The Rams for yesterday's game against the Colts at L.A. Memorial Coliseum "distributed just over 60,000 tickets for their home opener, but the guess is only about 48,000 decided to show up," according to Vincent Bonsignore of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. That is an "absurdly low turnout for an NFL game" in a market as big as L.A. The city is "taking a collective wait-and-see attitude before deciding when, and if, it pours its heart out for the Rams" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 9/11). The Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel estimated in a tweet that there was a "crowd of 25,000" at kickoff (TWITTER.com, 9/10). CBSSPORTS.com's John Breech noted tickets to the game were "going for under $10 on the secondary market, which is an absurdly low price for a Week 1 NFL game" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/10). But PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Charean Williams wrote if the Rams "keep playing like they did in Sunday’s 46-9 victory over the Colts, their crowds are sure to grow" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/10). The Rams beat the Colts 46-9, and ESPN's Alden Gonzalez tweeted the attendance will "change if they keep playing like this." The MMQB's Albert Breer tweeted, "More proof you need to win to draw in LA: Rams opener seemingly draws a fraction of the crowd USC did last night to the same stadium." BillyPenn.com's Dan Levy: "Good thing the NFL got the Rams back in Los Angeles. Look at that crowd." Podcast NotJustSports: "Rams crowd looks awful BUT this same crowd would PACK THE HELL outta the middle school stadium #Chargers play at." Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling: "Maybe the Rams should play at StubHub Center next year."
A MARKET SCORNED: In San Diego, Tom Krasovic wrote "connecting with fans isn't one of [Chargers Chair Dean Spanos] great strengths or inclinations." If Spanos "truly wants to extend an olive branch" to spurned fans in San Diego, now may "not be the time." Krasovic: "Should the day come, my advice would be: In your mind and heart, be sure to separate your longtime customers in San Diego from the San Diego politicians and their sponsors who aggravated you (and vice-versa) in the tedious stadium game" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/9). Also in San Diego, Kevin Acee wrote as "difficult as it has been for some of the disenfranchised to get their arms around, many in San Diego remain fans of the Chargers." However, many people in San Diego will also "continue to practice 'hate watching.'" They will want to "see if that little stadium has empty seats or a plethora of seats occupied by people in the colors of the opposing team." How the San Diego market "consumes the NFL is still evolving" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/10). The UNION-TRIBUNE's Nick Canepa wrote he continues to hear from people who want him and the paper to "stop writing about and covering" the Chargers. Canepa: "I won’t get deep into this, our stories on the Judases continue to be read more than most stories we put out there." He asked, "Why would I stop writing about a subject readers continue to be interested in?" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/10)
