“What’s wrong with being the bad guy? If being the best makes you bad, then so be it.”
That’s the opening line of a viral hype video that was released on social media by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day.
Narrated by actor Jason Bateman, the 1-minute and 44-second clip touts the back-to-back World Series champions’ prowess on the field, while also playing up their MLB “bad guys” image. The theme song by Billie Eilish from the animated movie “The Bad Guys” hums in the background.
The clip starts with images of the team’s 2025 World Series trophy and superstar sluggers suiting up.
Soon, we see images of Dodger legends including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts set to the sounds of crowds cheering, the crack of bats, and broadcasters calling showstopping plays and Dodger victories.
Bateman’s voiceover continues:
“They’ll come for the crown. Take a swing at the champ. They want to beat us because they want to be us. But if we’re being honest, sometimes it’s fun to root for the bad guy.”
The music intensifies.
Images of the Dodgers succeeding on the field, celebrating their big wins, and close-ups of players confidently staring straight into the camera (we see you and that eye contact, Kyle Tucker) fill the screen.
Pitch after pitch, play after play, the images of the team continue. Then, Eilish’s lyrics from her song take the spotlight for a moment as she whispers, “I’m the bad guy.”
Bateman chimes in again:
“You need teams like us so you can point your finger and say, ‘That’s the bad guy.’”
The screen flashes to black.
The “Back-to-Back 2024 and 2025 World Champions LA” emblem appears and then the screen fades slowly back to black.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the clip had been viewed more than 1.8 million times on X. It had more than 18,000 likes, 6,000 reposts, and hundreds of comments.
On Instagram, the video had more than 234,000 likes.
Hype, achieved.
Former Dodgers All-Star Clayton Kershaw breaks down his former team and their run for a third-straight World Series title.
The Dodgers powered past the Diamondbacks 8-2 for a win on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. The reigning World Series champs will continue their opening weekend with games on Friday and Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
Before Friday night’s game, the Dodgers will receive their World Series rings in a special ceremony.
The team will then take on the Guardians in a three-game series Monday through next Wednesday.
The Dodgers’ opening homestand games are the first of 162 regular-season games for the back-to-back World Series champs. This season, they’ll aim for one of the most difficult tasks in team sports — the rare three-peat.
And, if anyone can do it, it might just be the “bad guys.”
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