Rams remain hopeful for fans to attend games at SoFi Stadium this season

Teams in 18 NFL cities have limited amount of fans at home games

Los Angeles Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff answered a wide range of team-related topics in this recent conversation with the team’s play-by-play announcer J. B. Long.

Among the questions asked, Demoff addressed the possibility of fans attending games at the newly opened SoFi Stadium this year.

With Los Angeles County still in the state’s most restrictive purple tier and COVID-19 cases spiking around the country, Demoff acknowledged the most likely scenario is fans not attending games until the 2021 season.

However, even though it will be uphill climb to meet state guidelines on reopening stadiums, Demoff holds out hope that fans can attend games at some point during the second half of the year, or perhaps if the Rams reach the postseason.

Currently, 18 NFL teams are allowing a limited amount of fans into stadiums on game days.

The Rams were given permission by L.A. County health officials to allow select season ticket holders to peruse the team store onsite on game days.

“If you’re looking through a crystal ball, it’s hard to say with cases rising across the country, with record numbers each day” Demoff said about fans attending games. “Can we flatten the curve and go from purple to orange? Maybe. I think it’s one of those great things where we have four home games after Thanksgiving, so at least that gives us a shot to get fans in.

“Maybe if we’re fortunate enough to get into the playoffs and host a game, you could get there. And we’re preparing each day like we have a chance to get fans in through December. If we can, we would love to do it.”

Demoff also was asked if the Rams have found a site to build a permanent headquarters after being temporarily located at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks since moving back to Los Angeles in 2016.

“Trying to fine 40 or 50 acres for a practice facility of undisturbed, properly entitled land right now is not easy in Southern California,” Demoff said. “And then trying to factor in where is it convenient for employees? Where it the right place for the community and our fans? And trying to balance all of that.

“We continue to make some progress. I certainly thought by the end of 2020 we would be well under construction, but unfortunately that has not been the case. Fingers crossed, we have a path on a few, different options that we’re focused on.”

On the play of quarterback Jared Goff, Demoff believes the Cal product has been unfairly blamed for the team’s recent struggles.

“People always want to pin the highs and lows of a season on a quarterback,” Demoff said. “And I think Jared is so unfairly evaluated game to game, week to week. You have good games where you put up great numbers, you don’t turn the ball over and people are disappointed that we didn’t throw it deep – we didn’t do those things.

“You lose a game in Buffalo where he plays great and brings us back. The quarterback is always such a flashpoint for every team. You see it all over the NFL. And I also think we’re spoiled in this day where you see the great play day in and day out [EW1] Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and people want every team’s quarterback to play at that level.

“We’re so fortunate to have Jared, have the stability he brings, the talent. He’s had a great start to the season. Sure, he’s had a couple, uneven performances that he would want better, but I think that’s probably true for every player on our roster through eight games.”

Demoff also talked about the new uniforms, saying that bone-color combo remains a favorite among players, and the Rams will continue to wear the blue jerseys and “sol” pants as the home combinations, including next week against the Seattle Seahawks.

As to what the Rams will do on the uniform front in 2021, Demoff had this to say:

“We’re still talking with Nike and the NFL about version three, version four,” Demoff said. “The fact that we held back those two, uniform combos for the future, those will be something we look at after the season and talk about, but no real update on those right now.

“But we plan to roll those out in the coming years. If we do one, it will be one next year and one the following year, or some combination. Our goal hopefully is we can get to the point where maybe we unveil a new uniform every year, either the way we space it out, or if the NFL or Nike changes those rules. Maybe more of a European soccer model where you come up with that alternate jersey every year.”