I have written before about how hard I took the abrupt exit by the NFL’s Rams and Raiders from Los Angeles. Well, mostly the Raiders, as they were my team. 
I did like the Rams and their air attack and subsequent run game with Bettis, but I wasn’t as drawn to them. I attended Raider games as a kid at the LA Coliseum but never once attended a Ram game down in Anaheim. However, I love my LA and felt like those two teams insulted and betrayed it when they both bailed seemingly overnight.
When both teams left, I was living in New York City. When I heard the news, I threw away my Raider hat, bought an LA Kings hat and never looked back. I have hated the Raiders and Rams ever since, wishing them both continuous failures. For the most part (damn Super Bowl XXXIV), I’ve been a happy camper!
So close! Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23, Titans 16
Although I did put up with the Rams winning in ’99, I never hated them like the Raiders. That magical season of “The Greatest Show on Turf” was actually fun to watch. Kurt Warner’s story (besides the religious mumbo-jumbo) was a nice touch. However, I was rooting for Air McNair and the Titans all the way until that final tackle that gave the Rams their first Super Bowl, but I wasn’t really crushed they won.
2004: FB founded, last year Rams made playoffs
Even more fun to watch were the losses by the Rams and Raiders in their Super Bowl appearance after 1999. I was cheering for the New England Patriots, who beat the Rams, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, being led by Oakland’s former coach Jon Gruden, who beat the Raiders. I recorded both games (VCR back then) and watched them with joy, over and over and over again. Although I did like Raider QB Rich
Gannon, S Rod Woodson from his Steeler days and and of course, WR Tim Brown (I got to see him play while the Raiders were still in LA) and all-time great WR Jerry Rice, I still didn’t want them to win. I think I would have taken a Raider win way harder than another Ram win, so I am very glad that both lost.
To make things even better, the years after each team’s appearance at the Super Bowl have not been kind to them. Neither team has performed, with the Raiders failing to advance to the playoffs 13 years in a row (2nd longest active streak) and the Rams failing to advance to the playoffs 11 years in a row (4th longest active streak).
Tampa Bay Bucs 48, Oakland Raiders 21
NE Pats 20, St. Louis Rams 17
I differ from most fans in that I mainly follow players, even before my teams were gone. I was an LA Raider and Ram fan, but I didn’t own a single player jersey, just an LA Raider hat. By contrast, I had a #13 Dan Marino jersey and a #56 Lawrence Taylor t-shirt and jersey (my days of buying gear with other people’s names on it are loooong gone!). That’s not to say I didn’t like any Raiders or Rams, as back then they had Howie Long, Bo Jackson, Chris, I mean, Jim Everett, Jackie Slater and later Jerome Bettis and Kevin Greene. Still, none of those players incited a jersey purchase.
For the last decade or so, I’ve been a big Tom Brady and Bill Belichick fan (no, I don’t own any NE / Brady gear), so I follow the Pats. I’m a fan of the ruthlessness they display on and off the field and I like that they are so hated by everyone else. Also, I’ve been following Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. I have a soft spot for blighted cities, so I also wish Detroit more success. Still, once Brady and Brees retire, I won’t care for the Pats or Saints.
Yeah, I’m not your typical or desired fan. I watch for free on TV (well, I do have cable so I pay something), I don’t buy any branded gear and obviously, since we didn’t have a team, I don’t attend games and I don’t subscribe to any NFL packages.
But now, concussion league, I mean, NFL Football is back in LA! We are getting the current St. Louis Rams back in time for the 2016 season and a 2nd team, either the San Diego Chargers or the Oakland Raiders, who will join them over at the new Inglewood stadium once it is constructed.
Obviously my choice is for the Chargers to join the Rams, not the Raiders. I don’t have a choice with the Rams and I’m not over the Raiders moving away in ’95!
Still, it doesn’t appear like I’ll have to worry about the Raiders coming back. By all accounts, it’s looking more like LA will have the Chargers back, so I’m glad about that. Besides, who the hell wants to see adults dress up like Halloween idiots at home Raider games?
Halloween is over, clowns!
Will I attend games at the LA Coliseum or once the new Inglewood stadium is built? Hmm… perhaps. I might attend a game or two just to say I went. However, as someone who’s been to professional fights, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NFL games in person, I must say, nothing beats TV.
The coverage for professional sporting events is now so good that bothering to attend games doesn’t appeal to me. TV coverage comes with instant replays, zooms and all kind of different angles. Plus, and again this makes me one of those weird fans, I don’t watch games live. I record them on my DVR and watch once the games are over or close to ending. I avoid social media and news sites so as to not know the scores.
So, instead of spending all Sunday watching a 3 1/2 hour or longer game or two, I’ll zoom through the DVR and catch 2 or 3 games in less than a few hours. Why? Because I hate commercials and all that dead air time between plays, time outs and injuries.
So, welcome back LA Rams and soon, welcome back LA Chargers! Hopefully you won’t suck as bad in Los Angeles as you have in St. Louis and San Diego for so long. Also, I hope both teams get new uniform designs that look good so that I can enjoy them on TV. Some are even calling for the Chargers to change their name if the decide to join the Rams in Inglewood (which we all know is going to happen). Personally, I like the name and logo, so that won’t matter to me. However, new uniforms would be a nice touch. The word on the Rams is that they will be debuting new uniforms for either their first season back in LA or in 2019, when their stadium is completed.
Rams will debut new uniforms for either 1st season in LA or when their stadium opens.
For now, I’ll be cheering for the Pats to get Brady his 5th ring (here’s my recap of last year’s Super Bowl) or as a consolation prize, that the Panthers can get Cam his 1st. As for the Raiders, may they stay in Oakland and keep that last place slot in the AFC West filled.
4 rings for Brady… what’s 1 more?
*** Rumor that I’m starting has it that Raiders have done such a good job of sucking so bad that the NFL is considering writing “Raiders” on last place slots in all conferences with a permanent marker.***
