Sports by Brooks: Why LA Gangs Traded In Raiders For The Dodgers

With the Raiders gone from L.A., most gang members, who are notoriously young, have no emotional attachment to the team. The city has now gone generations without the Raiders.

Another reason for the surge was the Dodgers’ acquisition of Manny Ramirez.

Ramirez suddenly gave the notoriously faceless Dodgers a personality with local fans. For the first time since I moved here over a decade ago, there was actually some buzz in town about the team.

Matt Kemp has helped to build on that notion, thanks in part to his on-field performance, off-field demeanor/style and his relationship with Rihanna.

But when it comes to popularity with the Latino gangs leading the switch from Raiders to Dodgers, I believe the biggest factor is the relatively inexpensive ticket prices for Dodger games.

In the past few years, there’s been a well-documented rise in criminal violence and mischief in the parking lots outside of Dodger Stadium. That trend was noticeable enough for the Dodgers to completely ban tailgating before and after games this season.

Those problems can be traced in part to the large number of Latino gang members who are well-known to frequent the pavilion seats (bleachers) at Dodger games. (It’s an open secret among Dodger fans.)

In short, the Dodgers have become the cheap entertainment option of choice for many gang members in Los Angeles these days.