An honest question.
The World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers starts Friday, and from what I can tell, a huge number of Red Sox fans would prefer a meteor manage a direct strike on Chavez Ravine at game time than see either of these teams in win it all. Why?
I get hating the Yankees — that’s just what we do. I don’t get hating the Dodgers, especially as a Boston fan. Not only did they bail out the Red Sox organization with the “Nick Punto trade,” they infamously roster Boston’s best homegrown player/prospect since Ted Williams, who’s only out there because John Henry got bored. On top of that, they merely have Shohei Ohtani, one of the precious few players who could reasonably claim to be the best to ever play the sport. Maybe you’ve heard of him.
I understand that people don’t like to root for juggernaut teams, and both these teams are juggernauts, but it’s also true that dynasties, and dynastic teams, are good for sports. A rising tide lifts all boats. Regrettable as it is to type, the Yankees have historically been good for baseball, just as the Patriots were (and Chiefs are) good for football and, recently, the Warriors have been good for basketball. That’s just how it works whether we like it or not, even if our kneejerk reaction is to vigorously root against any behemoth.
This time, though, we have to choose a side, except there is no choice. We are rooting for the Dodgers and I don’t want to complain about it. I want to bask in it. They are larger than life and have spent time and money creating one of the nastiest baseball teams we’ll ever see and I think that’s kinda cool. I have no reason to hate them, especially because they’re the one team in the National League that should be expected to beat the Yankees.
Speaking more broadly, I’m far more invested in the Dodgers winning than I was for the Rangers last year, because not all World Series are made equally, and this one is, fairly obviously, more unequal than most, a Celtics/Lakers-type matchup we have every reason to love. I just don’t think performatively hating the Dodgers is a good look. If their team bus ran over your dog, I get it. Then you’re allowed. But if not, seriously, what’s your excuse?