Primetime Atmosphere in LA vs Baltimore

I saw some comments in another thread discussing how “packed” SoFi was, or was not last night for their primetime SNF game.

As I was fortunate enough to have been at both last week’s game vs Cincinnati, and this week’s game @ LA, I thought I’d just let these photos I took of the crowd speak for themselves.

Fair to point out that one is the home side and one is the away side, but this gives a rough idea of what the rest of the sections were like.

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Some other observations comparing both stadiums & experiences…

The Cincinnati game last week was one of the most electric sports events I’ve ever been to. The crowd was loud enough every defensive play that my buddy and I couldn’t hear each other (mostly resorted to facial expressions and high fives as means of communication that whole game).

The contrast of the LA game was…stark. I came in knowing (based on hearing about other games) that there would be a large visiting team presence, and that was certainly the case. I’d say it was about a 70/30 (maybe 65/35) split of LA to Baltimore fans.

The thing that really got me was how silent the place was on most Ravens offensive drives. The only time the home crowd got even remotely rowdy was after the missed FG by Tucker and Herbert’s long run. Besides that, the crowds only got engaged when heavily encouraged by the announcers. It felt really forced.

I realized something about halfway through though. They do a lot more fan engagement and a lot more interacting with the crowds. While this initially came off a bit “minor league”, I would bet that this is part of their strategy for building up a bigger/loyal fan base. The more people feel like they are a part of the action, the more likely they are to come back, buy merch, watch games, etc. So I can see why they are really over the top with that. At least that’s my theory?

As for the stadium itself…holy hell that thing is an infrastructural marvel. I was blown away by the whole place. Felt really open, great landscaping, good views, lots of modern amenities etc. I definitely understand the hype.

A bit torn on the massive “jumbotron-ring”; it was odd sitting in the upper section and not being able to see across to the other side of the stadium. It was a bit in your face up there too, which was sometimes distracting during the game.

I digress… Very different experiences at two very different facilities. Hope that the Chargers/Rams can build that fan base up and get that place rocking like the Bank the previous Thursday night!