THE TIMES POLL : O.C. Residents Remain Fickle About Rams
Orange County residents are decidedly ambivalent about their hometown football team, the Los Angeles Rams.
These are the Rams who migrated to Anaheim in 1979 in search of greener pastures and bigger paydays. They are the same Rams who draw near-sellout crowds, even though they haven’t won an NFL championship since they’ve been in town.
These are the same Rams who persuaded the City of Anaheim to enclose and enlarge Anaheim Stadium in order to accommodate more fans and, coincidentally, to make more money for the franchise.
For all that, 31% of Orange County residents polled said they would approve of the Rams returning to Los Angeles, while 38% would disapprove. And a sizable 31% was “not sure” how they would feel about such a move.
Still, Orange County residents identified the Rams as their favorite sports team.
Despite rumors, the Rams have steadfastly denied any interest in returning to Los Angeles, where they played from 1946 to 1979. However, threats by Raiders owner Al Davis to move his team from the Coliseum inevitably gave rise to speculation about the Rams leaving Orange County.
By one measure, the Rams seem more popular in Los Angeles County than the Raiders. While 82% of Los AngelesCounty residents said they don’t particularly care if the Raiders leave the Coliseum, a 55% majority approve of the Rams returning there.
The Times Poll, conducted from Feb. 3-7, sought to gauge public opinion on topics ranging from proposed sports arenas in Orange County to the public struggle over the fate of the Coliseum.
The poll of 1,901 Los Angeles and Orange County residents was directed by I.A. Lewis. The results from only Orange County residents have a margin of error of plus or minus four points. The combined results for Orange and Los Angeles counties have a three-point margin of error.
In The Times Poll, the Rams were chosen by 33% of Orange County residents as the professional team they follow most closely, slightly ahead of the Angels and the Lakers, who each were picked by 29%.
The Clippers, who from time to time have been rumored to be a possible tenant for proposed indoor sports arenas in Santa Ana or Anaheim, were identified as the favorite team by only 3% of Orange County residents.
Perhaps an indication of the popularity of the venerable Coliseum is the fact that nearly as many Orange County residents as Los Angeles County residents said they have attended events there and are satisfied with the stadium.
An overwhelming majority--75%--of residents in Los Angeles and Orange counties said they are satisfied with the physical layout of the Coliseum. Only 9% of those polled said they are “very dissatisfied” with the Coliseum.
Unlike Davis, Southern Californians don’t want to see the Coliseum demolished, and they wouldn’t mind much if Davis made good on his threat to take his football team elsewhere.
If Davis and his Raiders were looking forward to fans clamoring for them to stay, they will be sorely tested by the conclusions of the poll.
Do you want to raze the Coliseum? No, said 54%.
Would you be upset if the Raiders moved? Not much, said 83%.
The Raiders not only have few friends in their effort to demolish the Coliseum, they also have fewer avid supporters, compared to other local teams. In both counties, the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Rams--even “I follow no team closely”--rank higher in popularity than the Raiders, although the football team did out-poll the Clippers and the Kings.
Under a plan conceived by the stadium’s private managers to satisfy Davis, the 67-year-old Coliseum--the only site of two modern Olympic Games--would be torn down except for its peristyle end. Two hundred luxury boxes and up to 15,000 club seats would be added, bringing total capacity to 70,000 seats. As it exists today, the stadium holds 92,655.
More recently, those involved in battling over the fate of the Coliseum have suggested that it should be spruced up inside but its outer shell should be retained. That option proved popular among those polled, with more than half saying they would go along with refurbishing.
Yet there was also significant sentiment for keeping the Coliseum the way it is.
There was some good news for Davis. Despite their objections to his goals, Southern Californians were not taking out their disagreements on Davis himself.
Asked what sort of impression they had of Davis, 23% said “favorable.” Nineteen percent said their impression was “unfavorable.” And half said they did not know enough about Davis to form an impression.
Overall, The Times Poll demonstrated that the Raiders have yet to occupy a favored niche in the hearts of the area’s sports fans.
Overall, two-thirds said they followed sports teams, and one-third did not. But opinions were nonetheless firm on the matter of the Coliseum’s future.
While more than half objected to razing the Coliseum, only a third favored demolition. Only half of those who supported demolition said they felt “strongly” that the arena should be demolished. Two of every five people, however, said they felt strongly that the demolition should be prevented.
Opposition to demolition was equally strong in Los Angeles and Orange counties, indicating that the Coliseum remains a popular regional landmark.
Davis’ demands, which include not only the new stadium but the payment of tens of millions of dollars to his team, appear to have engendered little sympathy.
When the details were explained, only 17% said Los Angeles should “do whatever it takes” to keep the Raiders, while 65% said the city should instead look for another team. Support for the Raiders was higher among blacks and Latinos. Almost a third of the blacks in the poll said the city should try to keep the football team, while 28% of Latinos supported that view.
As for who should replace the Raiders if Davis makes good on his threat, half said they would like the prodigal Rams to return, and another 18% said they should not. A third were undecided--perhaps waiting for another choice.
The poll did confirm that most sports fans--indeed, most Raiders fans--watch the games via television or radio and rarely set foot in the Coliseum. Only 8% said they had attended a Raider game during the past season, and most of them attended only one or two games.
The Rams, in comparison, had drawn 10% of the respondents during the past season.
* ANOTHER ARENA UNNECESSARY?
About 57% of Orange County residents polled by The Times believe a new sports arena is not needed. A1
VIEWS ON THE COLISEUM
Do you want to tear down the Coliseum? Yes: 33% No: 54 Don’t know: 13
Would you be upset if the Raiders moved away?
(Total) Great deal: 5% Fairly: 10 Not much: 16 Hardly at all: 67 Don’t know: 2
(Sports fans) Great deal: 6% Fairly: 13 Not much: 19 Hardly at all: 62 Don’t know: 0
Should Los Angeles do whatever Al Davis wants or look for another team?
(Total)Do what he wants: 17% Look for another team: 65 Don’t know: 18
(Sports fans) Do what he wants: 17% Look for another team: 65 Don’t know: 18
What teams do you follow more closely? Lakers: 39% Don’t follow any team closely: 30 Dodgers: 29 Rams: 26 Angels: 15 Raiders: 14 Clippers: 6 Kings: 6
Source: Los Angeles Times Poll
