The L.A. Rams: A European Fan’s Perspective

As much as many of us might enjoy American sports, there are a few aspects of these that can seem peculiar to fans from this side of the pond. Concepts such as salary cap, restricted free agency, and the draft (however sensible these may be) are not generally found in many of Europe’s major sports, and understanding them can be a challenge. Football’s many specific regulations and bizarre traditions accentuate these problems for fans, many of whom do not normally get a chance to practice the sport in school – in a similar way to how cricket may seem completely alien to fans from the U.S. (as it indeed is to me). Therefore, to us, following an American sport is not just about learning the names of teams and players; it is about an embracing a different way of competing.

But perhaps the notion we find it hardest to accept is that of franchise relocation. The best known European teams have a long history that is rooted in a major city or town. Soccer’s Manchester United, for example, has been located in the northern English town since 1878. For us, it is therefore inconceivable that a franchise could be uprooted from their historical links and moved elsewhere following, mostly, commercial pressures. While no relocations have taken place in the NFL since I started following the sport – the last move, involving the Houston Oiler’s transferring to Tennessee and becoming the Titans, was in 1997, pre-empting my interest by seven years – I have witnessed teams leave Vancouver, Charlotte, Seattle and New Jersey in my time as an NBA fan. The competing for local markets is a strange one to us; Liverpool, for example, has a similar population to Kansas City, and yet boasts two top-flight soccer teams which are surrounded by the local community. There is, simply, no option of these ever been yanked away from the city of their birth. Apart from the relocation of the low-tier Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes (an event which caused considerable consternation at the time), there have been no such moves in English soccer. It is, simply, not a common move.

Despite being a Rams fan, I have no ties to the city of St Louis, as worthwhile as I am sure a visit would be. I know little about the Gateway City outside the context of being the Rams’ home and, other than to watch the blue-and-gold, I am unsure I would make the long journey there unless it was as part of a tour of the Midwest. Apart from the recent unfortunate incidents in Ferguson, St Louis does not feature heavily in European media coverage. I know few landmarks – the Arch, of course, and the Edward Jones Dome – and, on Twitter, many St Louis-based players and journalists boast of the fine BBQ food. But, admittedly, my knowledge is limited and my connection to the city is tenuous. I am not proud of my ignorance…but how many Ramblin’ Fan readers know anything about my hometown of Gibraltar?

Instead, I do feel some connection to Los Angeles. I have been a Lakers fan since the late 1980’s, and my wife and I spent the first five days of our honeymoon in the City of Angels. While my memories are mostly of appalling public transport and a mild earthquake that failed to wake me up, there is a link between us, although this is not a very solid one. I understand the NFL’s preoccupation with the nation’s second-largest market, but have concerns with this tendency to treat football franchises like a Bedouin culture, preventing teams like the Rams to form ties with the local area and fan-base.

As an overseas fan, the potential move to Los Angeles would have little impact on me. However, I empathize with the many St Louis fans who, over the past twenty years, have developed bonds with a team that, on their watch, have won a Super Bowl. These fans have previously had to endure the loss of the hometown Cardinals, and now face the prospect of losing another franchise. They are a constant reminder that, in the world of the NFL, money talks louder than fans.