Brooklyn Dodgers

From Trolley Dodgers to Dem Bums: The legacy of Brooklyn baseball.

The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn, New York, until 1957, after which the team moved to Los Angeles, where it continues as the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Quick Facts

Established: 1883
Relocated: 1958 (to Los Angeles; became the Los Angeles Dodgers)
League: National League (1890–1957)
Former leagues: American Association (1884–1889)
Nicknames: Dem Bums
Ballpark: Ebbets Field (1913–1957)
Series: World Series

Lore & Background

The 'Dodgers' team name is a shortened form of one of their former names, the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers. 'Trolley dodgers' is a nickname for Brooklyn residents who had to avoid being hit by the city's fast-moving trolleys while crossing their lines. The Dodgers later earned the respectful nickname Dem Bums. The team is noted for signing Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the first black player in the modern major leagues.

Reader's Guide

The Brooklyn Dodgers played in two stadiums in South Brooklyn, each named Washington Park, and at Eastern Park in the neighborhood of Brownsville before moving to Ebbets Field in the neighborhood of Crown Heights in 1912. Eight former Brooklyn Dodgers players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.