From the moment each team arrived in L.A., it was clear that nobody who actually lived there gave a shit about the Rams or Chargers. Both teams have struggled mightily to sell out their stadiums, and the fans who do show up tend to be fans of the opposing squads. It’s not all that surprising then to see something like this leak out from this week’s owner’s meetings:
What a damn mess. For years the NFL used the prospect of moving a team to L.A. as a cudgel with which to beat cities into going along with stadium financing scams, and then when they finally followed through on the threat—torturing and destroying two NFL fanbases in the process—they ended up with two teams playing in a city that definitively doesn’t want either of them. Maybe the NFL isn’t as indestructible as it thought it was, and maybe fans aren’t eager to unthinkingly swallow up whatever product the league throws at them.
I can’t wait until Stan Kroenke’s massive Inglewood stadium opens and is treated like a dormant volcano by the locals. It would be nothing less than the NFL deserves.