Opinion | The Dodgers: They just like us

“Courtesy of Dad,” texted Justin, my adult nephew. He was referring to the Dodgers clinching Game 7 to win a grueling 2025 World Series. Justin was remembering his dad, my brother and a life-long Dodger-fan, who had unexpectedly passed in 2023.

It's impossible to watch the Dodgers now without feeling a big hole in our hearts and in our family’s own lineup. That’s one reason why when people ask, “Is it okay to root for the Dodgers?,” it’s complicated.

That question often comes up because Mark Walter, the Dodgers’ principal owner and CEO of the Guggenheim Baseball Management, has financial ties to a private prison company that operates immigration detention centers. 

Trying to untangle our love for the Dodgers from those politics reminds me of when part of our family converted from Catholicism to Christianity. One cousin remarked, “I can imagine leaving the Catholic Church, but how do you leave la Virgen?” Just like one can be culturally Catholic, if you're from L.A. and Latino, chances are you're also culturally Dodger Blue.

In our family, raised in Echo Park where we used to walk to the games, we were proud of our blue-blood genealogy.

It’s not just family tradition; it’s that we are connected to the players. We saw ourselves in them, especially the Latinx players. As much as the Dodgers love to say, “They not like us” – a quote adopted from a Kendrick Lamar song after manager Dave Roberts said it with swagger following a playoff win – the truth is, they are like us.

Coming from Latinx families, we see our stories in theirs. We’re inspired by them.

Puerto Rican-born Kiké Hernández will always be remembered for his postseason heroics – dubbed “Mr. October” for a reason – making nine postseason trips with the Dodgers. But he’s also in our hearts as the first Dodger to speak out against ICE raids. While the organization stayed silent, he posted:

"This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused, and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and human rights.”

That compassion didn’t come from nowhere. In 2017, during the World Series, his family, still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, gathered at his grandparents’ home in Puerto Rico, using a generator just to power the TV so they could watch him play. While the conditions were different, he knew what it felt like to be part of a vulnerable community living in precarious circumstances.

Then there's Venezuelan-born Miguel Rojas-“Miggy Ro”, who hit the game-tying home run at the top of the ninth in Game 7. Miggy wasn’t even scheduled to play but his wife told him: “You're going to hit a home run.” 

“Babe,” he replied, “I'm not even playing.”

 “You're going to hit a home run in the World Series,” she repeated.

And she was right. Because no one believes in the American dream quite like immigrants do. Not because they expect to win, but because they know what it means to sacrifice everything for a shot at something bigger than oneself.

And finally, there is our recent group of new immigrant players from Japan: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, who celebrated together after the walk-off win in Game 5. Ohtani and Sasaki were already on the infield when they realized Yamamoto was still in the bullpen so they sprinted over, and they, along with their interpreters, jumped up and down in a group hug. Ohtani and Yamamoto: two of the greatest in the world. And yet what mattered most in that moment was togetherness, respect, not just for teammates, but for those who help tell their stories.

Like many baseball teams, the Dodgers are shaped by the stories of immigrants and migrants – past, present, and future – people who’ve sacrificed so much to chase a dream. We remember and honor the legends: Fernando Valenzuela, Manny Mota, Pedro Guerrero, Hall of Fame Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, and so many others, whose talent and grit help shape what Los Doyers stands for across generations.

We see ourselves in them.

Don’t believe the song.

The Dodgers? They just like us.