The return of the Los Angeles Rams during the 2016 NFL season ended the city’s tortuous 21-year drought without a professional football team. Furthermore, it gave dormant Rams fans still residing in Los Angeles the chance to finally root for their team in person.
The team’s comeback was one of the more highly-anticipated events of the year and they managed to deliver in their home debut with a 28-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, it was even honored by the 12th Annual L.A. Sports Awards as the greatest sports moment in 2016:
Honored to have our return be named the 2016 Greatest Sports Moment in L.A. by the @LASportsAwards pic.twitter.com/Z1IUhHNK2I
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 28, 2017
Their selection is quite impressive considering they managed to beat out other historic performances such as Vin Scully’s final broadcast and Kobe Bryant’s 60-point finale versus the Utah Jazz. However, the win in their first game at the Los Angeles Coliseum since 1979 certainly had all the factors of a memorable moment. The game drew a sold-out crowd of 89,140 fans — shattering the record for a preseason attendance game.
Although it got off to a rocky start, Los Angeles managed to erase a 17-point deficit and squeak out with the victory. While things did not get much better for the Rams the rest of the season, it was a nice for fans to experience what some had not felt in a long time and what many were experiencing for the first time.
Much like the rest of Los Angeles young teams, the Rams are off to a fresh start with a new head coaching staff and a roster chalk-full of raw talent.
