WAILUKU, Hawaii — The Rams returned to Southern California nearly a decade ago intent on capturing the heart of NFL fans in Los Angeles.
Now, with two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and a still glistening-like SoFi Stadium, they have their eyes set on a larger territory: the world.
The Rams’ trip to Maui last week for a minicamp was their latest foray into building a global brand.
“In the journey to growing your brand globally, there’s never an ‘Aha, this is a perfect moment,’” Rams president Kevin Demoff said as he stood on the field at War Memorial Stadium after a workout attended by several thousand fans. “But I think this is a great step.”
The Rams’ reach is expanding well beyond the United States.
As part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, the Rams in the last decade were granted rights in Mexico, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
In February, the NFL announced that the Rams in 2026 would be the home team for the first NFL regular-season game in Australia. The game against a still-to-be determined opponent will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
On Thursday, Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner, offensive lineman Steve Avila and tight end Davis Allen left Hawaii to travel to Melbourne for a family-friendly fan combine that was expected to draw thousands at Margaret Court Arena.
“While many many people travel to L.A. and we have many of our international fans come to a game at SoFi every year, putting it in somebody’s backyard makes it that much more accessible,” said Stephanie Cheng, the Rams’ head of international and special projects.
The Rams have sent ambassadors abroad before. Former running backs Steven Jackson and Todd Gurley made trips, and former safety Nick Scott accompanied the Super Bowl LVI trophy on a tour of Australia and Mexico.
Last March, safety Quentin Lake visited Japan. Though he was not there in an official capacity with the Rams, the fourth-year pro attended fashion week, an Ohtani-crazed Dodgers game against the Cubs and participated in other cultural activities.
Lake’s father, Carnell, a former NFL safety, played a 1996 exhibition game for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Chargers at the Tokyo Dome.
During Lake’s own trip, he worked out with Tokyo University defensive backs.
“You would think in Japan, they don’t know football over there,” Lake said. “But they were doing drills and I was genuinely impressed. They’re playing football there in pads and helmets and I was like, this is insane. … That really gave me an appreciation that football is expanding.”
Rams safety Quentin Lake recently got a taste of how popular football is in Japan.
(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
Jamison Collier, who describes herself as “just a super fan,” serves on the Rams’ fan council in Australia.
Collier’s husband, Zachariah Sepulveda, grew up in Orange County, “so his whole family supports the Rams,” she said.
The couple played together on a mixed rugby team. But one day, after seeing a team playing American football, Sepulveda decided he wanted to play. After one season, he encouraged his wife to try a training session.
“I was hooked,” she said.
Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata, an Australian who grew up playing rugby, made it to the NFL through the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Now, he is a Super Bowl champion.
The Rams’ scheduled game in Australia has created new fans, Collier said.
“Having Jordan Mailata play for the Philadelphia Eagles was a great way for the league to get exposure in Australia,” Collier said. “But the Rams have really capitalized on that by being, ‘Oh, well, look at that, we’re going to come play.’
“So people that were kind of just getting their foot in the door of watching the game have gone, ‘OK, well I don’t have a team. The Rams are coming. They’re my team,’ which is how a lot of people tend to get into a team. Over here, it’s one that’s close to your home, or the first game you go to.”
The Rams are not the only team expanding their brand in Australia. The Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks and the Las Vegas Raiders also have marketing rights.
Charlotte Offord, general manager of NFL Australia and New Zealand, said the NFL fan base has grown from 5.7 million to 7.5 million in nearly three years.
The Rams were the first team to open the market, and have grown it through player appearances, social media channels, books, watch parties, flag football and cheerleading clinics.
“Australian fans love sports so much, but they want the authentic product,” Offord said. “And so it’s not about an Australian talking about the Rams to another Australian. They want an American voice. They want the authentic players, the real players… which really brings to life the Rams brand.”
By setting up a Super Bowl watch party in Australia a few years ago, and then winning the game, the Rams “couldn’t have asked for a better entry into the market,” said Lucas Barclay, vice president and general manager of the 160over90 agency that helps market the Rams.
And Los Angeles as the “gateway” to the United States for Australians taking direct flights also gives the Rams an advantage, he said.
“The majority of people fly through L.A.,” he said, “and therefore L.A.’s become known as that team, that if you’re going to an NFL game or want to start to discover or uncover the NFL, then the Rams themselves are the team to do it.”
As the Rams prepare for their 10th season in L.A. since returning, they are anticipating another potential Super Bowl run.
Demoff noted that the fans who wore Rams T-shirts and jerseys as 5-year-olds in 2016 are now teenagers. In 10 years, those fans could be season-ticket holders to see the Rams play at a stadium that will also host the World Cup next year and the 2028 Olympics.
“I don’t think you look at the first decade and say, ‘Check, we did that,’” Demoff said. “We’ve had amazing growth, and when I look at all our metrics in terms of fandom and growth, I would say they’re certainly where we had hoped they would be.
“But I still think we can push for more.”
Locally and globally.
The goal is to be “the world’s team,” Demoff said.
“To be truly part of Los Angeles, you have to be part of the globe,” he said. “And as we’ve looked at our international efforts, we’re excited about the foothold and what we’re trying to gain, but there’s a lot more work to do.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
