Rams season tickets will be deferred to 2021 because of coronavirus
For four years, the Rams have been looking forward to playing before crowds of more than 70,000 at brand new SoFi Stadium. But the COVID-19 pandemic altered those plans.
The Rams announced Tuesday that all season tickets will be deferred to the 2021 season, and that stadium capacity for games this season, if fans are allowed, would be about 15,000. Season ticket holders have an option to “stay on” for 2020 and would have priority status to purchase individual tickets to games this season in a process that has not been announced.
“We anticipate that the NFL will cancel preseason games,” the Rams said in a letter to season ticket holders. So the first game at the $5-billion stadium will be the Rams’ Sept. 13 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”
Construction on SoFi Stadium began in 2016 with a target of opening in 2019. But the Rams said in 2017 that significant rains caused the completion date to be pushed back to 2020.
The stadium was scheduled to open this week with concerts by Taylor Swift. But those shows and others by musical artists such as Guns N’ Roses and Tim McGraw were canceled or postponed because of the pandemic.
Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth talks about his family’s battle with the coronavirus, which began in mid-June.
Most NFL teams are scheduled to open training camp next Tuesday at their facilities, though the league and the players’ union are still negotiating terms for camp and the season.
The union wants no preseason games, and the NFL has agreed to that. But no formal agreement has been announced.
Those opting out for 2020 can request a refund or apply money already paid to 2021 tickets. Regardless, they will keep their seats for the 2021 season at the same price, the Rams said.
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