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The Rams franchise has its roots in Cleveland, Ohio where the team first started playing in 1936 as members of the American Football League. In 1937, the Rams joined the more established National Football League (NFL). While in Cleveland, the Rams enjoyed moderate success, winning the NFL championship in 1945 behind star rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield.
This generated blind faith in the Rams and bets began to be placed on their name, although in Los Angeles betting was not allowed, in other states it was, and there were also ways to place bets at that time. Today, although there is no legal online sports betting platform in Los Angeles, people in the city use overseas platforms. This is not exactly safe, but their only choice. However, in other states it is legal and you can find most regulated NFL betting sites information from betting.us, which provides sports bets operating under state laws that protect players. Some of those states include. AZ, CO, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, NV, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TN, VA, and WV.
However, by the mid 1940s it became clear that the Rams were struggling financially playing in the crowded Cleveland sports market. So in 1946, the franchise relocated to Los Angeles, becoming the first major professional sports team on the West Coast at a time when the area was experiencing rapid population growth.
Playing at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the move immediately paid dividends for the Rams as attendance soared in sunny Southern California. With stars like Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and Tom Fears, the Rams fielded some hugely entertaining offensive powerhouse teams that brought excitement and big crowds to LA.
In 1950, led by quarterback Bob Waterfield, the Rams won their second NFL championship since moving to the West Coast. Then in the early 1950s, Norm Van Brocklin took over at quarterback and with legendary running back Tank Younger, Los Angeles captured another NFL crown in 1951. This championship team set multiple scoring records behind Van Brocklin’s prolific passing attack.
During their first stint in Southern California, the Rams cemented themselves as one of the NFL’s premier franchises while making football a popular sport on the West Coast and in Los Angeles specifically. In this golden era of Rams football, stars like Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch and later Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy turned Los Angeles into a great football city. It was a frenzy for NFL betting fans.
However, despite over 20 mostly successful seasons in LA, after the 1994 NFL season the Rams stunned their West Coast fans by announcing a move to St. Louis. With the aging Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum unable to generate sufficient luxury suite revenue, Rams ownership decided to relocate to St. Louis which offered the team a brand-new taxpayer-funded stadium as an incentive. This was part of trend in the mid 1990s of NFL teams relocating to new cities offering fancy new stadiums.
After over five decades, the Rams said goodbye to Los Angeles as the team set its sights on a new Midwest fan base.
The Rams move to St. Louis and the new Trans World Dome proved to be an immediate boost. Powered by stars like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and later Marshall Faulk, St. Louis fielded one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses leading the “Greatest Show on Turf.” This exciting team brought Super Bowl glory to St. Louis in 2000 as the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans to capture their first NFL title since 1951 back in Los Angeles.
While in St. Louis, the Rams enjoyed a short stretch of outstanding teams and tremendous fan support. However, as those great teams of the early 2000s faded, attendance and local support began to lag, putting the Rams long-term future in St. Louis into question.
After failing to reach agreements on upgrades to the aging Edward Jones Dome, tension mounted between ownership and St. Louis over the Rams future. As a result, after over two decades in St. Louis it was announced in 2016 that the Rams would again head west – returning to Los Angeles which was considered more economically viable with a larger population base and tourist appeal.
As part of their planned return to Los Angeles, Rams ownership planned an imposing $5 billion stadium complex in Inglewood set to open in 2020. In the interim, the team set up temporary residence at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, their old home field during the team’s first stay in Southern California.
For longtime Rams fans, it was a homecoming over five decades in the making. And with exciting young stars like Todd Gurley and Jared Goff now powering the Rams resurgence, hopes are high that Los Angeles’ original professional football team has finally returned home to stay.
