The Rams' planned rebrand "might not happen until" '20 with the opening of the team's $2.6B Inglewood stadium being pushed a year from its expected '19 debut, according to Gary Klein of the L.A. TIMES. Rams Exec VP/Football Operations & COO Kevin Demoff said that the "process with the NFL and uniform-maker Nike had begun and that the Rams are eligible to rebrand" in '19. However, the stadium delay could push the new uniforms back as well. Many fans were "disappointed that that team stuck with the St. Louis ensemble that featured the colors blue, gold and white" when they returned to L.A. last season. Switching to the "blue and white uniforms of the mid-1960s, or the blue, yellow and white colors adopted in the ’70s" were among the possibilities mentioned. The stadium delay is "not expected to affect the Rams on the field," but it "could affect the sale" of PSLs for the new stadium. The team last year "sold 70,000 season tickets at the Coliseum." A Rams spokesperson last month said that the team would "not comment on the number of season tickets sold" for '17 until all sales were complete. However, the fact that the Rams "made season tickets available to those on the waiting list indicates there was attrition after fans watched the Rams go 1-6 at home." Demoff said that the delay will "not affect the timeline for the sale of PSLs or other sales" (L.A. TIMES, 5/19). Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Jim Thomas notes by playing in the L.A. Coliseum for another year, the Rams will "play an international game again" in '19. League bylaws "state that teams playing in a temporary stadium must play an international game each season" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/19).
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT? The Chargers will play one more year at the 30,000-seat Staples Center as a result of the delays to the Inglewood stadium, and ESPN’s Jeff Saturday called it a "brutal piece of information" that will hurt the team "from a players perspective.” ESPN’s Tedy Bruschi said playing in the small venue means "your homefield advantage is almost eliminated.” ESPN's Trey Wingo: “It’s another tough look for the teams that are in L.A. right now as they try and get that stadium ready” (“NFL Live,” ESPN, 5/18). NBC's Mike Florio: "Good luck with that budget in 2019, Chargers” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 5/19).
