The Los Angeles Rams implemented an unusual ticket restriction in an attempt to keep San Francisco 49ers fans out of SoFi Stadium next weekend, and Deebo Samuel is not happy about it.
Samuel, who has enjoyed a breakout third NFL season, criticized the Rams over the ticket policy in a tweet on Monday. He said he understands the Rams not wanting 49ers fans to take over their stadium but doesn’t think it is right to restrict sales.
The Rams allowed only those fans who live in the greater Los Angeles area (based on billing address) to purchase tickets for the NFC Championship Game when they first went on sale. Obviously, the goal was to make it difficult for Niners fans in San Francisco and elsewhere to buy tickets.
It appears 49ers fans are now free to purchase tickets, just not at face value. As of Monday morning, Ticketmaster’s website no longer featured a notice that said “Public sales to the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA will be restricted to residents of the Greater Los Angeles region.” A Rams spokesperson told Eric Ting of SFGate.com that the policy was lifted after all tickets were sold during a presale over the weekend. There are only verified resale tickets available now, and apparently the policy does not apply to those.
There are plenty of Niners fans living in the Los Angeles area. There are also many who will purchase tickets through Ticketmaster’s resale program and other secondary markets, so we would still expect to see a lot of burgundy and gold at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. San Francisco players have been encouraging it.
The Tennessee Titans also made an adjustment to their ticket policy ahead of their playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals. They lost anyway.
The last time the Rams hosted the 49ers at SoFi Stadium was in the final week of the regular season. The Niners came back to win that game in overtime 27-24. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford could not believe how the Rams lacked a home-field advantage for the game.
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