LOS ANGELES – Leon Polk pulled down his Los Angeles Rams face mask to chant with the crowd. “Whose house? Rams House!”
Looking out at the sea of fans as the team celebrated their Super Bowl victory with a parade and rally Wednesday, the now-graying 76-year-old Los Angeles native recalled all the games his parents took him to as a child just down the street at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
When the team left for two decades to play in St. Louis, many fans deserted to cheer on a new team. But the victory Sunday left some believing it was a new and hopeful beginning for the team, which returned for the 2016 season, in a competitive city with nearly a dozen major league professional sports teams.
“I’ve watched them forever so this victory feels so sweet. It’s like they’ve really come home now,” said Polk, donning head-to-toe Rams gear. “This really could mark the next generation for the team and for L.A. as a football city.”
Explosions of royal blue and yellow confetti blanketed roads as the team rode atop double-decker buses. Players smoked cigars and chugged from champagne bottles as they waved to the sea of fans lining the streets.
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“We’re the world champs!” defensive lineman Aaron Donald screamed to fans in-between taking swigs from his champagne bottle.
Fans screamed and blew bullhorns. The strong scent of marijuana and hot dogs filled the air. Vendors offered Rams gear and food, some even selling Modelo beers and $5 shots of Patron.
The parade offered a chance for both old and new fans to celebrate not only the Rams’ Super Bowl win but also the flurry of championship titles won over the last two years in the city by the Lakers in 2020 and Dodgers in 2021. Both teams couldn’t hold parades due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Three ‘chips in three years. There’s a lot to celebrate,” said Mendel Schochet, 22.
Amid the sea of blue and yellow were many donning Dodgers and Lakers gear. Even Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp wore a Lakers jersey, later telling the crowd during the rally that the late Lakers player Kobe Bryant was a “part of this.”
Many at the parade like Schochet acknowledged the Rams’ smaller fanbase but said the Super Bowl win pointed to a hopeful future for the franchise.
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“Any team that leaves a city for 25 years is not going to have a strong young fan base,” he said. “But when you win like this it brings fans in and then when I have kids, they’ll be fans and that’s how you build a strong fanbase.”
Many on social media poked fun at the Rams over the smaller crowds at the parade, comparing it to previous celebrations for other teams. But devoted fans are hopeful this is just the beginning of a new generation for the team.
Sauly Tinoco, 32, parked her wagon, snacks and four children — ages 3, 4, 7 and 11 — along the parade route. Each were dressed head-to-toe in Rams gear, two blowing away on large blue bullhorns.
“This is going to be a memory for them,” Tinoco said. “I wanted them to get to experience this moment for the city. They’ll be lifelong fans.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: L.A. Rams Super Bowl parade: Fans reckon with smaller fanbase, boast hopeful future