What a weekend for the City of Angels. In the wake of the month of November, the Los Angeles Dodgers took home a Game 7 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, ultimately winning the World Series and earning the title of back-to-back champions.
Although this impressive win serves as a kudos to the talented athletes like 2025 World Series MVP pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the celebration cannot solely belong to those on the field. This season began in devastation, from injuries to the emotional weight carried by a city still healing from the January wildfires. Yet the Boys in Blue continued to push forward, becoming a symbol of perseverance for Los Angeles.
But championships are not only won through clutch hits and perfect pitches; they are built through the leadership, vision, and resilience of individuals working behind the scenes.
One of those people is NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, a minority owner of the Dodgers franchise whose influence has helped shape this new era of excellence. Known globally for his legendary NBA career, Johnson has become an influential leader in sports ownership, especially as one of the few Black minority owners in Major League Baseball.
His presence in the ownership group serves as a powerful reflection of progress, proof that representation matters not just on the field, but in the boardroom where decisions define the future of the game, especially in a game that didn’t start as for the Black community.
Beyond baseball, Johnson’s legacy in Los Angeles has always centered on community empowerment. For decades, he has invested in Black neighborhoods, bringing businesses and housing opportunities, while also using his investment company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, to serve and uplift ethnically diverse urban communities that have been traditionally underserved.
When discussing the mission for Magic Johnson Enterprises at the TD Ameritrade Institutional annual conference back in 2015, Johnson added, “It’s not whether you can become successful…it’s how many people can you help become successful.”
In addition to his remarkable contributions, Johnson has implemented essential health initiatives in areas often overlooked by major corporations. While Johnson himself was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1991, his ongoing work in awareness about the disease and echoing the importance of sex education has inspired countless lives.
Although he has lived with the disease for the past 40 years and agrees that the disease is no longer a death sentence, Johnson urges the Black community to wake up, adding when referring to the disease in the September 2025 issue of The St. Louis American, “it’s definitely changed. We still have obstacles.”
HIV/AIDS is a disease that is and has been highly prevalent in Black America. According to the Office of Minority Health, “Black men are diagnosed with HIV more than seven times as often as white men, while Black women face rates up to 18 times higher than white women.” This statistic is due to elements of poverty and unequal access to consistent health care.
In hopes of aiding health disparities, in the same September issue, Johnson encourages “Black men — make sure you get your physical…Make sure you understand your status. Take your meds and do all the right things to get and stay healthy.”
When Johnson joined the Dodgers’ ownership in 2012, he carried that same commitment with him, ensuring that victory for the franchise means victory for the city.
The Boys in Blue are known for thrilling fans with late-inning magic, but part of that magic starts at the top. Behind every championship locker room is a leadership team that believes in possibility and invests in people. Johnson has advocated for diversity in hiring, expanded youth engagement programs, and supported community partnerships that allow fans to feel like part of the story, not just spectators outside the gates.
So while confetti falls on the players and the headlines memorialize game-winning moments, we must also recognize the architects of culture whose names may not show up on the scoreboard. Magic Johnson’s vision reminds us that greatness requires leadership that lifts communities, inspires representation, and turns a sports organization into a symbol of collective healing.
The Dodgers are champions once again, yet this victory belongs to all of Los Angeles, and to everyone who worked so hard to make this season a story of resilience. Magic Johnson has ensured that when the Boys in Blue win, the city rises with them.