Rams unveil championship banner, host Bills in season opener

The banner commemorating the Los Angeles Rams’ victory in Super Bowl LVI was revealed before Thursday’s NFL season opener at SoFi Stadium against the Buffalo Bills.

The banner was revealed from the stadium’s canopy roof above the 400 level on the stadium’s south side. It will hang at every Rams home game this season and in future seasons. A banner celebrating the Rams’ first Super Bowl victory in 2000 was on display when fans arrived and is displayed side-by-side with the banner for Super Bowl LVI.

Owner Stan Kroenke and retired offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth led the on-field celebration, which included highlights from last season and an augmented reality experience on the stadium’s video board. They were joined by members of the Watts Rams, the youth football program created by Los Angeles Police Department officers in an attempt to improve relations with the public through football.

Whitworth retired in March, concluding a 16-year NFL career which included four Pro Bowl selections. He received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2021, which recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field.

A 10-foot aluminum “Love” sculpture by Colombian-American artist Ruben Rojas was unveiled in the stadium’s American Airlines Plaza Thursday afternoon as part of the debut of the NFL’s “Choose Love” campaign, intended to spread a message of love this football season in response to the increase in hate crimes and gun violence.

Rams and Buffalo players wore helmets featuring “Choose Love” as part of the league’s social justice helmet decal messaging this season.

A 60-second public service announcement narrated by Emmy-winning actor Sterling K. Brown with visuals of both the Rams and Buffalo Bills supporting their communities was shown in SoFi Stadium and aired on the NBC telecast before the  singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

More from Sports