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Lance Goldberg And The L.A. Rams 'Melon Heads' Hope For A Rams Return [VIDEO]

Marah Alindogan |
September 29, 2014 | 4:38 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

In Part One of the Los Angeles Rams series, we spoke with Tom Bateman, the founder of the “Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams” organization. This week, we profiled Lance Goldberg, a key figure in the Rams’ fan base. 

Lance Goldberg is happiest in his L.A. Rams jersey. (Marah Alindogan)
Lance Goldberg is happiest in his L.A. Rams jersey. (Marah Alindogan)

A stadium full of die-hard fans is an integral part of any professional football game. Without fans, there would simply be no game. Lance Goldberg, the founder of the Los Angeles Rams ‘Melon Heads’--equivalent to today's Seahawks' 12th Man--took the meaning of "die-hard" fan to a whole new level. 

Goldberg was an L.A. Rams fan from Florida who moved to California in the mid-1980s. After attending his first Rams game, he was shocked at how mellow the crowd was.

“In my opinion, they were all shy and embarrassed to be crazy and make some noise. I really think a loud crowd can help the energy of the team,” said Goldberg. 

Goldberg did what any devoted fan would do: he showed up to the next game with a real watermelon on his head.

“I thought that it was okay to be crazy and uninhibited in order to help the team win,” said Goldberg. 

The next season, Goldberg bought seats closer to the field so he could cheer on the players before the game. He instantly caught the attention of cameras and many began taking pictures and videos of him. 

Goldberg insisted that the watermelon was not for show or attention. 

“The whole reason I did it was to pump up the fans and show it’s okay to be silly,” said Goldberg. 

The Melon Heads grew into a core group of five men who regularly attended games. Goldberg would consistently get random fans who wanted to join in on the fun. At one game, the group had a record-setting 11 Melon Heads in the crowd. 

With talks of the St. Louis Rams coming back to Los Angeles as soon as the 2015 season, can the world anticipate a Melon Heads comeback?

“I think that we would have to make a couple of phone calls and come out of retirement,” said Goldberg. 

 

Reach Staff Reporter Marah Alindogan here and follow her on Twitter here



 

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