{"id":5658,"date":"2025-06-22T16:38:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T16:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5658\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T16:38:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T16:38:15","slug":"rams-arent-just-trying-to-win-over-l-a-they-strive-to-be-the-worlds-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5658\/","title":{"rendered":"Rams aren’t just trying to win over L.A. They strive to be ‘the world’s team’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rams<\/a> returned to Southern California nearly a decade ago intent on capturing the heart of NFL fans in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Now, with two Super Bowl appearances, one championship<\/a> and a still glistening-like SoFi Stadium<\/a>, they have their eyes set on a larger territory: the world.<\/p>\n

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The Rams’ trip to Maui last week for a minicamp<\/a> was their latest foray into building a global brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the journey to growing your brand globally, there\u2019s never an \u2018Aha, this is a perfect moment,\u2019\u201d Rams president Kevin Demoff<\/a> said as he stood on the field at War Memorial Stadium after a workout attended by several thousand fans. \u201cBut I think this is a great step.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rams\u2019 reach is expanding well beyond the United States.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Puka Nacua’s rapid ascent an inspiration to Polynesian athletes and Hawaiian fans<\/a><\/p>\n

As part of the NFL\u2019s Global Markets Program<\/a>, the Rams in the last decade were granted rights in Mexico, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

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In February, the NFL announced that the Rams in 2026 would be the home team for the first NFL regular-season game in Australia. The game against a still-to-be determined opponent will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner,<\/a> offensive lineman Steve Avila and tight end Davis Allen left Hawaii to travel to Melbourne for a family-friendly fan combine that was expected to draw thousands at Margaret Court Arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many many people travel to L.A. and we have many of our international fans come to a game at SoFi every year, putting it in somebody\u2019s backyard makes it that much more accessible,\u201d said Stephanie Cheng, the Rams\u2019 head of international and special projects.<\/p>\n

The Rams have sent ambassadors abroad before. Former running backs Steven Jackson and Todd Gurley made trips, and former safety Nick Scott accompanied the Super Bowl LVI trophy on a tour of Australia and Mexico.<\/p>\n

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Last March, safety Quentin Lake visited Japan. Though he was not there in an official capacity with the Rams, the fourth-year pro attended fashion week, an Ohtani-crazed Dodgers game against the Cubs and participated in other cultural activities.<\/p>\n

Lake\u2019s father, Carnell, a former NFL safety, played a 1996 exhibition game for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Chargers at the Tokyo Dome.<\/p>\n

During Lake\u2019s own trip, he worked out with Tokyo University defensive backs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would think in Japan, they don\u2019t know football over there,\u201d Lake said. \u201cBut they were doing drills and I was genuinely impressed. They\u2019re playing football there in pads and helmets and I was like, this is insane. … That really gave me an appreciation that football is expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rams<\/p>\n

Rams safety Quentin Lake recently got a taste of how popular football is in Japan. (Ryan Sun \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Jamison Collier, who describes herself as \u201cjust a super fan,\u201d serves on the Rams’ fan council in Australia.<\/p>\n

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Collier\u2019s husband, Zachariah Sepulveda, grew up in Orange County, \u201cso his whole family supports the Rams,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The couple played together on a mixed rugby team. But one day, after seeing a team playing American football, Sepulveda decided he wanted to play. After one season, he encouraged his wife to try a training session.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hooked,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata<\/a>, an Australian who grew up playing rugby, made it to the NFL through the league\u2019s International Player Pathway Program. Now, he is a Super Bowl champion.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Rams primed to be Super Bowl contenders, but two critical areas of concern remain<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Rams\u2019 scheduled game in Australia has created new fans, Collier said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Jordan Mailata play for the Philadelphia Eagles was a great way for the league to get exposure in Australia,\u201d Collier said. \u201cBut the Rams have really capitalized on that by being, \u2018Oh, well, look at that, we\u2019re going to come play.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo people that were kind of just getting their foot in the door of watching the game have gone, \u2018OK, well I don\u2019t have a team. The Rams are coming. They\u2019re my team,\u2019 which is how a lot of people tend to get into a team. Over here, it\u2019s one that\u2019s close to your home, or the first game you go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rams are not the only team expanding their brand in Australia. The Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks and the Las Vegas Raiders also have marketing rights.<\/p>\n

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Read more:<\/b> Rams’ new headquarters to be centerpiece of ambitious Warner Center development project<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlotte Offord, general manager of NFL Australia and New Zealand, said the NFL fan base has grown from 5.7 million to 7.5 million in nearly three years.<\/p>\n

The Rams were the first team to open the market, and have grown it through player appearances, social media channels, books, watch parties, flag football and cheerleading clinics.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralian fans love sports so much, but they want the authentic product,\u201d Offord said. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s not about an Australian talking about the Rams to another Australian. They want an American voice. They want the authentic players, the real players… which really brings to life the Rams brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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By setting up a Super Bowl watch party in Australia a few years ago, and then winning the game, the Rams \u201ccouldn\u2019t have asked for a better entry into the market,\u201d said Lucas Barclay, vice president and general manager of the 160over90 agency that helps market the Rams.<\/p>\n

And Los Angeles as the \u201cgateway\u201d to the United States for Australians taking direct flights also gives the Rams an advantage, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of people fly through L.A.,\u201d he said, \u201cand therefore L.A.\u2019s become known as that team, that if you\u2019re going to an NFL game or want to start to discover or uncover the NFL, then the Rams themselves are the team to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Rams prepare for their 10th season in L.A. since returning, they are anticipating another potential Super Bowl run.<\/p>\n

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Demoff noted that the fans who wore Rams T-shirts and jerseys as 5-year-olds in 2016 are now teenagers. In 10 years, those fans could be season-ticket holders to see the Rams play at a stadium that will also host the World Cup<\/a> next year and the 2028 Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Rams’ chances of trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey appear to be fading<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you look at the first decade and say, \u2018Check, we did that,\u2019\u201d Demoff said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had amazing growth, and when I look at all our metrics in terms of fandom and growth, I would say they\u2019re certainly where we had hoped they would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I still think we can push for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Locally and globally.<\/p>\n

The goal is to be \u201cthe world\u2019s team,\u201d Demoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be truly part of Los Angeles, you have to be part of the globe,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd as we\u2019ve looked at our international efforts, we\u2019re excited about the foothold and what we\u2019re trying to gain, but there\u2019s a lot more work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.<\/a><\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Rams returned to Southern California nearly a decade ago intent on capturing the heart of NFL fans…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[7140,4740,1582,276,7151,7145,7146,7141,7139,7143,2961,535,224,5337,1232,7150,1105,1545,7148,7138,7149,7147,7144,7137,7142],"class_list":{"0":"post-5658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-arizona-cardinals","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-chargers","13":"tag-davis-allen","14":"tag-jared-verse","15":"tag-jordan-mailata","16":"tag-kevin-demoff","17":"tag-kobie-turner","18":"tag-la","19":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","20":"tag-los-angeles","21":"tag-losangeles","22":"tag-nfl","23":"tag-nick-scott","24":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","25":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","26":"tag-quentin-lake","27":"tag-rams","28":"tag-seattle-seahawks","29":"tag-steve-avila","30":"tag-steven-jackson","31":"tag-the-rams","32":"tag-todd-gurley"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114728003431134950","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}