2017-Present - McVay's run

Welcome Aboard! A Crash Course to Bandwagoning the L.A. Rams

Millions of people everyday choose their favorite sports team. Many factors go into making this life changing decision. Location, logo, uniforms, color scheme, star players, who sells the best popcorn, team success, numerous celebrity endorsements, are among the many influential factors. Sometimes people make this decision blindly, but it is a decision that should take a ton of thought and consideration.

Look, if you’re choosing a favorite NFL team in 2018, there’s really only one option: The Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have a new city, new color scheme, new players and new fans. You’ll fit right in! Walk through my hypothetical conversation with a newly minted L.A. Rams fan and learn the basics on what it takes to join the Ramily.

It’s time for me to settle on my favorite NFL team, and I’m leaning towards the Rams. Why should I jump aboard the bandwagon now?

First of all, welcome aboard! We just pulled the Rams bandwagon out of the garage it had been collecting dust in for the last 13 years, and were happy to have new fans on board. You’ve come at the right time.

The Rams just finished their second season back in Los Angeles and won their first division title in 13 years. They have the reigning NFL offensive and defensive players of the year in Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald. They have the 2016 number one overall pick, Jared Goff, running the show on offense. Head coach Sean McVay became the youngest coach in modern NFL history last year, and won NFL Coach of the Year after his first season.

The Rams are the hottest team in the NFL, and EVERYONE wants to be a part of it. The city of Los Angeles have embraced the Rams as the only NFL team in Los Angeles*. All-Pro players like Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh willingly joined the squad this year without being overpaid. The Rams have a winning culture that makes for a great experience for fans and players alike. Just like Suh, you’ve chosen the right place?

Wow, it sounds like the Rams are really on the rise! How do I avoid being called a front-runner by my friends?

The easiest solution here is to say that you became a fan when the team returned to Los Angeles. Whether you’re from the L.A. area or not, this was the simplest time to become a Rams fan. Your friends will now understand that you lived through the dreadful 2016 season and got to experience a few games of Fisherball. Outside of 1999 Tennessee Titans fans, nobody has ever been called a bandwagoner for following a team coached by Jeff Fisher.

But I really don’t have any ties to Los Angeles. I don’t know if people will believe me. What can I say so people think I’ve always been a Rams fan?

There’s a ton of things you can say to showcase how hardcore of a Rams fan you are. Here are 10 things you can say to fit right in amongst the longtime Rams faithful.

  1. It’s a damn shame Torry Holt hasn’t even been a Hall of Fame finalist yet.
  2. If Steven Jackson was drafted by an actual football team, he’d be considered one of the best running backs in NFL history.
  3. Odell Beckham Jr. is a good player, but do you think he’ll ever have over 300 yards in a single game? No? Then he isn’t better than Willie “Flipper” Anderson.
  4. The Rams literally invented the term “sack.”
  5. Trent Green died so we could live.
  6. I really thought Donnie Avery was going to be an elite receiver.
  7. If the Patriots never filmed our walkthroughs before Super Bowl XXXVI, Tom Brady wouldn’t have ever won a championship.
  8. The Rams need to go back to the yellow and blue color scheme, like, as soon as possible!
  9. Did you know that the Rams actually originated in Cleveland?
  10. Yes, I watched the Keith Null game.

Wait, who’s Keith Null?

Keith Null was Nathan Peterman before Nathan Peterman.

Got it. What are some fun facts I should know about the current roster?

Lucky for you, the Rams have one of the most fun rosters in the NFL! Lets run through the team’s best players.

Wow, what a squad! It seems like I understand all the positives about the team. How would an average Rams fan react when the team plays poorly?

Like any die-hard fan, when the Rams struggle, the key is to overreact as much as possible. Tweet something negative with the hashtag SOSAR. When Goff plays bad, call him a bust or claim we should have kept Case Keenum instead. When the defense plays bad, claim that you always knew all these new personalities would never mesh and that we should have just kept Alec Ogletree and Kayvon Webster. When you aren’t sure what the problem is, just say that you CANNOT BELIEVE that Tavon Austin is still on the team!

Will the long-time Rams fans not be willing to accept bandwagon fans like me?

Ha. Ha. Ha. If you told me even two years ago that my beloved Rams would be able to attract bandwagon fans anytime soon, I would have sent you to an insane asylum. The Rams we’re the laughing stock of the NFL for 13 years. Some may claim that if you didn’t have to live through the struggle you shouldn’t be able to reap the reward, but not me. I wouldn’t wish the last 13 years on my worst enemy. Well, except the Seahawks.

Steve Rebeiro is a staff writer and podcast host for Rams Talk. He is an alumni of Marquette University. For more of his opinions, follow him on Twitter here.

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