The under-construction SoFi Stadium is a $5B "investment for a fan base in L.A. that doesn't seem to exist," as both the Rams' and Chargers' games on Sunday were "notable in that fans of the road teams took over" each of their temporary homes, according to ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. L.A. "went decades without an NFL team, and suddenly it’s got two," but neither has "much of a geographic claim to the fans there." They also have "even less emotional capital with people." While SoFi Stadium is "going to be absolutely gorgeous, stunning architecturally ... who’s it for?" The stadium will hold more than 70,000 fans, and the Chargers right now are playing in a venue that "has exactly one-third of that capacity." Van Pelt: "Who’s going to go to those Chargers games? What’s the visual going to be? How does the NFL sell it or spin it?” There are "plenty" of NFL fans in L.A., but "most of them just root for other teams and they’re going to have a fancy new place to see them play when they come to town” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 10/15).
GET WHAT YOU GIVE: In L.A., Arash Markazi writes the NFL "neglected a generation of fans before finally returning" to L.A. in '16 -- 21 years after leaving -- and it is "still paying the price for its absence." The generation of fans which the league "lost had all grown up rooting for other teams in other cities or simply had no interest in the NFL," and the league "didn’t do much to maintain a good relationship with the city after leaving town." The "end result is a home-field experience for the Rams and Chargers that still feels very much like an NFL international game in London or Mexico City." There are "plenty of NFL fans in L.A., they just might not be fans of the teams that now claim the city as their home." This past weekend "marked the final time the Rams and Chargers play at home on the same Sunday." It was "closer to 50-50 for the Rams-49ers game and probably 90-10" for the Steelers-Chargers game "in favor of Pittsburgh." That is a "bad look," but it is "one the NFL created by looking the other way for more than two decades when it came" to the L.A. market (L.A. TIMES, 10/15).
