Chargers and Angels franchises get trolled by fans after Shohei Ohtani receives special treatment from Rams: “That was Chargers LA”

Shohei Ohtani received a personalized Los Angeles Rams jersey when he attended the team’s Week 16 Thursday Night Football game. Eventually, the home team defeated the New Orleans Saints to improve their playoff aspirations.

But as one football fan pointed out, it’s puzzling that the Rams gave Ohtani a jersey now, even if he has been in Los Angeles since 2018. However, another follower gave a witty response referencing the city's other NFL team.

---

Football fans react to Shohei Ohtani feted with a personalized Rams jersey

NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano tweeted a photo of Shohei Ohtani holding the customized jersey from the Los Angeles Rams. A sports fan took notice, quoting Siciliano’s post while saying:

“This hilarious cuz hes already been in LA for 5 years”

The Japanese sensation made his Major League Baseball debut in 2018 and has played six seasons in the City of Angels. But as to why he received a jersey from the Rams just now, another sports fanatic wittingly responded:

“That was Chargers LA”

The Chargers represented San Diego from 1961 to 2016. They became the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. Meanwhile, the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016 after calling St. Louis, Missouri, home from 1995 to 2015.

Here are other reactions to Shohei Ohtani’s personalized jersey from the Rams:

Ohtani played for the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 to 2023. He became a two-time Silver Slugger awardee and American League Most Valuable Player during that stretch. He also won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year award and has been a three-time All-Star.

This offseason, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract. However, he will stay in Los Angeles and switch uniforms from the Angels to the Dodgers. His contract trumps the 12-year, $426.5 million deal Mike Trout, his former teammate, signed in 2019.

But while Shohei Ohtani has the richest contract in American professional sports, $680 million will be deferred until the contract ends. Therefore, he will only get $2 million annually, while the Dodgers will be charged $46 million annually for luxury tax purposes.

---

There is no shortage of professional sports teams in Shohei Ohtani’s adopted state

Multiple teams represent Los Angeles in the NFL, MLB and NBA. There’s the Rams and the Chargers in football and the Angels and the Dodgers in baseball. Basketball has the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

California is well-represented among the major American sporting leagues. Aside from the Los Angeles teams, the NFL has the San Francisco 49ers, while the NBA has the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors. The San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants are also in MLB.

Meanwhile, the Oakland Athletics may be moving to Las Vegas, like how the then-Oakland Raiders moved to "Sin City."

The National Hockey League has the Los Angeles Kings but has franchises based in San Jose and Anaheim, California.

The Rams have won two Super Bowls, one in St. Louis (XXXIV) and the other in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have eight World Series championships, including the 1955 title they won in Brooklyn. Their last championship came during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.