THE GOLDEN FAN

By: Mateo Gutierrez

It only takes a quick Google search to find out just how big of a Los Angeles Rams fan Sal Martinez is.

With extensive news coverage that spans years on Martinez and the Golden Ram Barber Shop, his widely popular barber shop in Westminster, California, it’s no secret that he may love the Rams more than anyone else in the world. So, what about his barber shop makes it clear where his fandom stands? A Rams memorabilia collection dating back to 1969.

“I think of it as a Rams museum,” said Brianna Marraccini, Martinez’s daughter and only child. “It’s all the pictures … everything he has in there, it’s so intimate. That’s like his second home.”

From signed jerseys, to helmets, to newspaper clippings, and even a customized street sign, the Golden Ram Barber Shop screams Rams fandom like no other place. Martinez, 61, said his love for his favorite NFL team originated from being enamored with their helmet and uniform while watching them play the Dallas Cowboys when he was six years old.

“I didn’t choose the Rams. The Rams chose me.”

From there, the Rams didn’t just become a passion for Martinez, but also a getaway.

“Everything I went through in life, Rams football would always take me away from. How many people have an escape from reality for 3.5 hours? Or have a hobby that takes you back to your childhood years?”

Sal Martinez

Aside from various outlets reporting on his barber shop and fandom, Martinez recently received the highest notoriety and honor a Rams fan could get – the 2023 NFL Rams Fan of the Year Award. Receiving nominations from other Rams fans to win the award, Martinez was also surprised with two tickets to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. He went with Marraccini to the Super Bowl in what he called, “a full circle moment.”

Although his barber shop is dedicated to one of the hometown NFL teams in which he’s one of the biggest fans out there, Martinez said “probably less than 5%” of his customers are actual Rams fans. In fact, Martinez believes that around 70% of his customers are friends or relatives – including those that started as strangers who just needed a haircut.

“Sal is a person who cut my hair, who [then] became a friend, who [then] became a friend I can confide in, [and] who became a friend I consider my brother,” said Rich Main, a longtime customer of Martinez since he was thirteen years old. “I consider Sal like family.”

Main, 50, was introduced to Martinez through his grandfather who was also a customer, along with Main’s father, son, and, soon enough, his grandson.

“Our evolving relationship started from, ‘I want to get a haircut from this guy,’ to now when we have family gatherings or there are weddings, Sal gets an invitation because Sal is family,” Main said.

Hover over photos with mouse (Photos courtesy of Rich Main)

Main noted that what encouraged him and his family to return to Martinez for decades wasn’t necessarily the Rams fandom or the quality of the haircuts, but rather the quality of Martinez’s character.

“Genuineness is probably the biggest thing about Sal that I’ve always appreciated throughout the years,” Main said. “I’ve seen him interact with so many people throughout the years, and to be honest, I’ve never heard anybody say one bad thing about Sal. Whether it be social media, in-person, second-hand, anything.”

Main isn’t the only customer of Martinez that shares this sentiment.

“All those really good qualities in a person, he has them,” said Russell Collins, a longtime customer and close friend of Martinez. “He doesn’t brag about it… it’s all just real genuineness.”

Collins, 46, met Martinez around 1998 through a friend that went to Westminster High School, located less than a mile from the Golden Ram Barber Shop.

Collins remembered that Martinez’s barber shop used to allow walk-ins (now appointment only), and when you’d enter the shop, there would be at least five to ten kids on the basketball or football team for Westminster High that would be waiting in line for a haircut. It was through his interactions with these kids at the school that Collins realized what type of person Martinez was.

“With all the kids that play sports, you’d see him talking and coaching them through what you really need to do to succeed,” Collins said.

His impact on Westminster’s youth doesn’t just stop there. Collins added that Martinez would often give small tasks to kids in exchange for money if they didn’t have any.

“He understood that a lot of the kids in his community that would get haircuts there came from broken homes or didn’t always have enough money to get a haircut,” Main said. “Sal would provide for these kids like a safe area.”

According to Martinez, there used to be video games at the liquor store next to his barber shop which required quarters to play. Many kids would rush to his barber shop to do small tasks for him to receive quarters and then play the games. He believes when kids earn the money instead of just getting it, it gives them a little dignity and allows him to be more in touch with the community.

He added that a lot of the high school students would go to the nearby Del Taco after school but some of them didn’t have enough money to actually buy anything. So, Martinez would ask the students to buy him a coffee and then give them extra money so they can buy food for themselves too.

“I was paying $20 for a cup of coffee before Starbucks came around because I told them to share the change,” Martinez said.

Hover over photos with mouse (Photos courtesy of Sal Martinez)

Martinez was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, and was the eighth of eleven children. Raised by a single mom with ten other siblings, Martinez said he understood the struggle of kids in his neighborhood, and that his upbringing motivated his current personality.

“Coming from a family of eleven, there’d be times where I’d eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, so I know struggles,” Martinez said. “I always told them if they’re ever hungry or ever want anything, come by my shop. I’ll get you something to eat. Just always be honest and you’ll always have a meal.’”

Because his parents divorced at a young age, Martinez never truly felt like he had a father figure growing up. He noted that his father’s absence, however, has helped him connect with the local youth and be a better mentor.

“I know what these young kids need as far as advice, or steering them in the right direction or encouraging them, so I was able to do that with a lot of my customers,” Martinez said.

Without a father figure, Martinez said his role model growing up was a liquor store owner named Harry, who hired him to stock the coolers in his store when he was thirteen years old. It was through Harry that Martinez learned how to treat people right and how important trust is in relationships with your customers, friends, and family.

“Sometimes I’m a father figure, a brother… My relationship has grown with my customers that they just trust me and I’m able to be a mentor to them and that’s one thing I embrace,” Martinez said.

Da’Mon Jackson, 47, also considers Martinez a brother, or as he likes to call it, his “tailgate twin.”

“People will see me at tailgates and immediately ask, ‘Hey, where’s Sal?’” Jackson said. “They put us together like peanut butter and jelly. You can’t do peanut butter without jelly.”

Jackson is a longtime friend of Martinez and also shares a passionate fandom for the Rams. The pair host a Rams-centered podcast together called, “Golden Ram Buzz,” filmed in the Golden Ram Barber Shop. Before becoming podcast partners, however, Jackson and Martinez became a part of the same Rams tailgate crew together.

The two, along with Marraccini, would begin a longstanding tailgating tradition when the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016. The tradition included meeting at the gates of the Rams’ home stadium at 6 a.m. on gameday to find a great parking spot and set up a large tailgate together, hiring a DJ and catering tacos for others – friends or strangers.

“We make it open to whoever wants to come and join us,” said Marraccini, 32. “That can be the opposing team and just anyone who wants to join.”

Similar to his customers, fellow Rams fans hold a deep appreciation for Martinez.

“They love him. He’s very engaging with the people.”

Da’Mon Jackson

When asked about what separates himself from other barbers, Martinez answered, “the ability to make people comfortable.” He said that when he begins talking to a new customer, he can tell by a customer’s dropping of the shoulders that they are receptive and ok with connecting and expressing themselves.

Martinez took it further and even claimed that customers tell him that he knows them better than their closest family members and friends.

“I love what I do,” Martinez said. “I love being a barber and being part of the community, but also the impact of being able to be there.”

While Martinez continues to be a beacon of hope in Westminster for kids and adults alike, he believes a lot of people forget that everyone has a role in their community and that, “it takes a village to raise a child.”

“When you have a business or you’re part of a community, I think we all have to always hold ourselves to a higher standard and to try and teach these young people because kids see everything and they’re learning every day,” Martinez said.

“Life is about giving back. If we have more, we share.”