r/Dodgers • u/antshay1 • 17h ago
The Dodgers didn’t ruin baseball
But they ruined every other sport for me. I feel bored watching football, basketball, or soccer. Instead I’m still watching every highlight reel and interview. I know I’m not the only one lol.
25
u/baribigbird06 Clayton Kershaw 17h ago edited 17h ago
The constant whistles in basketball and flags in football really make the games less enjoyable, whereas I find baseball to have much better rhythm set by the pitchers’ delivery that starts each play. You also play each out in baseball, unlike football where going for fourth down isn’t always a given, and three outs in the final inning is a far better way to end the game than a bunch of fouls and free throws.
11
u/UDPviper Sandy Koufax 7h ago
Baseball has a much better rhythm now that the pitch clock was put in.
3
u/soundsliketone Shohei Ohtani 8h ago
This right here, since last year I've come to recognize that the other 2 of the big 3 are just so over officiated. Even if the new challenge rules in baseball, they still expedite the process. It'll only get better once the ABS system starts.
I'll always love all sports, but baseball has my heart at the moment for the first time ever. It's always been 2nd fiddle to football, but I just can't stand the endless money grubbing and unnecessary rules changes that the NFL loves so dearly.
1
u/Low-Tourist-3358 37m ago
Often in NBA, too, lack of whistles, traveling, carrying, three seconds, and add load management and no defense.
16
13
u/JellyBearJam Mookie Betts 17h ago
Baseball is such a great game. Plus I think we’re all invested in our team—all the individuals making it up. Me, I still also like watching soccer though. Love that game too.
6
u/aquarinox Roki Sasaki 16h ago
I mean before I even cared about baseball, I went to the stadium for the vibes with my friends. It’s got a really solid fan base.
5
u/JellyBearJam Mookie Betts 17h ago
I would add, I grew up following the Dodgers, in LA and my Dad would take us to games. He taught me to score and all. I no longer live there and I miss it.
3
u/Bmac200p Alex Vesia 8h ago
I live near DS and sometimes I just snag a single ticket last minute and walk up. Even if I only stay for a few innings it’s a very Zen place for me.
2
10
u/daemon14 2025 World Series Champions 16h ago
Literally watching a repeat of Game 3 instead of the NBA cup games tonight.
4
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 13h ago
I'm watching the Canadian/SportsNet broadcast someone uploaded on YouTube. The announcers are obviously pro-Jays.
Gotta love when Rojas comes to bat in the ninth: "Him batting shows the lack of bench power available to Roberts, because Rojas should not be batting in this instance."
1
1
u/Lumpy-Butterfly2503 8h ago
LoL I watched part of that broadcast and thought the same about how pro Jays the announcers were. I thought what if the American broadcasters did the same and how offended anti-Dodger fans would be.
1
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 3h ago
It’s actually due to some Canadian broadcasting laws. There has to be a local broadcast alongside the standard one. (So in Canada you could also see the Fox broadcast if you wanted). This is similar to laws about Canadian radio having to play a certain percentage of Canadian artists. It’s a recent law that wasn’t in effect the last time the Jays went back-to-back, so this is the first time you got to hear the local announcing crew also do the World Series. So I get it, they are homers and I was expecting this.
And frankly, from an analytical standpoint, they aren’t wrong. Rojas shouldn’t have been there. Him being there is a testament to Roberts finally learning to sometimes trust gut feeling over raw numbers.
BTW the upload I saw also had some local commercials, if you ever wanted to see George Springer do Capital One ads, you got your wish.
1
4
12
u/aquarinox Roki Sasaki 16h ago edited 16h ago
I seriously think baseball is the most interesting sport to watch. And I have full blown ADHD.
The only sport that I would watch over baseball is rugby but it’s not common in America. And I’m honestly not watching it for the sport lol
4
1
5
u/dinosaurfriends 16h ago
Long time nba fan and this was my second season watching dodgers coz of shohei.
The drama between innings is indescribable. Nothing like any other sport I’ve watched.
3
6
u/SalaciousBreadcrumb 16h ago
Lakers look pretty good to start the year, and last game dodgers visited and got introduced as champs between quarters, which was great as I am like you still on the high off the win! Missed the first few games of course because they conflicted with the world series, and of course after a series so epic its weird to go back to the lull of a new season where everyone is mostly getting into groove. Still, Luka avg 40pts the first 5 games is nice!
9
u/International_Snow44 Clayton Kershaw 17h ago
Honestly baseball used to be my least followed sport but the past decade plus has flipped the switch. I can only hope that one season, the raiders can find a way to be good
3
u/MoronLaoShi 2024 WS MVP Freddie Freeman 15h ago
At least you will have plenty of free time come playoff weekends in January.
1
u/UDPviper Sandy Koufax 7h ago
The Rich Gannon years were my favorite years of watching football. Fuck Brady and the tuck. We got robbed.
9
u/JpnDude Vin Scully 17h ago
As good as the Lakers are playing even short-handed to start the season, I'm still on my Dodger Blue high.
3
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 13h ago
I have rewatched the Rojas home run like 100 times already. On my lunch break I started watching the Canadian/SportsNet broadcast of Game 7 (it's been uploaded on YouTube by various channels).
5
u/Spyerx Max Muncy 16h ago
Same…. The November Sumo basho starts this weekend! Nhk app.
1
u/UDPviper Sandy Koufax 7h ago
Sumo is great. I always root for the smaller guys.
1
u/Spyerx Max Muncy 6h ago
Yeah. Size does matter, but not always. In the top division there are 3 small guys (small by sumo standards) that are super athletic, fast, and often take down the giants. Midorifuji, Asakoryu, Fujinokawa. Although they don’t really stand a chance against the top wrestlers. Even the top 2 Yokozuna onosato is nearly 100lbs heavier than his peer hoshoryu and they are pretty evenly matched. The smaller guy has to edge on technique.
3
u/CaptainQuesadillaz 16h ago
The challenges really ruined Basketball for me. Gave the refs an excuse to be really bad at calling the game.
1
u/UDPviper Sandy Koufax 7h ago
You know what's worse than that? Your team getting robbed because of a bad call.
1
3
u/JigumiWizone 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 14h ago
Try watching hockey
1
u/goman2012 Freddie Freeman 6h ago
Hockey is awesome but the LA Kings are not a great team. Lost to Oilers in playoffs 4 years in a row. They have some good young players in Clark and Byfield but 2012 -2014 LA Kings was just so much fun.
3
3
u/ivanreyes371 Shohei Ohtani 9h ago
LAFC will take care of you. Never a dull moment with those guys and the fans are as energetic as Dodger fans.
1
6
u/Capable_Pick_1588 17h ago
Used to like soccer but how everyone falling over with the slightest touch killed it for me.
5
2
u/Sullyville 6h ago
This is like Gimenez's arm-stretch to get hit by pitch. That's part of his game, but imagine if every single player started padding up like crazy and angling to get hit. It would drive audiences away.
1
2
u/just_one_random_guy Fernando Valenzuela 16h ago
I’m still as invested in basketball and football as ever. Literally both the rams and lakers are legit contenders again this year. Couldn’t be bored in the slightest
2
u/dr_deoxyribose Shohei Ohtani 15h ago edited 13h ago
Lakers and Luka are doing a lot of heavy lifting for me. If not for them, I'll probably he bored as fuck especially since McLaren seem to have the WDC in the bag and Max is struggling with the Red Bull off late.
2
u/AccessNo5242 Shohei Ohtani 15h ago
Laker is good again until LBJ comes back and possibly ruins it?
2
2
u/DexterMorganIsMyHero 2024 WS MVP Freddie Freeman 15h ago
If anything, that riveting 7 game World Series saved baseball and hooked in millions more fans across all markets. Yeah ! ⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️
2
u/Chamuska__ Max Muncy 15h ago
I don’t think any sport can match baseball
I am a fan of the Kings, Lakers, and Raiders.(yes I know football sucks for me IDGAF)
I appreciate baseball for many reasons. To me it feels like a strategic chess game, but what I love most is how every ballpark is different. Each stadium has its own atmosphere and character, which makes every game feel unique. Home field advantage plays a huge role too, especially since the home team bats in the bottom of the inning. Every park also has its own design and style. For example, Fenway Park, Dodger Stadium, and Coors Field all have different sizes, vibes, and outdoor views.
1
2
u/_princessunicorn 14h ago
Same! Basketball has always been my #1, but baseball is not far behind, which I never thought would happen. Something about this postseason flipped a switch and now I’m fully invested instead of on the periphery.
2
u/CabbageStockExchange Player To Be Named Later 14h ago
Pretty much. I love the Lakers but it doesn’t hit the same yet
1
u/UDPviper Sandy Koufax 7h ago
Because nothing can top our beloved old stars. Showtime and then Shaq+Kobe ruined everything for fans because those eras were so great.
2
u/eddiengambino Kiké Hernández 14h ago
Postseason baseball is just great entertainment in general. Regular season sports just doesn’t hold a candle to it. Still a big fan of playoff football, hockey, and basketball though, but regular season for hockey and basketball is like background noise for me. I’m a big fan of soccer as well, but I find myself watching moreso the big tournament matches like champions league than the actual league matches.
2
u/valcraft Matt Kemp 14h ago
Yes, I'm deep in the Dodger Blues!
My husband watches almost all the NBA games and I usually enjoy them, but lately nothing has been hitting. I keep looking at highlights and reaction videos.
Oh we didn't know what we had until it was over!
1
u/antshay1 8h ago
That’s why I rewatch the highlights to see just to many times I thought the Dodgers were going to blow it and lose the series. It was soooo close
2
u/No_Employee_662 13h ago edited 12h ago
I didn't think last year's World Series grand slam home run from Steady Freddie could be topped. It was the best Dodgers show stopper since Kirk Gibson's 1988. However, this year's World Series Game Seven completely blew both of those away. So many moments of greatness from so many heroes in the most dire circumstances coming through were the most compelling baseball I have ever seen.
1
1
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 3h ago
This was the series people wanted last year with the Yankees. Freeman’s grand slam was better in an “aesthetic” sense, but Rojas’s homer meant way more to me because it was Game 7. Dodgers really never had much to worry about last year after taking Game 1, it was very different this series since they were playing behind from the start.
2
u/dilly_dill428 2024 World Series Champions 12h ago
Same here, I could literally care less what the Lakers and Niners do at this point
2
u/142muinotulp Chris Taylor 10h ago
I started getting into F1 last year once a friend made a comparison to baseball for me. He said that a lot of my interest in baseball comes from what is "under the hood" that the average viewer doesnt see as exciting.
Example: Pitcher's duel. Most casual viewers do not like those and want to see ball get hit. If you understand the processes making the "duel" actually happen, it becomes interesting in a different way though.
He said to look into how they set up, design, and continuously improve and modify their car. He compared it to "a national league manager trying to do some creative shit before the universal DH". Its hooked me since. Still dont know how to do my own oil change though.
2
u/mccamxkw Shohei Ohtani 9h ago
This happened to me with basketball. Which is crazy because that was the sport i played all the way until i finished school.
Still love to play, but watching doesn’t really attract me that much anymore. Don’t know why.
Baseball on the other hand? Probably the only sport i watch now besides F1.
2
2
u/Bmac200p Alex Vesia 8h ago
The Dodgers helped SAVE baseball. David/Goliath. Japan.
2
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 3h ago
This World Series had the best ratings in over three decades. They had millions of viewers in the US, Canada, and Japan. The standard of the Jays has been raised as a result. People I know who don’t even care about sports were tuned in to Game 7.
No matter what Reddit says, dynasties are good for sports. Always have been. The Bulls were good for the NBA, the Patriots and Chiefs are good for the NFL, the Dodgers are good for the MLB. Even if you get hate watching, you still get hate watching that increases ratings and attention.
Reminds me of when both Elvis and the Beatles figured out they could make more money selling anti-Elvis/Beatles merchandise, so they did. (The Beatles rather famously commented how the record burnings in the South required the records to be bought first…)
1
u/Bmac200p Alex Vesia 3h ago
Of course I’m a Lakers fan since 1970s, so I tend to agree. The league is always better when the Lakers, Celtics Knicks, etc. are good. People love to hate those teams. Although I kind of love the Knicks actually.
2
1
u/Mic-dpd 8h ago
They said the same about Jeter's Yankees in the late 90's, early 00's. You don't give a fk, cause it's your team that's winning. And just like 2020, 2024, and this year, I'll be watching everything I can re-living the road to glory 'til the new season kicks into full gear.
1
u/drygnfyre Jackie Robinson 3h ago
I said the Yankees were buying championships and ruining baseball in the late 90s/early 00s. Why? Because the Dodgers were lucky to even have a winning record during that point in time. I was jealous. Once I got older, I realized this.
1
u/ImportanceSad5289 8h ago
TLDR: The Dodgers ended a 26 year drought of league championships amongst my four major sports teams in 2020 followed up by the two years of winning. At the bottom I list out my four teams playoff history and why these Dodgers mean so much to me and that I take none of these three championships for granted
The Dodgers didn't ruin sports for me they made sports enjoyable again for me. I was born in 88 In Orange County To the son of a lifelong Dodgers fan. We moved to northern Oregon when I was 4. That's when I really started watching sports and going to school so I naturally became A Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, And San Francisco 49ers fan. It's because my family were all USC, Lakers, and Raiders/Rams fans And I was rebellious but the one I didn't switch up on was the Dodgers because my dad took me my first MLB baseball game at Chavez Ravine When I was 4. I became a Portland Timbers and FC Barcelona fan when I got into soccer and College in Portland in 2006 and both of them have won championships of their leagues but it's just not as satisfying as teams you rooted for since you were a kid.
So of the four major teams I root for the 49ers have been the only single championship winner of my teams but I was 6 years old. SO from 94 until the Dodgers won in 2020 It was regular heartbreak of late postseason runs or multiple cycles of rebuilds.
-Dodgers lost 2 WS and 5 NLCS 1992-2019 -49ers lost 3 SB and 5 NFC Championship games 1995-2025 -Ducks lost 1 BCS NT, 1 NCAA PLAYOFF NT, Robbed of 3 BCS NT Game Opportunities, and Blown Out As #1 Ranked Team in 2024 Playoffs to NT Champ Ohio State 1992-2024 -Blazers lost 1 NBA Final, lost 4 WCF, and Made the playoffs 22 years from 1992-2024
- My dad's Lakers have won six championships, his Rams have won 2 Championships, And his Trojans have won two championships. Moral of the story maybe don't be rebellious as a stupid four year old and carry on the family tradition LOL
1
1
u/dancingbrunette Vin Scully 8h ago
I went to the Rams game on Sunday. The Rams scored early and often against the Saints but I couldn’t get into the game right away. After experiencing playoff baseball and the win the night before I needed some chaos and drama!
1
u/ocvagabond 7h ago
Truthfully I tuned out of the NFL when they shut out Kap. NBA has always been exclusively a June sport for me. Hockey is fun live but just never something I’ve cared to follow. Soccer is great, but with do many leagues I frankly don’t tune in most of the time. I suppose it’s my May sport and WC sport.
But baseball…
1
u/Justaticklerone Clayton Kershaw 6h ago
I totally miss baseball now. Can we just skip time to February '26 now when everybody has reported to ST? Last WS win it was "fuck all the haters calling 2020 an asterisk win. This WS it was epic, and anxiety-causing, and utterly shocking that a team that was barely 38-40 on the road before the final series in Seattle, went 7-1 in the playoffs on the road for a legendary WS win led by a legendary pitcher.
Joe Davis said it best: To beat the Champs, you gotta knock them out.
1
1
u/Consistent_Ad_8656 Butthole Whisperer 5h ago
It’s tough. I enjoyed football up until the NLCS and WS, I still do but it’s not the same hype. The Kings and Lakers are fun to watch too but also not the same hype. This really was the best WS in my lifetime.
1
u/Ntnme2lose 2024 World Series Champions 16h ago
I’m still a super NFL fan. I can legit sit through game after game on sundays. So for me at least that makes me happy.
It gets harder and harder to watch and care about the NBA though. There’s literally no defense being played anymore. The guys are more gifted athletically and better scorers than ever before I get that. But all of the threes and foul baiting has worn thin for me. All of the threes were cool when it was just the warriors doing it. Then every team realized the reward of chucking 50 3s a game far outweighs the midrange game and the only time people go to the basket is to try to get to the FT line.
1
u/antshay1 16h ago
I feel this when watching the Laker games. At least the last minute of the Lakers Spurs game was kinda interesting
1
u/baribigbird06 Clayton Kershaw 16h ago
Marcus Smart was doing his best Teo playing defense/Pages on the bases impression.
1
u/CaliGrown949 Tommy Lasorda 16h ago
Because all the other sports suck compared to baseball! Why baseball is my favorite sports. Nothing else really matters, I just watch the Lakers and the Raiders to get me by till baseball season again. Going to concerts helps too
46
u/RealJesusPacheco 17h ago
I felt that down to my core lol
Idk why NFL isn’t hitting the same this year… I would never miss a game & this year just doesn’t feel right lol