Tangled shades of blue flooded the SoFi Stadium concourse. Powder blue jerseys brushed previous royal blue horns in burger strains. Bolt-painted faces mingled with followers in throwback Rams gold.
“Whose house?” blared the stadium announcer.
“Rams House!” a lot of the group replied.
Although in pockets of powder blue, the response got here with a shrug, or with nothing in any respect.
That query — whose workforce actually owns the Los Angeles professional soccer market — lingers practically a decade after the Rams and the Chargers settled into town’s soccer panorama.
The Rams, who received a Tremendous Bowl title in 2022, sport a polish that no argument over fan bases can scrub away. In the meantime, the Chargers’ rising base insists that is simply as a lot their city.
Throughout the Rams’ 23-22 victory Saturday, the rating felt secondary to the followers staking out territory.
Jerry Quinones, 59, is a four-year Chargers season ticket holder. A retired first responder, he not often misses a house recreation. However even from his typical seat in part 330, he acknowledged the nuance between the groups.
“Rams got more of a family base,” Quinones mentioned. “I wish the Chargers [would] have it, but they don’t. They got cheerleaders, we don’t.”
Three ranges beneath, on the field-level patio behind the top zone, Rams fan Gill Marquez, 25, yanked proudly at his Britain Covey jersey and repeated, “We run L.A.”
“It means a lot to be a Rams fan,” Marquez mentioned. “I feel it deep down in my soul. We brought a championship to L.A. and that made a great point that we’re the real team here.”
Rams fan Gill Marquez, left, and Chargers fan Eric Robles present their assist for his or her respective groups throughout a preseason recreation at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.
(Ira Gorawara / Los Angeles Instances)
Not each Rams fan put it fairly so forcefully. Bob Gerard mentioned he moved to L.A. from Chicago and hitched onto the Rams after they returned in 2016. The 58-year-old, who donned a Puka Nacua jersey, joked that he’s fantastic letting the Chargers crash at SoFi — as long as the association isn’t mistaken.
“It’s actually the Rams’ house,” Gerard mentioned, “we just kind of Airbnb it out to [the Chargers] every other weekend.’”
Chase Hay, outfitted in a palm-patterned Hawaiian shirt splashed with Rams logos, reduce a looser determine whereas chatting with Chargers and Rams followers on the subject stage bar. For Hay, 36, the Rams are a household custom greater than a rivalry — a workforce he caught with due to his grandfather, and one he believes can share town with out shedding its roots.
“Being NFC and AFC, there’s a lot of room to coexist with both of us here — until we’re playing each other,” mentioned Hay, a advertising and marketing skilled. “But I don’t see the Chargers as a threat.”
Eric Robles, 22, mentioned his reply to “Whose house?” comes from two hours south. The San Diego native, sporting a Justin Herbert jersey, stood as Rams followers cracked jokes round him, his lifelong allegiance rooted within the Chargers’ previous — and Herbert, who he mentioned is the workforce’s future.
Herbert, the Chargers’ star quarterback, is a powerful motive for Chargers followers to belief within the trajectory of their membership.
Ed Kim had a powder-blue flag wrapped round his shoulders, the Chargers’ lightning bolt stretching throughout his again.
“We’re the greatest organization in Los Angeles right now,” he mentioned. “The Rams are the Clippers of Los Angeles — they’re second fiddle to us. Because we have the greatest quarterback in Justin Herbert. So basically, we’re the alphas.”
If Kim introduced conviction, Angel Herrera introduced theater: he was wearing a gleaming blue-and-gold luchador masks, a flowing Chargers cape and a thick chain of metallic beads in Chargers colours. A heavy WWE championship belt hung over his No. 97 jersey.
By halftime, he had posed for near 30 photographs with younger Chargers followers.
Chargers fan Angel Herrera says L.A. is a Rams city, however is hopeful Justin Herbert can lead the Chargers to greatness.
(Ira Gorawara / Los Angeles Instances)
“Honest truth, L.A. is more of a Rams town — only because they recently won,” Herrera mentioned. “It’s gonna be a long route before more Chargers fans come around, but it’s gonna happen. We got Herbert, so it’s not gonna be that long.”
As followers streamed out of the stadium, the talk continued. Some may level to Tremendous Bowl banners and shout, “Rams House!” Others may shake their heads, trusting San Diego roots and Herbert’s promise.
For now, it’s a home divided, however one with room for all.
