Skip Bayless claimed ‘Worst fans in America are Los Angeles Rams fans’ before SB LVI

Entertainment Weekly

Why were they sleepy? What is Dr. Bayless’ expert diagnosis? In his argument, he lays the issue out because Los Angeles is home to Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world. And so he concludes that Los Angeles sports fans don’t pre-act, promote, cheer, or support the team. His argument is that the team must make great plays to entertain, and then they react to the sensational performance.

Like an opera, a red-carpet premiere, or a rock concert, Bayless states that fans come to the stadium not to cheer on the Rams, but to be entertained by them. While conceding that the ground and pound heavy offense the Rams favored at the time (known, not entirely as a compliment, as ‘Ground Chuck’), might not have been the most exciting, dynamic football ever performed on a field, Skip goes on to say he was still astounded by ‘the quietest fandom I had ever heard, and to this day have ever, ever heard.’

Did he omit certain key elements of information? Did he mean to overlook the fact that the LA Coliseum was routinely packed with over 80,000 fans? For a fan base to support the team, isn’t the true measuring stick still ticket and merchandise sales?

You see, the problem with the LA Rams market was the lack of local television broadcasters. That is thanks to all those many years of playing in the Los Angeles Coliseum, a venue that averaged over 94,000 seats. Due to NFL rules, teams were not broadcast on local television markets if the games were not sold out. It’s easier to sell out a 45,000-seat stadium than a 95,000-seat stadium. The NFL rule squelched fan support in the Los Angeles area. But there were other detractors as well.