange recently in a grocery story. When he asked the young attendant if he is pulling for the Rams upon their return, Slater said the man responded incredulously.
“The Rams? I’m a San Diego Chargers fan.”
That drove home the point to Slater that the Rams’ return is not just about reuniting with old fans.
“There are 20-year-old kids who love football and live in Los Angeles, but are not fans of the Rams,” Slater said. “That will have to change.”
The team’s community outreach can help connect with the fan base, but Slater knows what can really boost the team’s marketing efforts in a new market.
“They start making plays and getting wins,” Slater said, “and the fans will come.”
Evidenced by the massive crowd for the opening rehearsal, the Rams are starting off with momentum — especially after outlasting the Dallas Cowboys 28-24 on a day when No. 1 pick Jared Goff made his professional debut.
“It’s tremendous to be welcomed like this,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke told Paste BN Sports. “A great buzz. You couldn’t ask for more.”
It will be interesting to see whether the support wanes if the team struggles. Ford, for one, thinks the fans have waited too long for the return to pull back support.
“People want to see football,” he said.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
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