The Los Angeles Dodgers were named Sports Team of the Year at the 2021 Sports Business Awards, which were established by Sports Business Journal to celebrate excellence in the business of sports.
It was L.A.’s first time winning the award since the awards were launched in 2008.
“We’re humbled to receive this prestigious honor and be recognized by our industry as Sports Team of the Year,” Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “This is truly an organizational award, and from top to bottom, I could not be prouder of our players and staff for the way we embraced and overcame the challenges of the past year.”
The Dodgers’ excellence in 2020 extended on and off the field during a difficult year that changed everyone’s lives due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Off the field, the L.A. Dodgers Foundation collaborated with team partners on targeted relief efforts and near-weekly community drive-through distributions of vital resources.
Dodger Stadium became one of the nation’s largest mass testing and vaccination sites with more than 1 million COVID-19 tests administered and almost a half-million vaccine doses given on-site. The stadium also served as a voting center during the 2020 presidential election.
With Stay at Home orders in place, the Dodgers connected the community by hosting weekly Zoom parties — which drew 10,000+ tune-ins from around the world — and by cardboard cutouts of fans in the stadium, which raised almost $2 million for the Dodgers Foundation’s programs.
On the field, the Dodgers won their eighth consecutive National League West title with the sixth-highest winning percentage in MLB history (.717) and ended the year by adding their first World Series championship since 1988.
Dodgers best among five teams
The other nominees for Team of the Year the Columbus Crew (MLS), Miami Dolphins (NFL), Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) and Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).
The Bucks and Dolphins were the only teams nominated that didn’t win the championship as the NBA Finals was won by the Lakers and the Super Bowl was won by the Buccaneers.
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