Outnumbered again, Rams fans ultimately find SoFi satisfaction on Sunday

The sport inside Sunday’s NFC championship recreation surfaced inside SoFi Stadium as soon as followers started trickling by way of the gates at 1:30 p.m.

One aspect wore blue and yellow defending their turf as Rams supporters. Their counterparts in crimson and gold — followers of the San Francisco 49ers — have been the loud, unruly friends. If the $5 billion constructing was certainly the Rams’ home — because the franchise’s tagline suggests advert nauseam — then the 49ers aficionados crashed the ADU out again and threw themselves a carne asada.

A stroll across the concourse, teeming with playful stress, plainly illustrated the dichotomy.

“Niners home!” a 49ers fan on the 300-level yelled 90 minutes earlier than kickoff.

“F— no!” a Rams fan contested.

“House recreation,” a person in a 49ers jersey rapidly rebutted.

Rams followers have been outnumbered. An unofficial tally estimates it was a 60-40 cut up, although either side have been loud sufficient for each groups to make use of a silent snap rely on offense. In the long run, the folks in blue have been the final ones cheering within the Rams’ heart-stopping 20-17 win.

The conflict between NFC West rivals was harking back to their assembly in Week 18 when a sea of crimson infiltrated Inglewood to look at the 49ers come again from a 17-point deficit to beat the Rams in additional time. The win clinched San Francisco a playoff berth.

Ken Bigelow was within the stands for the meltdown. He lives in New Jersey, however the Los Angeles native flies throughout the nation to attend each Rams dwelling recreation as a season-ticket holder.

Followers cheer on the Rams and San Francisco 49ers through the NFC championship recreation Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)

“Ram followers are simply not as intense,” Bigelow stated. “They don’t have [that intensity] — nicely, I do as a result of I used to be right here within the 70s. However quite a lot of them are like, ‘Oh, let me promote the tickets. I can watch it on TV.’ They don’t get it but, however they’ll get it will definitely.”

Bigelow went to Sunday’s recreation along with his girlfriend, his son, and his grandson. The group, spanning three generations, was a metaphor for NFL fandom in Los Angeles.

Whereas Bigelow grew up a Rams fan, his 36-year-old son, Brian, didn’t catch Rams fever when the franchise was stationed in St. Louis. He reached his formative team-picking years when the 49ers have been annual Tremendous Bowl contenders so he grew to become a 49ers fan. However his 11-year-old son Tyler, who wore a Matthew Stafford jersey Sunday, roots for the Rams.

Rams followers are in a frenzy as Odell Beckham Jr. leaves the sphere as NFC champion.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)

“It’s not that shocking as a result of for 21 years there was no one right here so there’s an entire era in L.A. who wanted a staff and so they have been the very best staff,” Bigelow stated. “You’ll be able to’t blame them.”

Location was irrelevant for Michael Shatas. The 27-year-old Rams was born and raised in upstate New York. He flew to California with pal Shane Colamarino — a 49ers devotee — Saturday.

“We discovered a 49ers celebration at a bar,” Colamarino shared with a smile. “It was nice.”
Shatas got here to like the Rams on the flip of the century when The Biggest Present on Turf was in Missouri. He wore an Aaron Donald jersey. Colamarino wore a George Kittle jersey and proudly confirmed off a Nick Bosa shirsey beneath. They paid $1,000 every for tickets the secondary market and splurged one other $600 for a lodge room.

It was a shorter journey for Bryan Polio, Jose Chity and Frankie Argueta, three 29-year-old Rams followers from South Central. They fight attending two Rams video games a season. They declined to share how a lot they paid to see their Rams play for a Tremendous Bowl berth.

“It’s a little bit loopy,” Polio stated. “We ain’t making lease this month, nevertheless it’s cool.”

The three mates met in ninth grade. They hadn’t but had their second birthdays when the Rams bolted for St. Louis in January 1995, however, realizing the staff’s historical past in Los Angeles, they stated they’ve been followers going again to the Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner days.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates because the scoreboard within the background tells the story.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)

Polio admitted most of his family and friends members don’t take care of the Rams. They gravitated to the 49ers and the Raiders and the Cowboys when the NFL deserted Los Angeles. He promised that’ll change if the Rams hold profitable.

“You gotta perceive we’re constructing it proper now,” Polio stated. “We go to the Tremendous Bowl, it’s blue subsequent 12 months.”

On Sunday, crimson penetrated. It was a neutral-site recreation dressed as a house contest for the Rams. All day, from the tailgate by way of the top of the thriller, the 2 contingents went backwards and forwards.

However the two sides realized that they had one rooting curiosity in frequent Sunday as they watched the AFC championship recreation between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on the videoboard.

The stadium got here to life when the underdog Bengals, down 21-3 late within the second quarter, started orchestrating a comeback. It boomed with every Bengals landing. And when Evan McPherson kicked the game-winning subject aim in additional time to ship Cincinnati to the Tremendous Bowl, the place erupted. Followers in crimson and blue rejoiced. They celebrated collectively realizing the Chiefs, consensus Tremendous Bowl favorites, have been going dwelling.

That congeniality rapidly light. For the subsequent 4 hours, the 2 sides took turns screaming on the high of their lungs till quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s interception with 1:19 left. The error sealed the win for the Rams and despatched 49ers followers to the exits. SoFi Stadium was finally the Rams’ home Sunday.

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