Analysis | Dodgers, Giants playoff game rekindles historic rivalry on field, on Chapman campus

A look into the history of one of the most famous sports rivalries and what it looks like on our campus following a face-off between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. WikiCommons

Let’s set the scene — because maybe your household has looked like this during last week: it’s a chilly, fall evening. You and your roommates are situated comfortably on the couch with your eyes glued to the television as the Los Angeles Dodgers battle head-to-head against the San Francisco Giants in a thrilling, tie-breaker of a game. But the tension in the room is tangible. 

Some of your roommates are wearing Giants orange. Some are boasting Dodger blue. You guys are sitting on opposite ends of the couch. 

Words haven’t been exchanged since the fourth inning. Brandon Crawford is at the plate facing Kenley Janson in the ninth with two outs; it’s time for the pitch.

The rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers almost goes back as far as when the game of baseball started, and with so much of Chapman’s community either being from the San Francisco Bay area or the Los Angeles area, our campus is at the center of it. 

The rivalry is regarded as one of the most competitive and long-standing rivalries in all of sports. Over the course of baseball history, the two teams have dominated the National League. The Dodgers and Giants each have more National League pennants than any other major league baseball team (the Dodgers have 24 and the Giants have 23). 

With both teams hailing from New York City originally, the rivalry started out east. They were once the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Dodgers played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn and the Giants played at the Polo Grounds, only a few miles away in Upper Manhattan. With such close proximity to each other, the two teams were natural rivals competing for the attention of New Yorkers. Earlier eras of the rivalry hosted stars like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. 

To make competitive matters worse, many Giants fans were members of the Manhattan elite,  while Dodgers fans tended to encompass more blue-collar workers due to the working-class atmosphere of Brooklyn at the time. 

The two teams followed each other out west in the 1950s. The Dodgers went to Los Angeles, and the Giants went to San Francisco. After coming out west, the teams have continued their reign over the National League with six of the last 10 World Series having either the Dodgers or the Giants representing the National League. This year, with the Dodgers competing for the pennant still, it’s likely to be the same. 

Over the past 70 years, the rivalry has probably had more fistfights and extra-inning games than any other rivalry in the MLB. In fact, the Giants-Dodgers rivalry has arguably had more notorious incidents on the field than any other professional sport. Whether it be Reggie Smith’s fight on Father’s Day  or Juan Marichal and John Roseboro going after each other in 1965, these teams (and fans) take this rivalry seriously. 

When we are talking about people’s hometowns, people obviously take it personally; these teams are part of their identity.  Despite the on-field interactions remaining mostly civil, there are times when the competitive spirit has gotten out of hand among the fans themselves. There have been a number of instances where the fans have broken out in violence and a handful where it ended in casualties — the most infamous being when a 25-year-old San Francisco Giants fan was killed during a post-game dispute in 2003.

The on-field rivalry was once again ripe during the 2021 season when the Giants and Dodgers faced each other in the first round of the playoffs in the National League Division Series (NLDS). The Dodgers edged the Giants and won the series 3-2 during the final game last Thursday.

My household in particular watched the series closely, since half of us are Giants fans and the other half grew up rooting for the Dodgers. My house clearly wasn’t the only split household; The Panther Instagram account ran a poll to find out which direction our followers were leaning. 

The votes were close with around 55% of the student population rooting for the Giants and 45% rooting for the Dodgers to win the NLDS. These teams run strong and personal on our campus, and a lot of students were repping their teams with hats and shirts.

Despite the Giants winning Chapman’s vote, the Dodgers are moving on and facing the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). It’s safe to say the Giants and Dodgers rivalry is as healthy as ever on the field — as well as on our campus.