LIan Miller on X says the 'Dodgers are bad for baseball' crowd has it backwards — World Series ratings are 30 percent higher when LA is in it.
MThirty percent? Check that number, Liam, because that's not what the actual ratings showed.
LIt's close enough — the point is the Dodgers pull big audiences. People watch them, that's good for the sport.
MNo, no, you can't just throw out that stat. The real number was the best ratings in seven years, but that's because of the Yankees and Ohtani, not the Dodgers' payroll.
LOh come on, the Dodgers were half that series. You're telling me people tuned in just for the Yankees? Ohtani supposedly brought millions of new fans from Japan.
MOhtani brought them, and he happens to play for LA. Swap him to the Pirates and nobody watches. The Dodgers aren't the draw — the star is.
LBut that's exactly the point! The Dodgers went out and got the biggest star, and the league is better for it. You can't punish a team for trying to win.
MI'm not punishing anyone. I'm saying the 'fans hate the Dodgers' thing has some truth — they've won three of the last five, they buy everyone. It's bad for competition when one team has all the money.
LBad for competition? They lost the World Series last year! The Padres took them to five games. You know what's bad for competition? Owners who won't spend a dime and cry poor.
MYeah, but you're defending a team with a three-hundred million dollar payroll. The gap is real, and the ratings don't make it fair.
LFair? The Dodgers built from within too. Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Bobby Miller — they develop. And the ratings prove fans love watching them. MLB should be thrilled.
MThrilled that one market is booming and half the league is tanking? Attendance in Pittsburgh and Oakland says otherwise.
LThat's an ownership problem, not a Dodgers problem. Stan Kasten said Ohtani changed their stadium demographics completely. Japanese tourists supposedly quadrupled since 2019.
MThe Ohtani effect is real, I'll give you that. MLB's own guy said Asian viewership rose 32 percent. But that's Ohtani, not the Dodgers' brand.
LSo if Ohtani went to the Angels again, they'd be drawing that? No chance. LA's market, their history, the star power together — that's what draws.
MFine, the Dodgers are a ratings machine. But don't tell me they're good for the sport when half the league can't compete. The ratings jump is real, but the 30 percent claim doesn't hold up.
LOkay, the exact number was off. But the direction is right. People want to watch the best teams, and the Dodgers are one of them.
MSpeaking of dominant teams, someone posted their top ten most dominant MLB postseason runs. gretz on X has the 2005 White Sox at number one — 11 and 1, only loss was ALCS Game 1.
L11 and 1 is great, but they played the Astros in the World Series that year. The '99 Yankees swept a better Braves team and the Rangers. I'd flip those.
MYou can't knock the White Sox for their opponents. They swept the ALDS and World Series, and their pitching was insane — four straight complete games in the playoffs.
LFour complete games? In 2005? That's a different era. The '99 Yankees had Rivera, Jeter, and swept a 100-win Rangers team. No contest.
MYou're just a Yankees homer. The White Sox run was pure dominance. First title since 1917, they earned that top spot.
LI'm not a homer, I respect history. But the Yankees lost one game in the entire postseason too, and they beat better teams. Let's not pretend it's close.
MAgree to disagree on the ranking, but the list is a fun argument. That 2005 White Sox team doesn't get enough credit.