Everyone knows that Los Angeles could be short on Rams fans Sunday, even with the Philadelphia Eagles rolling into town for what should make for a potential NFC playoff preview.
Before California wildfires forced him to cancel a full practice, Rams coach Sean McVay said earlier this week that he might have quarterback Jared Goff and the team's offense practice with a silent snap count in anticipation of Eagles fans possibly outnumbering Los Angeles fans -- in Los Angeles. And star running back Todd Gurley made headlines early in the season when he literally begged Rams fans to show up at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Now, someone looking to juice up the Eagles-Rams pregame broadcast is trying its best to ensure L.A. isn't underrepresented.
As an online Project Casting listing suggests, a casting call seems to have been issued to make sure that enough Rams fans come to their own team's home game in Los Angeles -- more specifically, NFL on FOX's big pregame show:
Casting directors are now casting actors, models, and talent to work on Sunday, December 10th in Los Angeles, California.
Producers are seeking the following types:
- We're looking for LA's biggest NFL fans to be a part of #NFLSunday's Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles Pre Game Show!
Calling all LA Rams fans!To audition for a role in the upcoming NFL Sunday pre-game show, check out the casting call breakdown below.
A link to the audition page also invites Eagles fans to come to the pregame show, which is set to appear as a College GameDay-esque setup outside the Coliseum, and as NFL Network's Rich Eisen noted on Twitter, it isn't uncommon for broadcast teams to recruit fans when pregame events take place hours in advance of kickoff.
I’ve done at-site NFL pregames for 14 years now. Not a single place — not even the most rabid spot — has had a bustling fan scene 4 hours before kickoff.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) December 10, 2017
FOX Sports later echoed to CBSSports.com that it's "not uncommon" for the network to encourage fan attendance and that they have used a similar practice for "all of our shows onsite." They also provided the following statement regarding reports of their involvement in the Project Casting audition form:
We do not have an affiliation with ProjectCasting.com. We did not hire them and do not know where their information is coming from. Their info ... is inaccurate. We will be on-site more than 4 hours before a game and in a place that technically is closed to the public.
That hasn't stopped others, however, from piling on the notion that Los Angeles is having a tough time recruiting its own fans:
My cousin was getting a rental car in LA and was asked where’s he from? He mentions Philly. The guy at the rental said that 85% of their business this weekend is coming from Philly. Also said, the Eagles fan invasion is similar to the Chargers game earlier this season.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) December 7, 2017