Why Do Fans Dislike the Dodgers?

I got to thinking about this the other day after I saw a post on Twitter where a fan of another team, I think the Padres, was gleefully reveling in the fact that we had lost a pitcher to free agency with another team, AKA Anderson. Now, the Dodger-Giant antagonism goes back to the days the team was in Brooklyn. The two boroughs basically did not like each other. But for years, the Giants had the better team. But in the dog days, tempers would get short, and occasionally, fisticuffs would break out.

Today I think fans who dislike LA do so because the team has been so successful the last 10 years. Yes, they may be the Braves of the 2000’s, but it is not as easy to win World Series as one might think. Giant fans revel in Dodger losses, and Dodger fans revel in beating the Giants. Most other fans just wish the Dodgers would not win anything. So far in the 2000’s, the Giants have the upper hand with three Championships. The Dodgers are way ahead of any other team for division titles. And therein lies the rub with so many opposing fans. It is the conception that the Dodgers buy their titles. Same thing was said about Steinbrenner’s Yankees back in the day.

The truth is somewhere in between. Yes, the Dodger ownership has a lot of cash. They also have some very astute baseball people running the show. They would rather win and ensure a playoff spot than hope to be the wild card and more or less back into the playoffs. I live in Colorado now for many reasons, one, it is so much cheaper to live here than in California. But I get it all the time from Rockies fans. And it is “the you guys have all the money” argument. They seem to forget how many homegrown players have been on those teams. The fact of the matter is even with their low draft picks, and they find a gem now and then. They also have been extremely fortunate in some trades they have made for unknown players, and also some of their waiver claims. Of course, Taylor and Muncy are the two most well-known. The coaching staff is also adept at “fixing players”. Usually pitchers.

The bad thing about the hatred is that sometimes it degenerates into violence, both on the field and in the stands. Sometimes it continues into the parking lot, and even to bars in the surrounding areas. Two very unfortunate incidents have involved Giant-Dodgers fans fights. Brian Shaw, a Giant fan, was severely beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. His injuries were pretty serious. The two perpetrators were later arrested and convicted.

The worst instance was in 2013 in San Francisco, where Dodger fan, Jonathan Denver, was stabbed to death after a fight that started in a bar. He had attended a game between the Dodgers and the Giants that evening with his father and brother. The assailant was arrested and released. The DA decided not to press charges because it could not be proved beyond any doubt that he acted in self-defense.

Those kinds of incidents are not the norm, but it does show how high passions run in the fandom of both teams. I remember well in the 70’s the arguments and fights that would break out with Reds fans. Dodger fans used to throw things at Pete Rose when he would play left field for the Reds. The Braves when they were in the Western Division, were a big rivalry and more than once I would see a Dodger fan take Umbridge to the Tomahawk chop.

Padres’ fans have become more irritated when Dodger fans seemingly take over Petco Park when they play. It got so bad in Arizona, that they would not allow anyone in Dodger gear to sit in the seats directly behind home plate, and this year, for the playoffs, the Padres restricted ticket sales to certain zip codes so the Dodger fans would have a tough time getting tickets. Myself, I try not to hate any team, severe dislike, on the other hand, is okay.

Fans and umps usually do not fight, but they did in Brooklyn once! The players on the field are not exempt either. New York and Brooklyn had some classic confrontations. One of the best remembered was a collision at first between Giants pitcher, Ruben Gomez and Carl Furillo. Gomez got flattened when covering first by Furillo. Jackie Robinson had more than one confrontation with their players. LA-SF has had its share. Marichal-Roseboro is probably the most talked about. Both Puig and Muncy had issues with Bumgarner. Chad Kreuter, when with the Dodgers, went into the stands after a fan who had stolen his cap.

I myself have never felt the desire or need to go to fisticuffs over my Dodgers. I have stood up to those who I consider obnoxious fans who gloat after one win. What does seem to me to be the case with most fans of other teams is their dislike is simply because the Dodgers A. Have money to buy whatever they need. B. Keep winning, C. Have extremely obnoxious fans…seriously, an acquaintance told me all Dodger fans were obnoxious. D. Continually dominate their team. Most of that comes from Division rivals who have not beat LA in a season series in quite a while.

My biggest pet peeve is something I have no control over, but every time it starts, I get irritated. It is simply the “Beat LA” chant that constantly pops up in SD and SF. Oh you might hear it a little in some other stadium, but at those two parks, it starts anytime they get some sort of rally going. Downright irritating. And they do it even when they are losing.

This will probably always be the case as long as the Dodgers continue to be successful.