They have won their division 13 times in the last 14 seasons, and the one time in that period in which they didn’t, they won a then-club-record 106 games.
asserted
they → win → games
Somewhere along the way, the Dodgers did the impossible: They met the requirements to become the sports franchise Los Angeles demanded.
asserted
Angeles → do → requirements
Appreciating what this means requires an understanding of how Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant transformed this city in the early 2000s,
asserted
O’Neal → appreciate → 2000s
With O’Neal and Bryant as their stars, the Lakers didn’t just win championships.
asserted
Lakers → win → championships
This image was reinforced by the play of O’Neal, a 7-foot-1, 325-pound freak of nature who literally couldn’t be stopped.
asserted
who → reinforce → nature
By the time the Lakers completed their three-peat in 2002, championships were no longer something Los Angeles hoped for.
asserted
Angeles → complete → 2002
They became something the city expected.
asserted
city → become → ?
This is the standard used to measure teams with aspirations of becoming a cultural touchstone in this congested market.
asserted
This → use → market
With plenty of other entertainment options, casual fans won’t invest too much of their time and money in a team unless they believe it will create the kind of citywide pride O’Neal’s Lakers once did.
asserted
Lakers → invest → pride
The Rams are producing a worthy on-field product, but they remain in the process of winning back fans they lost over the two decades they spent in St. Louis.
asserted
they → produce → Louis
The Dodgers are the one team in town that is clearing the bar.
asserted
that → clear → bar
“What’s funny is Los Angeles has always been looked at, as far as sports, (as) a Laker town,” manager Dave Roberts said.
asserted
Roberts → ’ → town
“I think we might have the market share right now in Los Angeles.
uncertain
we → think → Angeles
It’s great.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
I think we draw more fans than anyone in the world, obviously, with the home dates we have.
asserted
we → think → dates
But it’s 40,000, 50,000 every night.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
We travel well.
asserted
We → travel → ?
I do think the guys see it.
asserted
guys → think → it
They feed off it.”
asserted
They → feed → it
The Dodgers managed to do this despite playing a sport that is particularly hard to dominate.
asserted
that → manage → sport
The Lakers could dump the ball into O’Neal 30 times a game.
uncertain
Lakers → dump → times
The Dodgers have employed a number of Hall of Famers over the years, but as great as Shohei Ohtani is, he can only hit four times a game, maybe five.
asserted
he → employ → times
The Dodgers have become a different kind of juggernaut.
asserted
Dodgers → become → juggernaut
With substantial investment from their owners, they have built some of the deepest rosters in baseball history.
asserted
they → build → history
In its first season operating the team, Guggenheim Baseball Management signed All-Star outfielder Andre Ethier to an $85 million extension, picked up a then-unknown Yasiel Puig for $42 million, traded for All-Star infielder Hanley Ramirez and assumed more than $260 million in contract obligations in a blockbuster trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett.
asserted
Management → operate → Gonzalez
Season after season, the Dodgers fielded one of the most expensive teams in the major leagues — if not the most expensive team.
asserted
Dodgers → field → leagues
Which is why at some point in each of the last 14 seasons, the Dodgers were considered favorites to win the World Series.
asserted
Dodgers → consider → Series
They are well into their second decade as baseball’s model franchise — or, depending on the perspective, Evil Empire.
asserted
They → depend → perspective
The last time they didn’t reach the playoffs, the world was a completely different place.
asserted
world → reach → playoffs
LeBron James had just won his first NBA championship.
asserted
James → win → championship
The recreational use of marijuana was still outlawed in every jurisdiction of the United States.
asserted
use → outlaw → States
There’s an entire generation of fans who don’t know what it’s like for the Dodgers to not be legitimate contenders.
asserted
Dodgers → ’ → what
Consistency by itself didn’t turn the Dodgers into the Dodgers of today.
asserted
Consistency → turn → today
Actually winning championships was important, of course, and doing that required them to adjust how they built their rosters.
asserted
they → win → rosters
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman used to operate as if the playoffs were a crapshoot.
asserted
playoffs → use → operations
The organization’s focus was on the regular season, on just reaching the postseason.
asserted
focus → reach → postseason
Because depth is required to survive a 162-game schedule, quantity was emphasized over quality.
asserted
quantity → require → quality
The approach didn’t produce any championships.
asserted
approach → produce → championships
The Dodgers reached the World Series twice in their first eight seasons under Guggenheim ownership but lost both times.
asserted
Dodgers → reach → ownership
The failures prompted them to pursue real difference-makers.
asserted
failures → prompt → makers
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
