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Rams try to bring fans back
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/03/2010
Four seasons into the Rams move to St. Louis, the bloom had worn off the horns. In 1998, the Rams were in the midst of their fourth consecutive losing season, and the needle was pointing down. Team management and various sponsors bought up thousands of tickets to keep the team's sellout streak alive
Entering the 1999 season, it was nip-and-tuck to get the season opener against Baltimore televised locally. But just when things had reached a critical stage between the Rams and their fans, the gridiron miracle that was the Greatest Show on Turf rocketed the team to national prominence.
More than a decade later, the Rams and their fans have reached another crossroads. The team is in the midst of a 6-41 free fall, hasn't had a winning season since 2003, and blackouts are becoming more commonplace.
Sunday's season finale against San Francisco will be blacked out locally after falling far short of NFL sellout requirements. It's the third consecutive home game blacked out this season. Beginning with the 2006 home finale against Washington, nine of 25 regular-season home games have not made local television.
During the height of the Greatest Show, the Rams used to brag — privately — that they didn't advertise because they didn't have to. Those days are long gone.
"This organization for too long has taken fans for granted," said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations. "Has not paid enough attention to sponsors in the community and to making sure that people were invested in the club. If people are invested in the club, winning will help.
"But I think it's easy to throw your hands up and say, 'Well, if the club was winning, people would go.' It's our challenge to make sure that people want to go, win or lose. They may have a better time if we win."
But as Demoff sees it, the idea is to get fans and sponsors "invested" to the point where they say: "This is our team. These are the Rams. Let's go down and enjoy the game-day experience."
Win or lose. Of course, when you lose over and over and over again, all the bells and whistles in the world won't help. There has to be at least some expectation of winning, not the hopelessness that has enveloped Rams football. And with a much less glamorous home schedule on tap in 2010, the challenge to fill seats in the Edward Jones Dome has never been greater.
"Great football cities, and this is a great football city, support their team through good years and bad years," Demoff said. "Now we may be pushing the brink of that with three bad years in a row.
"But I promise you, if we do our job, fans will show up. They're very supportive. They care deeply. They call the fan comment line. You see them in the chat rooms and the blogs. We follow all that. We know there's a deep passion for the Rams."
Demoff said the Rams are trying to tap into that passion in a variety of ways. Improvements in the game-day presentation were a start this season. In a way, Demoff hopes Sunday's Fan Appreciation Day will be a start toward the 2010 season.
Fans attending the Rams-***** game can buy concessions and souvenirs at discounted prices. There will be several giveaways during the game, and several opportunities for fans to interact with players before and during the contest. Such promotions are commonplace in baseball and other sports, but almost unheard of in football.
"We want to give (fans) a reward for coming, whether it's discounted concessions, or special in-game giveaways of jerseys," Demoff said. "Players on injured reserve are going to sign autographs in the Bud Light Party zone when the doors open.
"There are going to be prizes given away during the game for trips and the like. We're really going to try to make it so that if you're at the game you're going to walk away feeling like you got a value for going."
Demoff said focus groups of fans and season-ticket holders are planned during the offseason to see what else can be done to improve the game-day experience.
"Maybe changing some of the food options," Demoff said. "Obviously, looking at ticket prices and where we're going to go with that. But we've got a lot of work to do to make sure the fan's voice is heard and that those changes are reflective for 2010."
This season, the Rams became the first team in NFL history to face four consecutive unbeaten teams at home in Green Bay, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and New Orleans. At one time, they faced the Nos. 1-4 quarterbacks in NFL passer rating in Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.
Next season, another top quarterback in Philip Rivers comes to town with the San Diego Chargers, but otherwise there's not much sizzle on the home schedule.
"The schedule takes on its own rhythm every year," Demoff said. "What looks like a good game or a bad game in January of the previous year has no impact on what's a good game in November or December of 2010.
"On paper, I don't think Jets fans were excited about the Bengals coming to the Meadowlands Week 17. Obviously, that's changed now that it's a win-or-go-home game."
Minnesota didn't loom as such a glamorous opponent this season until Favre joined the Vikings. New Orleans, despite all its offensive weapons, was 8-8 in 2008.
"I want the building to be full of Rams fans anyway," Demoff said. "And I don't care who the opponent is. I want us to deliver a great experience. Have people excited to come cheer for the Rams. And to have people not selling their tickets in the secondary market. ... The dome has been that way in prior years."
And that's the challenge ahead in the new decade.
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/03/2010
Four seasons into the Rams move to St. Louis, the bloom had worn off the horns. In 1998, the Rams were in the midst of their fourth consecutive losing season, and the needle was pointing down. Team management and various sponsors bought up thousands of tickets to keep the team's sellout streak alive
Entering the 1999 season, it was nip-and-tuck to get the season opener against Baltimore televised locally. But just when things had reached a critical stage between the Rams and their fans, the gridiron miracle that was the Greatest Show on Turf rocketed the team to national prominence.
More than a decade later, the Rams and their fans have reached another crossroads. The team is in the midst of a 6-41 free fall, hasn't had a winning season since 2003, and blackouts are becoming more commonplace.
Sunday's season finale against San Francisco will be blacked out locally after falling far short of NFL sellout requirements. It's the third consecutive home game blacked out this season. Beginning with the 2006 home finale against Washington, nine of 25 regular-season home games have not made local television.
During the height of the Greatest Show, the Rams used to brag — privately — that they didn't advertise because they didn't have to. Those days are long gone.
"This organization for too long has taken fans for granted," said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations. "Has not paid enough attention to sponsors in the community and to making sure that people were invested in the club. If people are invested in the club, winning will help.
"But I think it's easy to throw your hands up and say, 'Well, if the club was winning, people would go.' It's our challenge to make sure that people want to go, win or lose. They may have a better time if we win."
But as Demoff sees it, the idea is to get fans and sponsors "invested" to the point where they say: "This is our team. These are the Rams. Let's go down and enjoy the game-day experience."
Win or lose. Of course, when you lose over and over and over again, all the bells and whistles in the world won't help. There has to be at least some expectation of winning, not the hopelessness that has enveloped Rams football. And with a much less glamorous home schedule on tap in 2010, the challenge to fill seats in the Edward Jones Dome has never been greater.
"Great football cities, and this is a great football city, support their team through good years and bad years," Demoff said. "Now we may be pushing the brink of that with three bad years in a row.
"But I promise you, if we do our job, fans will show up. They're very supportive. They care deeply. They call the fan comment line. You see them in the chat rooms and the blogs. We follow all that. We know there's a deep passion for the Rams."
Demoff said the Rams are trying to tap into that passion in a variety of ways. Improvements in the game-day presentation were a start this season. In a way, Demoff hopes Sunday's Fan Appreciation Day will be a start toward the 2010 season.
Fans attending the Rams-***** game can buy concessions and souvenirs at discounted prices. There will be several giveaways during the game, and several opportunities for fans to interact with players before and during the contest. Such promotions are commonplace in baseball and other sports, but almost unheard of in football.
"We want to give (fans) a reward for coming, whether it's discounted concessions, or special in-game giveaways of jerseys," Demoff said. "Players on injured reserve are going to sign autographs in the Bud Light Party zone when the doors open.
"There are going to be prizes given away during the game for trips and the like. We're really going to try to make it so that if you're at the game you're going to walk away feeling like you got a value for going."
Demoff said focus groups of fans and season-ticket holders are planned during the offseason to see what else can be done to improve the game-day experience.
"Maybe changing some of the food options," Demoff said. "Obviously, looking at ticket prices and where we're going to go with that. But we've got a lot of work to do to make sure the fan's voice is heard and that those changes are reflective for 2010."
This season, the Rams became the first team in NFL history to face four consecutive unbeaten teams at home in Green Bay, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and New Orleans. At one time, they faced the Nos. 1-4 quarterbacks in NFL passer rating in Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.
Next season, another top quarterback in Philip Rivers comes to town with the San Diego Chargers, but otherwise there's not much sizzle on the home schedule.
"The schedule takes on its own rhythm every year," Demoff said. "What looks like a good game or a bad game in January of the previous year has no impact on what's a good game in November or December of 2010.
"On paper, I don't think Jets fans were excited about the Bengals coming to the Meadowlands Week 17. Obviously, that's changed now that it's a win-or-go-home game."
Minnesota didn't loom as such a glamorous opponent this season until Favre joined the Vikings. New Orleans, despite all its offensive weapons, was 8-8 in 2008.
"I want the building to be full of Rams fans anyway," Demoff said. "And I don't care who the opponent is. I want us to deliver a great experience. Have people excited to come cheer for the Rams. And to have people not selling their tickets in the secondary market. ... The dome has been that way in prior years."
And that's the challenge ahead in the new decade.
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