It’s safety first at Rams’ Family Day, and it sets the right tone

You think of the Coliseum and the NFL and you don’t think family-friendly. You think of the Raiders. You think of punches thrown in the stands, kicks delivered in the parking lots.

And that’s what made the Rams’ coming-out party Saturday a triumph — a minor triumph, but a triumph nonetheless.

The public workout at the Coliseum that attracted an estimated 30,000 fans was everything professional football should be in Los Angeles.

Festive and warm. Reflective of the city’s diversity. And, most important, safe.

Fathers in Eric Dickerson jerseys walked side-by-side with sons in Jared Goff jerseys, daughters in Todd Gurley shirts.

“Really cool, really exciting,” said Goff, who received some of the loudest ovations of the day.

OK, so this was Family Day. Any major incident would have marked a disaster.

But under a Rams-theme canopy in a stadium parking lot, Damore Fowler nodded and smiled as he recalled a different time.

“I wouldn’t be able to sit here with people who rooted for another team,” said the 54-year-old self-described longtime Raiders fan.

Fowler gestured toward his three friends, who were decked out in Rams gear.

Yes, I know, the Rams aren’t the Raiders. And, yes, I know, the NFL was last here more than two decades ago.

But this is still Los Angeles. This is still the NFL. And the last time this venue housed an NFL team, safety wasn’t among its noted features.

Dodgers games were said to have become edgier in the wake of the Raiders’ departure to the Bay Area, a common theory being that Raiders fans migrated from the Coliseum to Dodger Stadium. Couldn’t that rowdy element move back?

The first real test will come next weekend, in the team’s exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

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The Los Angeles Rams hosts a family day at the USC Coliseum to   celebrate their return to LA. The Rams will play their first game against the Dallas Cowboys next week. 

“The Rams never had that reputation and I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Vincent Delgado, one of the founders of the Rams Empire Fan Club.

Many others shared his opinion, including Kevin Demoff, the team’s chief operating officer.

“I have no concerns about Los Angeles fans coming and enjoying the game, as long as we provide the right environment, we put in the proper protocols and, most important, we put a product on the field that people want to watch and respect,” Demoff said.

Demoff said the Rams have spent more than $2 million upgrading stadium security. He said the team consulted with the police department, highway patrol, FBI and the security staffs of USC and the Coliseum.

Alcohol will be sold at games, which will be a change for the Coliseum. Beer hasn’t been sold at USC football games for more than a decade.

The availability of alcohol Saturday, both in the stadium and at various tailgate parties that popped up in the parking lot, didn’t have an adverse effect on the atmosphere of the event, which was overwhelmingly optimistic.

Almost every segment of the city appeared to be represented here, which was reflected by the stadium’s food and beverage options. Mexican food and barbecue was sold. On the concourse at the peristyle end of the stadium, there were food and craft-brew trucks.

The fans I spoke to were hopeful this patchwork of society could come together to redefine what it means to be a fan of professional football in Los Angeles.

This will take time, of course. Identities don’t form overnight.

“Everyone’s learning,” Steven Pataki said.

Pataki is one of the Melonheads, a group of longtime Rams fans who wear carved-out watermelons on their heads. “It’s a new activity,” he continued.

Even to the Melonheads, who are still in the process of figuring out their pregame routine. On this particular day, they used public transportation to reach the Coliseum.

“Awesome,” Pataki said.

However this turns out, Benny Rodriguez would like it to remain the kind of place he could continue to bring his nine-year-old son Gabriel. Rodriguez, 44, said he spent part of his childhood attending Rams games with his father in the Coliseum.

Rodriguez joked that safety might not be the most significant obstacle he and his son will encounter.

“Hopefully, I can afford the tickets,” he said.

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Twitter: @dylanohernandez