Frank McCourt to Sell Dodgers: How a New Owner Is the First Step to World Series

It is official; Frank McCourt has decided to sell the Dodgers.  Most fans around the Los Angeles community are jumping ecstatically at the news. 

During a season of more drama in management than on the field, it looks to be a nice change for the coaches, players and fans. 

Granted, this does not mean a new owner will automatically mean a championship next year.  However, it will give fans hope for some changes to steer the team into the right direction.  As any fan knows, it is a lengthy process to develop and create a team that is capable of winning the World Series and to think it will happen in one year would be fairly immature.

Obviously a new owner can be responsible for specific players the team signs, however, a new owner means more to this franchise than just players.

A new owner will help set the wheels in motion for what is to come in the future.  He or she will have the opportunity to restore the Los Angeles Dodgers to former glory.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next off-season and regular season following this change.

Less Drama

The 2011 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers will mostly be remembered for the McCourt debacle.  A bitter feud between the married couple for money and ownership rights took over much of the city’s headlines.  Unfortunately, the general public will forget about some of the great achievements by Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and Andre Ethier.

With Frank McCourt out of the picture, it takes a load of drama off the franchise.  Especially being in a city where media and Hollywood rules, having McCourt out of the headlines will take off much of the attention on the struggling team.

A new owner will help dampen much of the pressure and expectation for the short-term as well.  Instead of expecting a championship year in and year out, the fans will be more accepting of a timetable that is needed to develop a team. 

Look for the placement of a new owner to bring about less news on management and more news on the players and what they have accomplished.

New Perspective

The time McCourt has spent with the Dodgers amounted to nothing more than a few exciting seasons but with no championship rings. 

He was so enthralled by the idea of making money that his tactics to build a franchise to its former glory were lost.

New perspective could lead to a different approach to building the Dodgers team.  From what has previously been happening with the franchise, that could be a nice change.

Hopefully with the addition of a new owner, he or she will realize what is needed to develop a championship-caliber team. 

There have been rumors that Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, was interested in taking over the ball club.  If this is the case, the fans have a big reason to be hopeful as Cuban is an owner who is willing to open up the purse in order to win.  Cuban has been known to be a good owner to the players as well as to the fans who support the team.  

With McCourt gone and a new perspective coming in, fans have a good reason to be hopeful for a bright future.

Better Public Relations

Frank McCourt was a public relations nightmare.  Whether he meant to or not, his bitter split with this wife put a negative light on the entire franchise.

General fans of the game saw the LA Dodgers as a team with management issues which ultimately hurt them more in the long run than in the short term. 

On top of the domestic woes of the McCourt family, just recently there had been more negative press on the Dodgers from the Giants fan who was assaulted at Dodgers Stadium. 

The 2011 season was a giant mess for those in the organization who were responsible for keeping the public happy with the team.  The team saw fans leave the franchise in disgust over how poorly ownership handled itself. 

However, with a new owner soon to be arriving, it is safe to say that the franchise is looking for a new start and ready to leave the past behind them.

Higher Hopes

As always with change comes hope for a brighter future.  If something is not working, it is safe to say that it needs to be fixed.  In this case, McCourt was not working and he needed to be changed both for the franchise and the fans.

Whenever referring to the LA Dodgers during the 2011 season, negative emotions erupted.  They did not have the talent and depth to win the World Series even with players who were playing their career bests in Kemp and Kershaw. 

With Frank McCourt being involved in his own issues, it was clear that the Dodgers were not going to be making any additions to the lineup to help change the team into a contender.  It was clear that as long as McCourt was having his own issues, the franchise was going to struggle for it.

Players were worrying about whether or not they would get paid which inevitably will put strain on their play on the field. 

With a new owner on the way, fans have a reason to be excited.  A new owner will potentially and hopefully bring in an attitude of winning with no drama surrounding it.  The fans want hope for a better next season and with a new owner, that just may be what happens.

More Fan Buzz

A franchise is dependent on the fans.  Just like any other professional team, revenues are built on the fans and fan loyalty. 

McCourt was destroying the ties that the organization had with its fans.  Year in and year out, the Dodgers were lacking in depth to make it through an entire regular and post season to win it all. 

Whether it was lack of knowledge of the game or just poor decisions, McCourt was not leading the Dodgers franchise in the right direction and fans were noticing.

New ownership can bring about new buzz and hype for the team.  Maybe more buzz will create more revenue leading to a better team and therefore a higher likelihood of a championship.

Higher Potential with New Players

The Dodgers have great players to build around.  They do not have a championship caliber team yet but do have some great pieces that can eventually get there.  Kemp had a great season and Kershaw had an unbelievable year. 

Unfortunately as long as McCourt was in ownership, it was going to be tough to bring in new players to the franchise.  Frankly, who could blame any player for not wanting to play under him?

It was a tough situation.  The Dodgers needed better players, but better players did not want to come play for McCourt and all the drama that followed him.  With a new owner set to come in, hopefully this will translate into more players seeing a future in LA.

With free agency coming up, a new owner is exactly what the city of Los Angeles needed to attract some good names onto the squad. 

Look for whoever comes in to spark the roster with some solid acquisitions.  This may be next year or in the next three years.  Whatever the case may be, a new owner is the start to a long journey towards World Series victory that the Dodgers have been looking forward to.