The last time the Lakers and Dodgers won a championship in the same year was back in 1988, making it a total of 32 years since. By now we would’ve seen some sort of parade for both teams as a celebration for their success. But since the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed down, the chances of a parade happening are currently up in the air. This has led to mixed emotions from fans because many are dying to get out and celebrate.

Santa Ana is full of dedicated sports fans who are ecstatic for what has happened and are ready to celebrate when the time comes. 

History teacher and football coach Rafael Ramos gives his reaction to each team winning their championship. 

“I’m always excited when it comes to the playoffs. It’s even more exciting when it’s local teams. I was super excited seeing the Lakers play, but the Dodgers’ win was even more exciting because I’ve never experienced a Dodger’s championship,” said Ramos. 

Ramos is one of many people who were excited for both teams. Senior Mark Roman also expressed his joy on seeing the news of the teams winning. 

“My initial reaction to the Lakers winning the championship was obviously super happy. The game happened on a Sunday, so I was at church when it was happening. When the game had ended I was still in church, but I was still trying my best to stay on social media. As for the Dodgers, we found out the team won because a bunch of fireworks were going off in my neighborhood. I’m not a fan of baseball, but seeing both LA teams win was pretty cool,” said Roman.

Many fans couldn’t hold off their excitement when the Lakers won their championship. The night of the game, over 2,000 fans gathered at Staples Center to celebrate the new champions. Many people cheered and chanted in joy, but some chose to go crazy and vandalize property.

Ramos personally doesn’t agree or disagree with people gathering at the stadium as he understands that everybody is an adult and can make their own choices.

“I think people used this opportunity to get out and vent, being that they’ve been stuck and limited for so long. I’m more surprised Dodger fans didn’t go crazy because they’re known to be pretty wild,” said Ramos. 

Roman on the other hand completely disagrees with the fact that thousands of people gathered around and weren’t being cautious.

“I think that was pretty irresponsible. I saw a bunch of videos of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder and not wearing any mask,” said Roman. 

At the moment there hasn’t been any official announcement about any parades happening, but players from both teams have expressed interest in having one. The mayor of LA has announced that he’s open to any ideas, as long as it’s done in a safe manner. 

Ramos is torn about the idea of going to a parade because even though he wants to, he understands the danger it could put his family in. 

“I’m on the fence because as a fan I want to witness that… but I don’t want to risk anyone’s life. As much as I’d want to see it, ultimately, I’d probably say no,” said Ramos. 

One of the leading ideas for a parade is going completely digital. While there hasn’t been details released on how that may happen, it’s still certainly not a bad idea.

Roman gives his personal opinion on what thinks about the possibility of a digital parade.

“It’ll be fun to see how they do it. With a digital parade, they have a lot of different ways of doing it. They’ll probably have some performers. Even though it wouldn’t be the same, I’d still watch it,” said Roman.

With the year coming to an end, these wins were definitely needed. The championships have helped increase the morale of many people, and many can’t wait for what the following year has to offer.

Ramos agrees with the fact that the championships LA have won will have a positive impact on the morale of our community.

“I think it was a huge boost because everything was pretty bad. Starting with Kobe passing away, then COVID, 2020 was just down the drain. But then we get these two huge championships. I think it definitely boosted morale, and it’s good for the community and sports fans in general,” said Ramos.

Parade or not, it’s still great to see our city succeed. This is undeniably one of the biggest accomplishments for LA this year. Even if we can’t celebrate with a crowd of people, we could still do it with our friends and families in a safe manner.