Eight Dodgers Listed As L.A.’s Most Powerful Sports Figures
The city of Los Angeles is a hub for entertainment and sports, home to some of the most powerful and influential people in the nation.
The Los Angeles Daily News compiled a list of the fifty most powerful sports figures in Los Angeles, including owners, executives, athletes, agents and institutions. Of the fifty names listed, eight members of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization were honored.
Magic Johnson is the highest listed Dodgers affiliate at number three, behind CEO of Wasserman Media Group Casey Wasserman and AEG chairman Philip Anschutz. After purchasing the Dodgers with the Guggenheim partners in 2012, the Lakers Hall of Famer and Sparks owner only heightened his influence in a city where he already held authority. He is now a part-owner of the MLS Los Angeles expansion franchise set to launch in 2017.
Founder and CEO of the Guggenhein Partners and Dodgers chairman Mark Walter is ranked at the fifth spot on the list. The 54-year-old financier is the controlling owner of the team in part to his vast contribution to the $2.1 billion purchase of the organization and sits so highly on the list because of this.
Directly after Walter in the sixth spot is Vin Scully. The 87-year-old broadcaster is one of the most legendary at the job as he remains baseball’s longest-tenured broadcaster in his 66th season with the Dodgers. He was the 2014 recipient of the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award for his invaluable contributions to the game.
The two Dodger players among the prestigious group are Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig, sitting at seventeenth and thirtieth, respectively. Where Kershaw may draw his influence with his three Cy Young and MVP Awards, Puig boasts his prowess with his feisty demeanor, bat flips and freakish athletic ability.
The remaining members of the Dodgers staff included on the list are Stan Kasten, Andrew Friedman and Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The Dodgers president is listed at the 23rd spot and the recently hired President of Baseball Operations and highest paid executive in baseball sits at number 40. Lastly, Dodgers team physician Dr. ElAttrache just made the cut listed at 48.
Vin Scully Speaks At Dodgers FanFest
