Tangled shades of blue flooded the SoFi Stadium concourse. Powder blue jerseys brushed past royal blue horns in burger lines. Bolt-painted faces mingled with fans in throwback Rams gold.
“Whose house?” blared the stadium announcer.
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“Rams House!” much of the crowd replied.
Though in pockets of powder blue, the response came with a shrug, or with nothing at all.
That question — whose team truly owns the Los Angeles pro football market — lingers nearly a decade after the Rams and the Chargers settled into the city’s football landscape.
The Rams, who won a Super Bowl title in 2022, sport a polish that no argument over fan bases can scrub away. Meanwhile, the Chargers’ growing base insists this is just as much their town.
Read more: Rams mum on whether Matthew Stafford worked out: Takeaways from preseason win
During the Rams’ 23-22 victory Saturday, the score felt secondary to the fans staking out territory.
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Jerry Quinones, 59, is a four-year Chargers season ticket holder. A retired first responder, he rarely misses a home game. But even from his usual seat in section 330, he acknowledged the nuance between the teams.
“Rams got more of a family base,” Quinones said. “I wish the Chargers [would] have it, but they don’t. They got cheerleaders, we don’t.”
Three levels below, on the field-level patio behind the end zone, Rams fan Gill Marquez, 25, yanked proudly at his Britain Covey jersey and repeated, “We run L.A.”
“It means a lot to be a Rams fan,” Marquez said. “I feel it deep down in my soul. We brought a championship to L.A. and that made a great point that we’re the real team here.”
Rams fan Gill Marquez, left, and Chargers fan Eric Robles show their support for their respective teams during a preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Saturday. (Ira Gorawara / Los Angeles Times)
Not every Rams fan put it quite so forcefully. Bob Gerard said he moved to L.A. from Chicago and hitched onto the Rams when they returned in 2016. The 58-year-old, who donned a Puka Nacua jersey, joked that he’s fine letting the Chargers crash at SoFi — so long as the arrangement isn’t mistaken.
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“It’s actually the Rams’ house,” Gerard said, “we just kind of Airbnb it out to [the Chargers] every other weekend.’”
Chase Hay, outfitted in a palm-patterned Hawaiian shirt splashed with Rams logos, cut a looser figure while chatting with Chargers and Rams fans at the field level bar. For Hay, 36, the Rams are a family tradition more than a rivalry — a team he stuck with because of his grandfather, and one he believes can share the city without losing its roots.
Read more: With Chargers back in San Diego, players hope to win back their traditional fan base
“Being NFC and AFC, there’s a lot of room to coexist with both of us here — until we’re playing each other,” said Hay, a marketing professional. “But I don’t see the Chargers as a threat.”
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Eric Robles, 22, said his answer to “Whose house?” comes from two hours south. The San Diego native, wearing a Justin Herbert jersey, stood as Rams fans cracked jokes around him, his lifelong allegiance rooted in the Chargers’ past — and Herbert, who he said is the team’s future.
Herbert, the Chargers’ star quarterback, is a resounding reason for Chargers fans to trust in the trajectory of their club.
Read more: Quentin Johnston carted off after big hit: Takeaways from Chargers’ preseason loss
Ed Kim had a powder-blue flag wrapped around his shoulders, the Chargers’ lightning bolt stretching across his back.
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“We’re the greatest organization in Los Angeles right now,” he said. “The Rams are the Clippers of Los Angeles — they’re second fiddle to us. Because we have the greatest quarterback in Justin Herbert. So basically, we’re the alphas.”
If Kim brought conviction, Angel Herrera brought theater: he was dressed in a gleaming blue-and-gold luchador mask, a flowing Chargers cape and a thick chain of metallic beads in Chargers colors. A heavy WWE championship belt hung over his No. 97 jersey.
By halftime, he had posed for close to 30 photos with young Chargers fans.
Chargers fan Angel Herrera says L.A. is a Rams town, but is hopeful Justin Herbert can lead the Chargers to greatness. (Ira Gorawara / Los Angeles Times)
“Honest truth, L.A. is more of a Rams town — only because they recently won,” Herrera said. “It’s gonna be a long route before more Chargers fans come around, but it’s gonna happen. We got Herbert, so it’s not gonna be that long.”
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As fans streamed out of the stadium, the debate continued. Some might point to Super Bowl banners and shout, “Rams House!” Others might shake their heads, trusting San Diego roots and Herbert’s promise.
For now, it’s a house divided, but one with room for all.
Read more: Rams aren’t just trying to win over L.A. They strive to be ‘the world’s team’
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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