When the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, Kyle Shanahan’s offense won’t be the only thing that they have to defend in primetime: Once again, the topic of the Niners having a “homefield advantage” in Los Angeles is going to be up for discussion. That debate is starting up on Tuesday with a report by Vivid Seats that 49ers fans will represent 61% of the attendance on Thursday.
Did the Rams give up their homefield advantage when they moved homes?
In L.A.’s last eight home games at SoFi stadium against the 49ers, the Rams have a 3-5 record, including that NFC Championship win over San Francisco a few years ago.
Last September, the Rams beat the 49ers 27-24 at SoFi Stadium, coming back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to stun the home crowd. This was the scene that day:
In almost the exact same report, the 49ers were said to have bought 62% of the tickets for the game. Niners beat writer David Lombardi said that it was way more than that and estimated at least 80% once he saw the actual crowd, something else that was tweeted from a mostly-red point of view:
“And when you come out to the pregame, everyone’s wearing red. Like, the lower bowl is already filled up and everybody in the stadium’s wearing red. I’m like, ‘Yo, this is supposed to be our first home game.’ And everybody’s like, ‘Get used to it. When we play the Niners, everybody shows up wearing red.’ Just a sea of red. It was crazy. Come out and do the intros and it’s like, ‘Are people cheering or is everybody booing?’ It’s just random noise and like, ‘Boooo.’ I’m like, ‘What the heck? It doesn’t feel right.’ Because in high school, in college at BYU home games, you go to some crazy stadiums, but this is our home field. Everybody is wearing the opposite color of what we’re supposed to be wearing. But the intro, I remember, took me for a whirlwind of being like, ‘Yo, they just called my name and we just got booed.’ Our whole intro, everybody got booed. ‘This can’t be real, right?’””
If the estimate is 61% 49ers fans now, that probably means that the crowd will look similar to how it did in 2024.
Is this an unfair disadvantage to the Rams? Is there anything that they can do about it? Should sellers restrict the number of 49ers fans who are allowed to buy tickets to the game or should Rams fans be more proactive in attending home games against the 49ers? Does this hurt L.A.’s chances of winning the game — and the division — every year?
What do you think of the disparity of Rams fans at Rams home games against the 49ers?
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