Most people I work with are Dodgers fans. Because, you know, of where I live.
Unlike the online vitriol I spoke about in my last post, most of the Dodger fans in my life dedicate their time to trying to convert me. They bought me a poster. And a mug (a very cute Ohtani mug with his dog - how can you not love that?).
And it's hard not to like the Dodgers. Ohtani is a humble superhero. Freeman is super nice. Mookie has a podcast that is kinda interesting. And it's a very Asian and half-Asian team.
But there's also a lot of corporateness about it that kinda turns me off. I went to Dodgers stadium in August and they have a whole media team that wanders around and interviews people and plays games with them on the big screen. And these interviewers are obviously in LA to "make it" in the entertainment industry, so they speak with that same trained voice and cadence you'd see on an like Entertainment Tonight.
They don't do any of that nonsense at PetCo, so it feels more like a "pure" baseball experience?
There's also the narrative that the Dodgers, who have won a lot, are the "establishment" or even the "Evil Empire West Coast Edition." Which, given their billion dollar payroll, is justified. In a world where it seems more and more of our lives are controlled by big entities of money making calculated moves to get more money, it feels weird to cheer for the baseball version of that.
But sitting this morning, the morning after Ohtani was perhaps at his most Ohtani-ness, I find myself wondering if I'm missing a bigger picture. LA is an extremely diverse place, and the Dodgers seem to be one of those things that can unite it.
I can still love Star Wars without having to love the corporation that's wielding it like a money net. So why not this.
Besides, I think it was Brandon Lee Mulligan who recently said that there are better ways to live out your values than curating the type of content you consume.
So while the Padres are gearing up for next year, I can find the joy in cheering for the Dodgers this upcoming World Series.