Buzz
In 1957, New York's baseball scene underwent a major shift when the Giants and Dodgers—two teams with a history in the city dating back to the 1800s—left for California. Even today, their departure remains a sore topic for loyal fans across the five boroughs. What prompted their decision to leave?
The answer, quite simply, is money.
In the early 20th century, the New York Giants were arguably the most successful team in Major League Baseball. Between 1900 and 1925, they secured ten National League pennants and three World Series championships, largely due to their fiery manager John McGraw. Their home was the iconic Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, a stadium with a seating capacity of 55,000.
However, as the subway system expanded, New Yorkers began migrating from Manhattan to the neighboring boroughs. With the Dodgers in Brooklyn and the Yankees dominating the Bronx, fans were less inclined to visit the Polo Grounds, especially with another team playing much closer to home. The Giants' declining performance in the 1930s and '40s didn’t help either. By the 1950s, moving the team became—according to Giants executive Charles "Chub" Feeney—an economic “necessity.”
But what about the Dodgers? They were also facing financial struggles, but unlike their rivals, the “Brooklyn Bums” remained one of the wealthiest teams in baseball. In fact, they were later recognized as the only National League team to turn a profit from 1952 to 1956.
That still wasn’t enough for owner Walter O’Malley. To him, the real issue lay with Ebbets Field, the stadium the Dodgers had called home since 1913. O’Malley not only sought a bigger venue but also believed that the growing black population in the surrounding area (which supported Jackie Robinson) was causing white fans to avoid the ballpark.
In an attempt to solve these problems, O’Malley proposed building a new stadium for Brooklyn at a cost of $6 million to taxpayers. New York Parks Commissioner Robert Moses rejected the idea, stating that it violated the Title I Housing Act of 1949. The two men never agreed on the matter, and by October 1957, the Dodgers officially announced their move to Los Angeles for the following season.
O’Malley believed that adding a second team to California would be a smart business decision, so he persuaded Giants owner Horace Stoneham to relocate his team to San Francisco. This ensured that the famous Dodgers-Giants rivalry continued, and the West Coast was officially introduced to Major League Baseball.
