The 49ers’ Week 18 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium was only half the story of that game. The other half was the incredible turnout by 49ers fans in Los Angeles that forced the Rams to use a silent count at home. Now with the NFC championship game between the 49ers and Rams looming at SoFi Stadium, the home team is trying its best to avoid another invasion of visiting fans.
Ahead of their divisional-playoff game against the Buccaneers, the Rams put a note on their ticket sales saying they wouldn’t be selling tickets to fans outside of the “Greater Los Angeles region.”
Public sales to the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA will be restricted to residents of the Greater Los Angeles Region. Residency will be based on credit card billing address at checkout. Orders by residents outside of the Greater Los Angeles region will be canceled without notice and refunds given.
While this is a good initial strategy by the Rams, it’s going to be impossible for them to keep 49ers fans living in Southern California out. It’ll also be impossible for them to keep tickets from being sold on the secondary market where they can’t monitor and regulate the transactions.
Unless a new wave of Rams fans decides to jump on the bandwagon and attend the NFC championship game, it’s hard to imagine Sunday’s game won’t look like Week 18. And there’s not a whole lot the Rams can do about that.
