“If the New York Yankees are considered the evil empire, then the Los Angeles Dodgers are the Death Star.”
This comment came after the Dodgers went to back-to-back World Series and finished with a franchise record 106 wins in 2019. After being knocked out in an exciting Game 5 of the National League Division Series against future Nationals champion of Washington, the Dodgers acquired former Cy Young Award winner David Price and former American League MVP Mookie Betts.
The “Star Wars” nicknames for baseball teams began in early 2002. The Yankees had just finished a three-game winning streak between 1998 and 2000, and stole all major free agent or trade acquisitions from the rival. of the Boston Red Sox. Remember when Alex Rodriguez was traded to Boston, before the deal was canceled and he went to New York instead?
Well, in 2002 Red Sox president Larry Lucchino was angered after losing to Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui and pitcher Jose Contreras to the Yankees in less than a week. The New York Times asked Lucchino for a comment on the signing of these two players by the Yankees and he replied, “The evil empire is spreading its tentacles even in Latin America.”
The nickname stuck, and the hated Yankees became synonymous with Star Wars villains. The Stripes adopted the moniker and even performed the “Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s theme song) at home games.
For more than two decades, the team with the most World Series titles in MLB history has become the most hated team of all sports.
However, the Yankees haven’t returned to the World Series since 2009, and it’s the Dodgers who are building a dynasty in the West. The acquisition of Betts led to the team’s first World Series championship since 1988, albeit in a shortened 60-game season with the playoffs taking place in a “bubble” environment at. Arlington, Texas, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the start of the 2021 season, the Dodgers and Yankees were the big betting favorites to meet at the Fall Classic. However, injuries hampered seasons for both teams and each organization found themselves in second or third place in their own division for most of the year.
In August, the Dodgers and Yankees got hot. New York had a 13-game winning streak to return to the playoffs, and Los Angeles finished the month with a 19-6 record.
Both teams now control their own playoff destiny as they each hold a lead as the top wildcard team. While neither team is in first place in their own division, that hasn’t stopped fans across the country from hating both baseball clubs.
According to BetOnline.ag, a sports betting site that has tracked Twitter data for over a month based on geotags, hashtags and direct keyword associations related to fan contempt for each of the 30 clubs in the MLB, the Dodgers were America’s most hated team.
According to data which included over 100,000 different tweets and was broken down by state, the Dodgers were the most hated team in nine states. The Yankees finished just behind the Dodgers, as the most hated team in eight states, and the Houston Astros, who have been embroiled in a cheating scandal and are hated by most baseball fans for cheating for win a championship, were third with seven states.
The full state-by-state breakdown is below, including a map of the United States showing the state results.
