Money and the Dodgers

Released from the grasp of Frank McCourt, the big name behind the Dodgers' new owners is the beloved Magic Johnson, who brought a ton of buzz to the buying of this LA based team. But according to the associated press, Mark Walter will be the controlling owner, not Johnson. Walter runs Guggenheim Partners, a financial services firm known that caters to the highly rich.

In a state of economic decline, how could a group of people afford a purchase at a record $2.15 billion, roughly $500 million more than the next highest bidder? Simply put, Walter and his company Guggenheim are used to picking up table scraps, shaping them into what they hope are better companies for the future (From the LA Times). It seems like a god send for the Dodgers that someone like Walter, estimated at $1.3 billion personally, has taken over. But there is one problem. According to Walter himself, he doesn't know much about baseball.

"I'm a baseball fan, but I'm not qualified to make baseball decisions, and I don't want to pretend to be," said Walter, who was over 20 when he saw his first big-league game in person.

Here is what I am puzzled by; to me, sport is becoming more about money and less about the game; it's just a means to make a huge profit, which can be seen when anyone with a fat wallet is able to buy a team. We have discussed the past few weeks in class about the big business that is sport, but there is still this pull towards the "love of the game" and why we tend to watch. So why is it that someone who admittedly says he knows little about the game allowed to control an MLB team in a large city?

I wonder what the state of sports business would be like if sports conglomerates even the playing field for other poorer teams and poorer fans. These people that have undeniable love and passion for the game, so why are they struggling to see their favorite teams? If the game is really about the fans and the love of the sport, why is it so difficult to be a participant? The other day, I payed $30 dollars for a Clippers game ticket in the last row of Staples Center where it would have cost me $80 to see a Lakers game. Absurd. I hope that Walters does a good job with this team, but I have to say I am displeased with my Dodgers being run by someone who didn't even attend his first big league game till he was 20. The same passion and love the game for the game at the bottom tier, in the fans, needs to be at the top, in owners like Walters.

Arielle Moyal

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