29 years ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers won their last World Series championship.
The Lakers won their NBA championship seven years ago. In 2002, the Angels won a championship, and the Clippers never have. It's been three years since the most recent championships have been in LA: the Kings with the Stanley Cup and Galaxy with an MLS Cup title. Since then, Los Angeles has acquired two football teams and a new soccer team slated to start the 2018 season, the Rams, the Chargers, and the Los Angeles Football Club, respectively. With nine sports teams calling Los Angeles their home, LA has the potential to become a city of championships and even rivalry.
Los Angeles has sports teams, but it is not a sports city. Attending a sporting event is just something casual to do on a Friday night, and you're cheering for the LA team because it's the thing to do. Aside from few dedicated, die-hard fans, our fanbase doesn't come close to the Phillies' City of Brotherly Love. Season ticket holders are there every day, with different faces surrounding them with every game. We love LA, but we don't love sports. We like them when we're bored and don't want to hit the bar. LA is full of culture and entertainment, enough to take up a resident's time.
Sports are not something everyone just watches on TV and follows with an app on their phone. With Dodgers Stadium being an easily accessible place, you're either there or you barely have an idea of what's going on with the season. You just know that at the end of the season, you know LA didn't make it to the World Series.
2017 is different. The Dodgers' season consists of the best record in Major League Baseball, the best pitching in the National League, and clutch batting and fielding. They're so good that they swept the Diamondbacks to take the Division championship and land themselves the opportunity to eliminate the Cubs and enter the World Series. Things are changing in Los Angeles. Walk into a store or a restaurant and there will be signs, people talking about it, or a game playing on the screen.
This season has united Los Angeles. We all have something to talk about, we have somewhere to go, and something to celebrate. Players like Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Saeger have become household names, like the days of Orel Hershiser, Steve Sax, and Fernando Valenzuela. We're all rooting for a common goal, to bring the World Series home. Los Angeles has gained the reputation of being fans who ignore their home teams, but this year, the Dodgers are bringing awareness to the situation.
The Dodgers are giving us something to be proud of. We're proud of our universities, our cultures, our arts. We produce great music and films. Now, we are producing great teams. Whether the Dodgers win the World Series or not, they have opened the eyes of Angelinos to the fun of supporting our sports teams. That it's not an event to sit and drink at. It's a celebration of talent and a celebration of our city. World Series ring or not, LA has something to look forward to in the coming years.
