Los Angeles sports culture - how different it is to Manchester, England where I grew up and most other European cities. One sport dominates those cities and the people from them are extremely tribal and typically support their local team. The Lakers and the Dodgers are undoubtedly the closest comparison to that in LA but the city has a very different relationship with the NFL. In 1995 both the Raiders and the Rams left LA for Oakland and St Louis, leaving a huge void and a generation of kids grew up with no team in their city. That generation attached itself to anyone from the Cowboys, to the 49ers, the Steelers, the Dolphins, the Broncos, the list goes on. This was best illustrated when the Chargers played in San Diego and more recently their temporary home in LA when their home games were flooded with opposing fans. This has also happened to the Rams in the last few years as they took up a temporary home at the Coliseum. The Chargers especially have been mocked for having no fans but in reality, San Diego is one of the most attractive and warmest cities in America to visit in the winter and that generation of fans in LA who grew up with other teams are a much fairer explanation for the opposing fan takeovers. That might be about to change (somewhat) as the Rams and Chargers welcome fans back into the beautiful new SoFi stadium for the first time in just a few months.
Back in 2005/06 when I knew I was going to be moving to the Southern California and getting married to a local, I decided i needed an NFL team. Knowing very little about the sport or the teams, I simply used my European instinct of local support and asked what the closest team to my future wife’s house was. San Diego Chargers was the answer. Good enough for me, that’s my team!
Thankfully at that time they were very entertaining so it was an easy obsession that developed. Play off heartaches then became an annual part of my life and I enjoyed quite a few trips to Qualcomm stadium in San Diego.
In 2016 the Rams announced they were moving back to LA and were building a new home on the site of the Hollywood Park race track in Inglewood, which sits next to the Forum arena and just three miles from LAX airport. The project, fronted by owner Stan Kroenke eventually cost a staggering $5b to build and dwarfs the next most expensive stadium in the world, the also brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Kroenke is the rarely seen or heard from owner of multiple sports teams, Mostly in his own state of Colorado, the Avalanche of the NHL, the Nuggets of the NBA and the Rapids of MLS. He also owns Arsenal football club in London and was recently part of the “big 12” who tried to create the European Super League. Which, as anyone that has seen Arsenal play in the last decade knows, that is an absolute joke. The Rams gave the Chargers an option of sharing the new stadium and after “failed” attempts of staying in San Diego, the Chargers took the option in 2017 ahead of the next in line, Oakland Raiders, who subsequently moved to Las Vegas. After a few years of stop start construction and a pandemic that prevented any fans from attending the inaugural season, the Rams and Chargers are finally ready to open the doors to a city that is still not convinced either belongs there.
Accompanied by my two brothers in law, Mike, a big Chargers fan like me and Scott, a Green Bay Packers fan (a victim of that generation I mentioned) a tour of SoFi was a must see as soon as it was COVID free possible. At $30 per person it’s easily booked and includes access to the locker rooms, suites and on field access via a personalized hype video - as you run through the players tunnel and activities like kicking a field goal and a forty yard dash.
From the outside it looks a bit like a spaceship. Mike loves taking pictures of his Jeep and i‘m all for it. We learned during the guided tour that it’s actually three separate structures that move independently during earthquakes (!).
Upon entering you are already on one of the mid range tiers, similar to my experience at Cowboys‘ stadium, an open plan concourse at one end and a breathtaking expansive view. We learned that they had to build downwards due to the proximity to the LAX flight path.
The gigantic “Oculus” is the first of its kind double sided video board suspended from the roof. Here I am in my new Justin Herbert jersey. I chose it for a couple of reasons, one Herbert proved in his rookie year last year that he should be one of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL for many years to come and two, because it’s symbolic of a new beginning in a new home, and provided a nice “old and the new” contrast with my brother in law Mikes, Junior Seau jersey.
The tour is around an hour with a guide, stopping for a few video presentations where you learn fun facts like - there is enough cable installed in the stadium to wrap around the whole world - the NFL game day capacity will be just over 70,000 but can be extended to 100,000 for the Super Bowl (at the end of this season) - and there‘s enough 5G network to support said 100,000 people. It will also be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Olympics and will host matches at the 2026 World Cup, although nobody has given me a straight answer on how that will work considering the artificial turf. They take you in some very nice looking suites before giving you an extra hour or so to soak it all up on the field and engage in the fun activities.
One of the highlights for us was the media room where it takes your picture on the podium. You’ll find a video on my Instagram of me using some colorful language for a ”reporter” (Mike). That was for you Naomi Osaka.
For the record, I made two of my field goals and hit the upright with the third attempt. That’s a much better percentage than any Chargers kicker that’s been there since I’ve been a fan that’s for damn sure. Mike showed us up at the vertical jump challenge and throwing at a target and Scott outpaced us both in the 40 yard dash. If anyone is looking for a middle aged, out of shape wide receiver, hit me up, i’m available.
All in all, a magnificent tour which I would highly recommend for any sports fan. As I suspected, it got me all amped up for the new season and it only took me two days to crumble and buy season tickets. Unfortunately all of the nice or moderately nice ones had gone and I grabbed the last pair high up in one corner but it’s at least a foot in the door and I can hopefully upgrade in the next couple of years.
I’m actually happy to hear how well the tickets are selling, hopefully that will keep the number of opposing fans down a bit. All we need now is a healthy team for once because with a shiny new home and a young stud of a Quarterback, the future is bright for the Chargers and hopefully I’ll be there to witness something special. As for the Rams and their devious culture destroying owner...meh. Thanks for the lease pal.
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