The Rams and Chargers are in dire straits.
The NFL approved the move of both franchises to Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, it appears the city isn’t interested in either team.
Attendance for both franchises was abysmal throughout the preseason, and it’s only getting worse.
From Breitbart:
Los Angeles has two pro football teams, but on Sunday, neither one was able to draw even the same crowds they got for week one.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers had home games last weekend, but fans seemed less interested than ever, according to The Big Lead.Sports commentators and fans jumped to Twitter on Sunday to reveal photos of a half-filled stadium for week two:
Lindsey Thiry on Twitter
Really thought more fans would come out this week after the Rams routed the Colts, and looked exciting, last week. With 5 min left in 1 qtr.
Dan Woike on Twitter
You never judge a crowd at kickoff but…
Local radio host Judson Richards also noted that there seemed to be as many fans for Miami in attendance as there were for the Chargers.
The Big Lead called the numbers “a massive embarrassment for the league,” while pointing out that a college game in San Diego earned 43,040 fans in the seats.
Compare those games, to Saturday’s Texas-USC game which sold out its 92,000-seat stadium.
On the other hand, the Rams could not sell out its 30,000-seat coliseum and the Chargers didn’t do a whole lot better. Out of a possible 18.1 million potential fans/customers, the Chargers and Rams barely brought out 80,000 fans combined, Big Lead noted.
Along with the low fan turnout, neither L.A. team delivered fans a win, either. The Chargers fell to the Dolphins, 19-17, and the Rams were toppled by the Redskins, 27-20.
Los Angeles went 20 years without the NFL and carried on just fine. Adding two teams to a market that wasn’t particularly rabid for it was a huge mistake.
L.A. likes a winner, so these teams will have to turn it around quickly in order to build momentum.
However, it doesn’t appear as if either franchise is close to fielding a team capable of competing for the playoffs.
The Chargers are just 5-19 in their last 24 games decided by one possession or loss. They lost nine such games last year, and have already lost both games this year by a total of five points; they missed field goals at the end of both contests.
The Chargers have a star quarterback in Philip Rivers, but he’s quickly aging. Soon they’ll be on the market for a replacement, which is always a crapshoot.
Speaking of which, the Rams invested heavily in number one overall pick quarterback Jared Goff.
The organization is desperate for him to pan out after wasting years of development on fellow number one overall pick Sam Bradford, who was constantly beset by injuries.
Unfortunately, Goff’s career has gotten off to an inauspicious start. He went 0-7 as a starter during his rookie season.
And this year in his second outing, with the game on the line and a chance to lead his team down the field on a game-tying drive, Goff did this on the first play of the drive:
Washington Redskins linebacker Mason Foster intercepts Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff to s
Washington Redskins linebacker Mason Foster intercepts Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff to seal the game.