Matchups between the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants are always contentious when you have a family member who roots for the wrong team. But for the first time ever, the storied California teams are facing off in the postseason.
We asked readers who have wives, kids and brothers-in-law who root for opposing teams to tell us about their family rivalries. We asked them how their rivalry came to be and how they keep the peace.
If someone close to you cheers for the team you loathe, we want to hear about it. Tell us your story here.
‘I only swiped right on him because there were no pictures with him in Giants gear’
“My husband and I met on the Hinge app last year. I jokingly say that I only swiped right on him because there were no pictures with him in Giants gear — had there been, it would have been an automatic swipe left.
Last year, our rivalry was a non-issue because it was all about the Dodgers, but this year, we’ve been trash-talking each other’s teams nonstop. We went to one game early in the season where the Giants beat the Dodgers in extra innings. It was a great experience.
With this upcoming series, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to keep the peace. It will be the first real challenge as a married couple.”
— Julissa Avalos
‘We couldn’t have a Giants fan living in our household’
“Our son at 6 years old one day piped up from the back seat of the car that he decided he was a Giants fan.
I told him that it was fine and we’d love him even with this decision. The only problem was we couldn’t have a Giants fan living in our household.
I promised we’d find him a nice home with a Giants loving family who would treat him well and who also would love him very much. After a few minutes of tears he decided he didn’t want us to find him a new family and thankfully still roots for the Dodgers.
While we’re a USC family, we’d have no problems with him rooting for UCLA. As Lakers fans we’d even get by with him rooting for the Celtics. But rooting for the Giants is definitely over the line.”
— Mitchell Kraus
Love sees no colors!
“I’m a lifelong L.A. Dodgers fan, grew up in the San Fernando Valley and lived through the Dodgers’ wild and successful 1970s and 1980s. True blue all the way! By the late ‘90s I was working and living as a historic archaeologist in San Francisco. I met my future wife on a rooftop in Noe Valley. She, born in SF raised in Marin and orange and black through and through.
Love sees no colors!
We got married on Oct. 2, 2004. A great gathering of two Irish Catholic families at Lake Tahoe. One clan from Southern California the other from Northern Cal. My new cousin in-law and the matron of honor, Peggy O’Brien, toasted the assembled guests and ruefully exclaimed, ‘my one sister married a Raiders fan, but no one in the family has ever married a Dodger fan!’
And of course, the Dodgers and the Giants were playing that day in the last game of the season for the division title.
At the reception on the lake shore, someone brought the TV from out of their hotel room and set it up with an extension cord. The game was turned on. Soon the entire wedding party was gathered around the set. Uncles from one side claimed ‘Jon Miller was the best announcer in baseball!’ ‘Impossible, when you have Vin Scully on the mic!’ said a cousin from the south. The joy of the day mixed with game’s rivalry as the two families came together did create an interesting setting to say the least!
Great uncle Father Flynn, maybe in an effort to calm the moment approached the TV in the tied ninth inning and blessed the set! But, no one knew if he was a Dodgers or Giants fan! Steve Finley came to bat...the rest is history!
I won that day in more ways than one! Been blessed with 17 years of a wonderful marriage to an amazing wife, two beautiful children and we’ve all enjoyed seeing our teams win at least one World Series since (OK, she’s winning that one so far)! Cheers!”
— Scott Green
‘Rivals only when it comes to this’
“Ramos family moves from Texas to L.A.. Some move north and adopt the Giants. The rest are true blue from their heads to their shoes. Grandma was the OG Dodger fan. We love you and miss you. Aunts, uncles, cousins, babies, in-laws and outlaws, etc. are rivals only when it comes to this.”
— Michael Gamnig
‘I’ve had to compromise’
“How do we keep the peace? We simply don’t ‘rub it in’ when our team beats the other...basically we don’t talk during those games.
My husband, Ryan is a die-hard Giants fan and I’m a die-hard Dodgers fan. We met in college while attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and by that point, our fandom had already been established and there was no going back.
Previous to having children, we decided that any girls born in our family would be Dodgers fans and any boys born would be Giants fans. Well, we now have two girls and I’ve had to compromise, our youngest daughter is a Giants fan so our family is a true HOUSE DIVIDED.”
— Sara Scheid
‘Man, that’s love”
”Southern California guy meets Northern California girl in Santa Barbara. How do we keep the peace? The same way we’ve remained together for 30 years... respecting our differences!
As the neighborhood FedEx guy said one day while admiring our ‘house divided’ flag, ‘Man, that’s love.’”
— Jill Moore
‘Our 2-year-old and 6-month-old can decide what side to be on!’
“Frank was born in SF and is a lifelong Giants fan. Donna was born in L.A. and grew up in Lincoln Heights with Dodger Stadium as the backdrop.
We maintain peace by never openly rooting against each others’ team to fail.
[During the NLDS] We are putting a physical line dividing the house in half representing each team and our 2-year-old and 6-month-old can decide what side to be on!”
— Donna Lee
Go beyond the scoreboard
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