Ram Digest

Rams COO Kevin Demoff Sees Super Bowl LVI as 'Unprecedented Opportunity' to Enhance Fan Base

How do the Rams view Super Bowl LVI impacting the growth of their fan base in Los Angeles?

Nicholas Cothrel

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When the Rams returned back to Los Angeles from St. Louis, they knew there would be a transition period of getting NFL fans in the L.A. market drawn back toward the Rams after a 22-year absence from the market.

But Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff believes the team is in position to eventually be put into the same conversation alongside the historic brands of the Lakers and Dodgers. However, he did notate that it will be a process that develops over the long haul – not an overnight turnaround.

"I absolutely believe that we can be at the level the Dodgers and Lakers have been and continue to be," Demoff said Wednesday while speaking with reporters via a videoconference call. "But those teams have (had) decades of success and championships and building a fan base and building a deep, multicultural fan base."

Certainly, winning Super Bowl LVI will help draw in the younger generation, but Demoff explained that there's more to it than just this season.

"You cannot get to be at the pinnacle of this market by having one great season," he said. "You get to the pinnacle of this market by having great season after great season after great decade after great decade – and building fans and generations of fans with that. That only comes with sustained success and sustained investment in the market, in the community, in schools. Building relationships. That's not overnight."

For the first time since its opening last season, the Rams were able to allow fans inside their new state-of-the-art venue that is SoFi Stadium, the $5 billion project that owner Stan Kroenke assembled.

The Rams are on the brink of becoming just the second team to host a Super Bowl inside their home stadium, following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who held Super Bowl LV last season at their very own Raymond James Stadium.

"I think it's an unprecedented opportunity for the Los Angeles Rams," Demoff said of having the ability to host the Super Bowl while playing in the big game. "When you get a chance to play in the Super Bowl, that always helps win fans' hearts and minds. When you get a chance to host a Super Bowl, that obviously helps elevate your brand, the SoFi Stadium brand, the NFL in Los Angeles as a whole. When you combine those two, it's an unbelievably powerful mix to develop that next generation of fandom."

According to the NFL, nearly 100 million unique viewers tuned in for Championship Sunday across the league's two games that featured the Bengals at the Chiefs and the 49ers at the Rams.

Demoff particularly pointed out the local viewing audience, stating that close to two million people of the Los Angeles area watched the Rams game last Sunday.

"That still means that 18 million Angelenos weren't," Demoff said. "So I think that's the challenge of the organization – how do you continue to make those inroads?"

Ultimately, the Rams are realistic in where they stand regarding the popularity among the cities sports teams that feature some of the biggest brands. But they're also optimistic in their approach in which they foresee the growth of the organization going up from here as the younger generation becomes more equipped to the franchise playing in this market that they’ve returned to, while also fielding a highly competitive team that is no stranger to competing for a championship.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

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Nicholas Cothrel
NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.

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