Well, Spring time has come upon us now. What does that mean? Baseball season is underway. Having been a lifelong Los Angeles resident, being a Dodger fan is a given. But in all honesty, I do have to wonder if being a Dodger fan is more about about torturing ones self, opposed to being a fan of the game. What brings me to this idea? Let's start with this article from the Los Angeles Times. The article cites the annual Forbes magazine ranking of baseball team values. The rankings list the Dodgers in 4th place and the Angels in 6th place. Forbes estimated that the Dodgers are worth about $632 million and the Angels are worth about $500 million. The ownership of the teams can take credit for the profit increases the teams have seen in recent years.
The Angels have seen a dramatic turnaround in the overall value of the team since Arte Moreno has taken ownership of the team. Heck I can still recall his first days in Anaheim when he lowered the prices of beer at the stadium and brought in a superslugging outfielder by the name of Vladimir Guerrero to the team. Costs have increased marginally, and according to the article, the average price for a family of four to see a Angel game is about $140.
The Dodgers under the ownership of Frank McCourt have seen profit increases as well. An increase in pricing here can be credited for the profit increase. The average price for a family of four at a Dodger game is $229. Frank McCourt tried to make some waves when he first came to town by bringing in Nomar Garciaparra. But he increased everything from parking ($15 at Dodger Stadium, opposed to $8 at Angel Stadium) to ticket prices.
But my questions, thoughts and comments revolve around the product that the fans get in not only stadium experience, but also the team performance. It is true that Dodger Stadium is an older facility that needed some upgrades. Fine, I get it. In order to be competitive, stadium wise, you need luxury boxes and the better concession choices. They did, make some changes to the security staffing levels during games. But to say that the fan experience is fun or enjoyable is far from the truth. I would not want to be a visiting fan at a Dodger game. I have been to my fair share of games where visiting fans were targets of thrown objects and in some cases assaulted. It's a freakin baseball game. Until the LAPD was brought in for security a few years ago, all that fans had to depend on were security personnel who were overwhelmed. It's ridiculous.
Going to an Angel game is much different overall. Having been the visiting fan at an Angel game, it's a much different experience. You get your occasional boos, but it is not nearly as hostile or antagonistic as what Dodger Stadium has become. I mean it's not as if the Dodgers have really done anything competitively.
The Dodgers last won the World Series in 1988 and have struggled to get into the playoffs in the years since. The Angels won the World Series in 2002 and are playoff contenders every year since. As a Dodger fan, this is frustrating. How in the world can the Dodgers not manage to be competitive?
But what amazes me, (and I am just as responsible as other faithful Angelenos), continue to support the Dodgers, in records numbers. While the City of Los Angeles will face possible layoffs, and people will struggle through the current economic woes, the Dodgers will almost certainly draw about 3,000,000 out to Chavez Ravine (just as in years past). The Dodgers will meet their average annual attendance of about 3,000,000 people, despite of the state of the economy and the fact that the Dodgers continue to raise prices for both tickets, food, and parking (I could devote one entire post on the parking issues at Dodger Stadium). So if you really think about it, is there anything (besides organizational pride) that would maybe force the organization into fielding a competitive and financially responsible team if they can bring in record numbers with a mediocre team?
So I guess the fundamental question is: Why do we as Dodger fans continue to go out and support this team? Could it be that the Dodgers break the myth that the Los Angeles fans are more than fair weather fans who only jump on board when they are winning? Perhaps. I just don't know. What is it about the Dodgers that have made them a part of Los Angeles, where opening day will draw a over 55,000 fans out to Dodger Stadium and millions more who are watching the game on tv in their office or online. Who knows...but here's hoping for another 1988 miracle year...
