The Chargers and Rams 'Fight for LA' match featured an embarrassing low attendance, leaving many to wonder if this is a troubling sign for football.
Although the Rams claimed to have sold 58,561 tickets for the preseason game, the meager crowd that showed up to support the two teams on Saturday was significantly smaller Total Pro Sports noted.
Images of the scant crowd were posted on Twitter.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego-Union Tribune remarked on how The Chargers were greeted by boos from the mostly empty stadium as they ran onto the field to the song "Why Can’t We Be Friends?"
By the end of the game, the Chargers managed to edge the Rams 21-19 however, the focus was more on the poor attendance and less on the final score.
"The Rams know well the fight for L.A," wrote Acee. "They were the prodigal sons, welcomed home last year with a warm embrace and kisses on the cheek, and they found out how quickly L.A. gets bored."
Rams president Kevin Demoff told The San Diego-Union Tribune that there were 10 major teams and two major universities in the area.
"You have to be entertaining – and relentlessly so," he said.
While the crowd may be a tough sell, critics have previously warned fans not to judge attendance on percentage alone.
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports noted that, although the Rams only filled 89.4 percent of their capacity last year, they had one of the largest stadiums in NFL to fill with a potential market of over 4 million people.
"If the Rams didn’t rank that high, there would be a serious issue," he wrote.
Business Insider pointed out that the Chargers preseason games in 2016 drew crowds of 46,000 and 47,000 however, a team new to the market could struggle with initial attendance, especially with preseason games.