In sports, theres not much better than a championship series between two powerhouse teams from major cities. Thats what occurred in this years World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers came into the series with a 8-4 record throughout the playoffs after beating the Rockies to clinch the National League West Division and a huge Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. They were looking to ride the momentum into the World Series against arguably the best team in baseball in the Red Sox.
The Red Sox welcomed the Dodgers into Fenway park for Game 1 of the World Series after going 7-2 throughout their nine previous games to get to the series. They recorded the best record throughout the regular season and cruised through their two playoff series prior to the World Series, only losing one game in each series to some high caliber teams in the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. They looked to maintain their success against an LA team that was desperate for a World Series title after losing it in the 2017 series to the Houston Astros.
The Stars Came Out
There was no question that a world championship series between cities with the star power of Boston and Los Angeles would bring out some stars representing their hometown team. Los Angeles is flooded with the mansions and sports cars of celebrities of a variety of different professions.
We saw athletes, coaches, actors, actresses, singers and politicians come together to enjoy the event. It seemed as if the broadcast of the game was showing a different celebrity during every intermission or dull moment in the game.
In the sea of celebrity Dodgers fans at Dodger Stadium in Game 5 sat Boston natives Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They certainly stuck out from the crowd, and not just because of their fame. Damon and Kimmel continue with another chapter of their public “rivalry” wearing red and blue “I’m with stupid” shirts with an arrow pointing to each other. Damon wearing red obviously to support his hometown Red Sox while Kimmel was wearing his Dodger blue.
Here is a tweet from Fox News Sunday producer Pat Ward showing a video of Matt Damon and Kimmel having some friendly banter which they have been known to do with each other for years now. They saw the 2018 World Series as the perfect spot to continue their comedic feud.
Other notable celebrities and public figures that made an appearance at the World Series were:
- Jennifer Garner
- Lady Gaga
- Lil Wayne
- Jason Bateman
- Brad Paisley
- Larry King
- Rob Lowe
- Jason Garrett
- Mitt Romney
- Hank Aaron
The most important series in baseball was bound to draw some stars, especially in LA, but it also draws a lot of attention, feedback, and reactions from the millions of fans in attendance during the games or watching from home from all around the world.
Fans Showing Their Love
The fans of both teams definitely expressed their love for their teams during the series whether it be through social media or in real life, Boston fans celebrated while Dodgers fans slouched their way home from the stadium and got an angry night of sleep on October 28th. Many fans took to twitter to react to the series.
This fan acknowledges the situation in Game 3 where the Red Sox and Dodgers played 18 innings using up most of their go-to pitchers. Game 3 of the series is tied for the longest game in MLB playoff history in terms of innings. The two teams broke the record for longest playoff game in MLB history in terms time with a seven hour and 20 minute game. It was an instant classic in Major League Baseball history as the Dodgers won on a walk off home run in the bottom half of the 18th inning.
As twitter blew up throughout the ups and downs of the different world series games, So did the stadiums and the areas around them. People were packing bars to up to the windows and doors to watch the Red Sox and Dodgers battle it out for the title. Depending on where you were, it was either a celebration or a night you drink to forget about.
Here we see the Lansdowne Pub on Lansdowne St. in Boston filled with exuberant Bostonians after the Game 5 victory and the Red Sox captured their fourth World Series championship in last 14 years and second in the last five. Fans celebrating by jumping around, screaming and flinging beer wherever they want to because nothing else mattered to them at the moment. The pub posted this to their Instagram account, showing their own excitement for the Red Sox victory.
The Media Covers Game 5
In terms of the media’s coverage of the series, it was interesting to read the different tones in the journalistic coverage from different parts of the country, especially Los Angeles and Boston.
Los Angeles had a somber and dismal tone to their post-game and post-series articles. They’re coverage of the game was more focused around the Dodgers collapse than the Red Sox success. There were not many positive words from Los Angeles journalists through their writing, like in this Los Angeles Times article covering the series. The article is written like the Dodgers were a loved one that had just passed away. The writer, Andy McCullough, uses words like “procession” when describing the dodgers team after the loss,obviously comparing it to a funeral procession. He also uses the phrase “left for dead” when referencing the beginning of the season, which started in May. Through his writing, McCullough conveys the notion of “the Dodgers have officially died. What now?” as he analyzes the different Dodger miscues and the future of the organization moving forward.
As imagined, the Red Sox writers back in Boston had a totally different approach. The articles had a heavy focus on the great decision making by manager Alex Cora, the partying in the locker room and the record-breaking performance by the Red Sox team all season long. In a Boston Herald article covering the series, the writer, Stephen Hewitt, was quick to mention the partying and celebration by the Red Sox team. The tone of this story was clearly more uplifting and positive than the Los Angeles Times article. He mentions the songs that the Red Sox played as well as many details of the celebration to make the reader feel happier for the team, as if they were in the clubhouse spraying champagne and drinking Budweiser with the players. He then goes on to cover the individual performances by players throughout the regular season and playoffs that helped them get to this point such as Steven Pearce’s series MVP heroics and J.D. Martinez’s clutch hitting.
These two media outlets knew their audience and it was interesting to see the different approaches the writers take to accommodating them. These were just two examples of the different styles of writing that writers used when covering the series, depending on their audience and how they would react to their article.
College Riots
Here is a compilation of different Massachusetts colleges such as UMass Amherst, UMass Dartmouth, UNH and Plymouth State. These riots are a popular event at colleges in the area where a professional team has won a championship. Boston has been known for their college riots because of the amount of championships the city has brought to the fans since 2001.
O'Brien Sports 