What the Dodgers World Series Win Means

from the pov of a reluctant sports fan native angeleno

Here’s a select few facts related to sports and me:

1. My first memory is my younger brother’s birth— specifically my father wearing a head-to-toe Lakers warm-up jersey for the event. It was 1988, the height of showtime.

2. One of my early crushes was Daryl Strawberry (yes this has been discussed with every therapist I’ve ever had). I got his playing card at a fan giveaway night and stared at it the whole car ride home.

3. My family’s company had season tickets to the Dodgers in the 90s, so we were fortunate enough to get to go to a lot of games (and eat a lot of soft serve out of little plastic blue hats).

4. I was a “Bring It On” level cheerleader in high school. I was also one of the few on my squad that knew the difference between offense and defense. (I love you girls, but you know that’s true. See also: me coaching my BFF about basketball when she had a crush on a player in high school).

5. My first boyfriend was a “gator.” My dad told me it wasn’t going to work out because he was a “gator” and I was a “nole.” (Not because we were 10. Sidenote: we did break up when we got to middle school, so my dad was right).

6. As you might have guessed at this point, my dad is a big sports fan. I can still recall the fallout from the Dolphins losing a playoff game in the 90s (that Hootie and Blowfish song hit HARD).

7. He also considers me his lucky charm when it came to sports (I can’t call him when the Seminoles are losing, for example), and I have inherited that when it comes to sports, as well.

8. My son has no interest in sports, but we have gone to a couple of Dodgers games— for the first time with my entire family, a memory that now sits on my parents’ beautiful entryway. He has been more interested in the food. (I don’t blame him).

9. I bought a Dodgers hat this year.

10. The Dodgers are now the World Champions

I’m not saying I’m responsible (per sé), but, by golly did I personally need this win. It was fun to root on the boys in blue during the playoffs and feel the joy and glory the players felt. The team’s resilience is relatable on a level we all desperately need right now, when it feels like the world has been collectively holding its’ breath. And politics aside, things haven’t been so great… I haven’t worked a guild-covered job since before the strikes, I’m about to lose my guild-covered insurance, I recently lost my decent-paying job, which I thankfully quickly replaced with a barely-decent job that comes with some emotional shrapnel. I guess you could say its my fourth inning during Game 5, and I’m down five runs in the opponents’ stadium.

That’s the magic of sports, I guess. You never know what could happen. You could be down five runs and still come back for the title. For us Dodgers fans they rewarded us believers with their World Series win. And for this Dodgers fan, that reward came when I needed it most. Thanks, boys! Go Blue!