For the Los Angeles Rams, this offseason has focused around the saying, “out with the old and in with the new.” The team has already undergone a number of personnel changes and will likely continue to change throughout the offseason with free agency and the draft just around the corner.
Additionally, the team is leaving the old Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum behind and moving to the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The stadium and surrounding area promise to have some of the newest and best amenities in the league.
Along those lines, Rams safety John Johnson III stated that he is looking forward to to playing in a new stadium, via Sarina Morales of TheRams.com:
“Just everything being new. The turf is brand new. The seats. It’s going to be clean there. The bathrooms, locker room, everything’s new. Like new is cool, so that’s why I’m looking forward to. I know the first game and maybe even like the first season, it’d be like sold out just because it’s new, so it will be a little vibe.”
Hopefully the Rams first season at SoFi Stadium will be better for Johnson than the last season at the Coliseum was. He appeared in the team’s first six games before being placed on injured reserve with a season-ending shoulder injury. Having undergone surgery, his “new” shoulder should fit just right with all the new amenities of SoFi Stadium.
SoFi Stadium promises to be the centerpiece of a complete renovation of the Hollywood Park Racetrack. The new area surrounding the stadium will contain commercial office space, retail space, a hotel and living spaces, in addition to a park and walking path.
The stadium is set to open this July with a pair of Taylor Swift concerts. Unfortunately, there is still no date for the Rams’ first appearance at their new stadium as the 2020 NFL schedule still has yet to be released.
SoFi Stadium will also host some bigger national events as well. In addition to hosting SuperBowl LVI and the 2023 College Football Championship, the stadium will be the site for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Olympics.
