LOS ANGELES, CA – The Rams first left the city of Los Angeles simply because professional football didn’t quite seem to “work” there.
Just two preseason games in on the second attempt, and the worst fears of the team are already showing signs of fruition.
The team’s opening preseason game at the LA Coliseum was packed with fans, setting the mark for the most attended preseason game in American sports history, with 92,000 fans. Though at face value it seems nice, the stadium’s attendance on game day doesn’t nearly measure up to the viewer ship by fans watching on television on home.
Via STLtoday –
The Rams’ new home market barely beat the one it just departed in terms of ratings for the club’s game on Saturday night, against Kansas City.
The telecast was seen in 3.4 percent of homes with a TV in the Los Angeles market, only slightly ahead of the 3.2 figure in St. Louis. That’s according to Nielsen, which tabulates ratings. It’s a major fall in LA over the previous week, when the rating for the team’s first game there in 22 seasons was 6.9.
Meanwhile, there was a significant increase in St. Louis — the first contest, against Dallas, had a 2.3 figure. The opener was on ESPN, Saturday’s game on KMOV (Channel 4).
And the rating Saturday in Los Angeles was far below what the Rams were drawing on St. Louis TV for exhibition contests. In the last five years, the lowest Rams rating during the preseason was 6.7.
