A victory years in the making, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays three to one in game six of the World Series, bringing the title back to Los Angeles. Despite this long awaited victory for the Dodgers, the win was quickly overshadowed by a more serious matter, Covid-19. 

Like the NBA, the MLB World Series was played in a bubble at Globe Field in Arlington Texas, the home to the Texas Rangers. The World Series was exciting to watch as the Dodgers and the Ray’s went back and forth, the Dodgers winning games one and three, and the Rays winning games four and two. Eventually, by the fifth game of the series, the Dodgers seemed to figure things out and they would go on to win two consecutive games and finally win the World Series. 

The main controversy surrounding the World Series stems from the final game of the series. Justin Turner, starting third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was removed from the final game during the 8th inning due to a positive Covid test reading. Despite being asked to isolate following his positive status, after the Dodgers won the world series he returned to the field to celebrate with his wife and teammates, posing for group photos with the team and even removing his masks at times. 

Following Justin Turner’s actions, there was significant backlash from those across the sports community and the country as a whole. Many felt that Turner’s decision, especially amidst a positive test, was not only irresponsible but blatantly dangerous.

“I don’t think it was smart of him [Justin Turner] to go onto the field later, especially since he tested positive, I feel like that was just plain dangerous and he was really putting his teammates at risk,” said Simona Matsoyan (‘21).

Contrary to the backlash there are people who sympathize with Justin Turner, and his teammates have even come out to side with his decision to return to the field. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Bets defended Turner’s decision stating, “He’s part of the team…Forget all that, he’s part of the team. We’re not excluding him from anything.”

“I think that he should’ve been allowed to stay on the field, he already would have exposed everyone since they were in the dugout and he has been on the team for almost ten years and he deserves to be out there for his first world series” Ethan Lee

While the World Series title makes a long-awaited return back to Los Angeles, it is unfortunate that the victory has become the focus of another debate on the proper handling of Covid-19.