Pirates Fans Are Being Told to Become Dodgers Followers

"Bottom 15 markets have not won a World Series in a decade. Yeah I get it, but I tell people as fans, you don't have to be a Pirate fan," Bowden said. "You can retire as a Pirate fan or trade yourself to the Dodgers. If you want to see your team win, right now, the Dodgers have the best chance to win a World Series again this year.

"So if you want to win, as a fan, you can go to any team you want. You don't have to root for the team in your home city and you can see the Dodgers come play in your home city. They'll come into Pittsburgh and beat you.

"If it bothers you that much, just become a Dodgers fan. It's fine."

Pirates' History of Losing

The Pirates have only had four winning seasons since 1993, making it 29 seasons they've finished with a record below .500.

Pittsburgh set the North American Professional Sports Leagues record with 20 consecutive losing seasons from 1993-2012.

They surrounded both the beginning of the losing streak and the end with three consecutive playoff appearances, 1990-92, and 2013-15.

The Pirates lost to the rival Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS in six games in 1990 and then to the Atlanta Braves in NLCS in seven games twice in both 1991 and 1992.

Pittsburgh won the 2013 NL Wild Card Game at PNC Park vs. the Reds, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS in five games. They then lost the NL Wild Card in back-to-back seasons in 2014, to the San Francisco Giants, and in 2015, to the Chicago Cubs.

The Pirates haven't won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series, which they won in seven games over the Orioles, their fifth World Series title.

Pittsburgh's 10 seasons outside the playoffs and seven consecutive losing seasons are both the second-longest streaks for any MLB team, with only the Los Angeles Angels having longer streaks.

Does Bowden's Argument Make Sense?

Bowden does have a point when it comes to big teams ending up as the World Series winners over the past decade.

The Dodgers ranked second in 2025 Opening Day payroll at $321,287,291, less than $2 million behind the New York Mets, and again won the World Series for a second straight season.

Pittsburgh spent $87,645,246, the fifth lowest Opening Day payroll and had the fifth worst record.

The Pirates have had a bottom five Opening Day payroll in 16 of the 19 seasons that Bob Nutting has served as the owner and has had little success during that time.

While Bowden may have a point about the disparity on money between the big and small markets, his argument falls short.

Fans of a team like the Pirates won't just go and become Dodgers fans, as they're much more likely to become apathetic and not support any team rather than become a bandwagon fan.

Pittsburgh has a history that dates back to 1882 and has nine NL Penants and five World Series rings. Los Angeles took a team that spent the first 75 seasons of its existence in Brooklyn before moving to the west coast.

Bowden is also wrong about the Dodgers coming to Pittsburgh and beating the Pirates on the road. The Pirates swept the Dodgers this season and haven't lost a series to them at home since 2021, when they lost more than 100 games.

A better argument for Bowden to make would either demand owners of small market teams spend more and compete with teams like the Dodgers, or create a system where every team has a certain amount of money to spend, like implementing a salary cap.

If someone is still a Pirates fan, they aren't just going to give up now and support a big market team. They'll stick it out through the tough times, because there is much more to being a fan of your home town baseball team than winning.