Los Angeles Rams: Culture change should mimic Dodgers, not Lakers

The Los Angeles Rams culture needs a fix akin to baseball brethren Dodgers, rather than more popular Lakers.

That the Los Angeles Rams culture needs an overhaul is a given. The franchise has suffered 13 consecutive non-winning seasons and have not been to the playoffs since 2004.

The Ringer recently blamed the Rams millennial failures on the franchise’s cluelessness “about how to build a culture”:

"A winning culture for all successful sports teams is grounded in a recognized mission and shared team goals. It places the good of the team above all else — winning matters more than personal goals or making money, and no one is bigger than the team. Everyone works toward one common purpose, guided by a leader with great knowledge."

The Ringer points to the Rams’ final days in Los Angeles before moving to St. Louis in 1995 as the roots of losing their ways. Now that they’re back in L.A., they have a couple of franchises to study in their own backyard: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rams already should be studying how they can emulate the Dodgers. They also should be studying how to avoid copying the Lakers.

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In MLB, the Dodgers are winners of four-straight division titles. True, they do not have a hard salary cap limiting their ability to acquire talent. But what they also have done is find players who want to be in L.A. and be part of something bigger than themselves.

The Dodgers have their ace in pitcher Clayton Kershaw (their version of the Rams’ Aaron Donald?) but also have built a deep team through player development that compliments a core of strong veterans. The Dodgers have rising stars such as Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger that have developed through their system. They signed closer Kenley Jansen for less money then the Washington Nationals offered him during the offseason.

Perhaps more importantly, the Dodgers also refused to cripple themselves financially when they refused to give pitcher Zack Greinke an exorbitant contract. Unlike the Rams giving Trumaine Johnson crazy money, the Dodgers decided to spread their money on creating depth.

Other moves have not seemed to have panned out. Pitcher Rich Hill has struggled after signing a long-term deal. The Dodgers traded a top prospect for second baseman Logan Forsythe, who is hitting just over .200. But their depth has allowed them to ascend to the National League’s best record.