As if it’s not bad enough for the Lakers that Kobe Bryant has retired—now they have to watch their backs for the boys in blue.
The Dodgers are closing in on the Lakers as the most popular professional sports team in town, according to a new report by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.
As part of the center’s Forecast LA, an annual economic forecast and public opinion poll, Los Angeles County residents were asked to pick their favorite pro sports team among the seven with “Los Angeles” in their name.
The Lakers came out on top, with 37 percent of the vote, and the Dodgers were second at 35 percent. That’s a big drop for the basketball team, which two years ago had 43 percent of respondents’ support and a healthy nine-point lead over the Dodgers.
“The Lakers’ three losing seasons have taken a toll on their status as the favorite team in Los Angeles,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o studies at LMU and director of the center.
The next three favorite teams among Angelenos were the Clippers (9 percent), Kings (8 percent) and Galaxy (6 percent). Like the Dodgers, all three of those teams reached their respective sports’ playoffs in recent years, including championships for the Kings and Galaxy in 2014.
Rounding out the poll were the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 5 percent and the Sparks at 1 percent.
The survey revealed generational differences as well. While the region’s soccer and hockey teams only registered single-digit support among those over the age of 50, more than twice as many Los Angeles millennials—those between the ages of 18 and 34—picked the Kings or Galaxy as their top team.
“The future of L.A. sports looks much more diverse, with Millennials spreading their support to a much greater degree,” Guerra said. “Diversity of support will likely continue with the addition of the Los Angeles Rams and the new L.A. soccer team in the coming years.”
The forecast is a partnership between the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and Beacon Economics, LLC. The opinion poll is based on the results of a telephone survey administered in January and February to 2,400 Los Angeles County residents.