The reboot of Rams in L.A. will "get a huge lift" Saturday when they host the Falcons in the NFC Wild Card, and the team's resurgence "came at a critical time" as the Rams will soon begin marketing PSLs for their new Inglewood stadium set to be completed in '20, according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. For both the Rams and the Chargers, which will share the new venue, convincing fans to spend "hefty sums for seat licenses, season tickets, club seats, and nearly 30 luxury suites with price tags in the low-to-mid six figures will be a far harder task than getting them to buy modestly priced tickets" at L.A. Memorial Coliseum or StubHub Center. The success of those sales campaigns will "amount to a referendum not just on the Rams' and Chargers' popularity, but on the wisdom of the NFL's decision to let two teams move" to L.A. If the stadium is "perceived as a pricey and exclusive luxury, the league's goal of reintegrating itself into the country's second largest market could sputter further." Both attendance and local TV ratings fell for the Chargers and Rams. Chargers Chair Dean Spanos said of the low attendance, "Everyone knows we're the new kids of the block. We knew coming up here there wasn't going to be a red carpet rolled out for us. We have to earn our way in." Meanwhile, Rams Exec VP/Football Operations & COO Kevin Demoff "shrugged off the early hiccups." Demoff said, "As you drive around the city, you see Rams car flags, and you know you've made it when you see car flags." Belson notes that "winning helps." Online retailer Fanatics noted sales of Rams merchandise jumped 50% this season, the "largest increase" for any team after the Eagles and Jaguars (N.Y. TIMES, 1/5).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes Saturday's game gives the Rams the "perfect chance" to "finally feel at home." This is about "much more than winning a football game." It is about "winning over a city." Demoff said of the Wild Card, "You strive to create great opportunities for yourself and great platforms, and this game is one of them. A Saturday night game in the Coliseum, there's a buzz and energy in the city, you want to make sure you're ready for it." A victory for the Rams could "finally begin to cement their new footing in their old town." Demoff: "There will be people who are back in the Coliseum for the first time since last September, and this is your chance to imprint in their minds the direction of the franchise. Rarely do you get one night in prime time all to yourself in the playoffs. These are the kind of games that bring a city together. I think the team will embrace it and take advantage of it" (L.A. TIMES, 1/5). USA TODAY's Josh Peter writes with the Rams playing its "first prime-time TV game at home since last season's return" to L.A., the Wild Card "could have a star-studded atmosphere befitting of the city." Rams coach Sean McVay said, "People are excited, and that was our goal -- is when we came back here to be able to provide a good football product that our fans can be proud of and they want to come out and support you" (USA TODAY, 1/5).
