As someone who grew up obsessed with the Seattle Supersonics, I genuinely feel awful for the people of St. Louis who recently lost their football team to Los Angeles (even if it is the Rams’ former home). By the way, when owner Stan Kroenke was nominated for Sports Business Journal’s ‘Executive of the Year’ for 2016, reaction from the sports community was swift and just: “Putting Kroenke on this list is a true measure of your org’s total incompetence. Are you backing Kim Jong-un as well?”[1] Anyways, I digress, but I couldn’t write this piece with good conscience without acknowledging that for the people of St. Louis.
For once, however, Seattle fans will benefit from a team’s relocation. Now the NFC West rivals that love to play spoiler will actually be in the west (a very short flight from the Pacific Northwest, mind you). Still ironing out their move (the team just agreed to terms for a temporary training base at Cal Lutheran University yesterday), the Rams will spend the next three seasons in the Los Angeles Coliseum, a stadium rooted in history (with, albeit, uncomfortable seats) before they move into their controversial new Inglewood stadium in 2019. Here’s why you should take advantage of the Rams’ move and start planning your visit to the Seahawks’ first away game in L.A:
The Weather:
While this mostly goes without saying, the weather in L.A. is great during football season. Average temperatures range from 81 degrees Fahrenheit in September to 66 degrees Fahrenheit in December. Even when the rare storm rolls in, it usually passes through pretty swiftly. You won’t have to pack your fleece, down jacket, or rain coat for the game. Just your jersey and maybe a sweater.
The Coliseum:
The famed USC Trojan football team calls this stadium home, but did you know it housed the very first ever Super Bowl? Opened in 1923, the Coliseum has also played host to two Olympiads (X and XXIII), the 1959 World Series, a Papal Mass, visits from JFK, Tricky Dick and Ronald Reagan, and pretty much every historically influential rock band save for the Beatles. In 1984, it was declared a State and Federal Landmark. The L.A. 2024 Olympic Committee is also hopeful the Rams using the facility will contribute to upgrades as they plan to use the Coliseum once again should the city be awarded that bid. Beyond the historical value, the energy will likely be high at the venue the Rams used to call home until 1981. In an age of obsession over state-of-the-art everything and tear-down culture, this Coliseum is a breath of fresh air.
Affordability:
Los Angeles certainly has its reputation for the finer things, but if you play your cards right, it’s actually quite an affordable place. Alaska, Delta and Virgin America Airlines all have very reasonably-priced R/T tickets to Los Angeles from Seattle and Portland (try using a Kayak alert or sign up for deal alerts through the airlines themselves). L.A. has several major airports that service the area, so be sure to include area airports when you search for tickets. Car rentals are also cheap, but you have the MetroLink, Uber, and other rideshare options at your disposal. After recently relocating to L.A, I was surprised how affordable it was to use Lyft/Uber in this city of cars. If you don’t feel like staying downtown, you can save money on a hotel and opt for a neighborhood rental. Food is also incredibly affordable here, which a lot of people might not expect. With its distinct cultural neighborhoods (i.e. Thai Town and Koreatown), there is no end to delicious grub without a hefty price tag. Additionally, L.A.’s Grand Central Market in Downtown has been offering the hungry countless options under one roof since 1917, before it became a “foodie” thing. Man, I really hate the word “foodie.” Finally, there’s a good chance tickets to the game will be cheaper (or comparable) to those at Centurylink with a Coliseum capacity of around 93,600 seats (who knows, L.A. is notorious for fair-weather fans that might choose to stay home depending on the season’s disposition at that point).
Eclectic Activities:
In my opinion, L.A. gets a bad reputation for being one-dimensional: tinseltown. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. There is something for everybody here; unlike some of the other away-game destinations, you can bring the whole family even if they aren’t all going to the game. From the burgeoning craft beer scene, to art museums (LACMA and the Getty to name a few), to endless hiking options, to beaches, to theme parks and new restaurants/sidewalk cafes/flea markets … you’ll have no trouble entertaining yourself outside of game day.
Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster, NFL Ticket Exchange and the Coliseum website. More than 56,000 season ticket deposits have been received (meaning there will likely be plenty available on the secondary market). I suggest you keep an eye out for single-game tickets that will be released in late July, according to the L.A. Rams’ website.
[1] From @Titansffaan twitter account.
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