Twenty-two years ago, the fate for professional football in Los Angeles was sealed with the departure of the Rams.

The country’s second largest market simply proved to be incapable of sustaining an NFL team. Ticket sales in the previous years progressively digressed, and the lure of the many other attractions in the city overwhelmed the team. Profit-chasing owners came to a resolution, moved the team to the burgeoning football city St. Louis, and left little hope to the remaining Rams in Los Angeles to ever see another professional snap taken in the city.

The NFL frequently used Los Angeles as a reminder to its teams’ cities that they would have to appease to their requests at all times, especially when it came to negotiating for new stadiums. As a result, rumors of Los Angeles regaining a team rarely passed the flirting stage, and the LA faithful constantly got their hopes up for nothing.

Not until Stan Kroenke, the owner of the former St. Louis Rams, bought 60 acres of land in Inglewood in February of 2014 did things really start heating up (ESPN). Rumors swirled that Kroenke had a desire to move the team to Los Angeles after the Rams’ stadium contract expired after the 2015 season, but nothing was definitive.

Suddenly, a little short of two years later, the path to a team returning to Los Angeles was clearer than ever. Kroenke applied for relocation on January 4, 2016, and on January 13, Kroenke’s proposal to move the team to Inglewood was granted by 30 of 32 NFL owners, edging out the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders’ joint proposal to move the team to Carson, California (ESPN). The Chargers have the option to join the Rams and to share a stadium in Inglewood, but if they decide otherwise, the option is deferred to the Raiders.

The Rams, moving to Los Angeles for the 2017 season, will have to wait until 2019 for their stadium to be completed; they will play in the iconic LA coliseum in the meantime:

From the looks of it, though, the wait for the stadium will be well worth it:

And with that, fans in Los Angeles finally have a true hometown team to root for. Support for the team has come from all places, including Rams legends of the past, from both St. Louis and Los Angeles legacies:

2016 will mark the 50th year anniversary of the Los Angeles Rams, making the team’s move come with perfect timing. It’s clear Los Angeles is excited about the return of their team. Season ticket holders already bought their tickets for next season and the Super Bowl isn’t even here yet. News outlets covered it, Rams fans in Los Angeles held rallies, and our very own HMSA teachers are excited about the move. If you really want to understand the hype behind this move, ask Officer Dave how he feels about the Los Angeles Rams. I’m sure he’ll get you excited about the team too. #LARams2016