It was painfully obvious the Los Angeles Rams wanted to play the San Francisco 49ers in Australia for Week 1 instead of any other opponent.
That way, L.A. could avoid the yearly tradition of Niners fans wholly taking over its own venue, SoFI Stadium, as has been the case ever since it opened back in 2020. By moving what should be a home game for Los Angeles to a first-ever game in Australia, the Rams are effectively playing their NFC West rivals at a neutral site.
Or so they thought.
According to studies, L.A. might still very well be at a major disadvantage when it comes to the crowd.
And San Francisco will happily accept it, laughing at Los Angeles' decision all the way.
Report says Australia has far more 49ers fans than Rams fans
The unprecedented game in Melbourne will carry a lot of firsts, and the Rams have already been granted international marketing rights to the continent as the NFL looks to expand its brand across the globe.
But that's not discouraging members of the Australian Faithful from taking over the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
According to data provided to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, there's a good chance the fans in attendance will be wearing far more red than blue.
Barrows cited information from the NFL that listed the 10 most popular teams down under, and the results speak for themselves:
According to the NFL, the 10 most popular teams in the country are, in order: the 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Eagles, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Rams, Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
The Niners are the most popular. The Rams, meanwhile, are eighth.
Barrows also cited how National Rugby League star, Jarryd Hayne, an Australian, popularized San Francisco even more when he had a brief stint with the 49ers back in 2015. There are also connections to the Niners' dynasty years of the 1980s and 1990s, too.
L.A., meanwhile, is hoping to capitalize on American football fans who haven't chosen an allegiance yet, hoping the newfound marketing rights make a difference in time for the Week 1 showdown on Sept. 10.
That might not be soon enough, though.
49ers will LOL if their fans take over Australia in Week 1 vs. Rams
If the cited data proves to be correct, San Francisco's overseas Faithful will be in significantly greater numbers than those rooting for Los Angeles.
That'd translate into this supposed "neutral-site" game not benefiting the Rams whatsoever, and their efforts to negate yet another fan takeover at SoFI Stadium would've backfired in the most embarrassing of ways—a first-ever Australian game, the crowd mostly in red, all cheering for the 49ers in front of a global audience.
The Niners and their fans are certainly hoping that's the outcome, and it'd make Los Angeles' efforts to avoid such look all too silly and pointless.
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