The World Series betting odds might be in the Dodgers’ favor, but when it comes to the battle of the brands, the Yankees have a leg up (sorry, Angelenos).

The Yankees are the highest-valued team in Major League Baseball, with a valuation of $7.6 billion, and its brand is valued at an estimated $1.2 billion, according to an analysis this year from Forbes. The Dodgers are the runner-up, with a $5.5-billion valuation and $1.1-billion brand.

Underscoring and helping to drive the Yankees’ domination on retail shelves and airwaves has been the proliferation of the team’s iconic logo in the cultural zeitgeist, including Jay-Z’s ball cap and a partnership with Gucci. Hollywood frequently gives the franchise free product placement, putting the white-on-navy insignia on characters in movies and television shows, furthering its cultural reach. (The Yankees’ logo was inspired by an interlocking “N” and “Y” design from Tiffany’s in 1877.)

“The Yankees have this status where they’ve transcended baseball,” said Jim Andrews, a Northwestern University sports marketing professor who founded the sports marketing consulting firm A-Mark Partnership Strategies. “You see people wearing that logo all around the world.”

But don’t count out the Dodgers just yet. The signing of Japanese baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani last year to a 10-year, $700-million contract ignited fan interest around the world, particularly in the baseball-obsessed market of Japan.

That energized fan base has translated into tourism dollars for Los Angeles, as Japanese tourists have descended upon the city — and on Little Tokyo — to watch the Dodgers and Ohtani throughout the season.

Small businesses in Little Tokyo have displayed Dodgers decorations in their windows, and blue-clad visitors, often wearing Ohtani shirts or jerseys, frequently wander the streets. A massive mural of Ohtani, painted by artist Robert Vargas, looms over 1st Street on the side of the Miyako Hotel.

“In terms of the internationalization … they are beating the Yankees right now in the Japanese market through Shohei Ohtani,” said Thilo Kunkel, a professor at Temple University’s school of sport, tourism and hospitality management. The Dodgers are “using international superstars to build their team brand, and they’ve certainly done really well.”

Though the Dodgers are bested by the Yankees in total number of social media followers (12.9 million to 17.6 million), L.A.’s fans engage with the team more on social media, with the Dodgers racking up the most likes, shares, reposts, comments and video views of any team in MLB, according to data from business intelligence firm Kore, which was recently acquired by global marketing agency Two Circles. The 2.3 million new social media followers the Dodgers added this season was tops in the league as well, Kore figures show.

“The Dodgers really are a story of growth,” said Daniel Foltz, corporate partnerships strategy and data analyst at Kore. “It would have been very easy for them to sign Shohei, get the gift of having the most unique player in baseball, and then just cruise. They have instead done a great job this year of building on it, not letting any of the momentum go to waste.”

There’s history between these two teams. The Dodgers and Yankees have previously met 11 times in the World Series, most recently in 1981, when the Dodgers emerged as champions.

This year’s matchup presents a huge opportunity not only for the teams to boost their brands, but also for Major League Baseball to build on the increased ratings and fan interest it has won in recent years, said Andrews, of Northwestern.

The league’s gains have been helped by the star power of players such as Ohtani and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, as well as additions such as the introduction of the pitch clock, which has quickened the pace of games.

Though media rights have already been settled for these games, viewership numbers for a matchup like this could give either team more negotiating power for future media rights deals, Kunkel said.

The Yankees broadcast their regular season games through their team-owned Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, which is the most-watched regional sports network in the U.S. as of last year. (Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group have minority stakes in the network.)

The Dodgers own SportsNetLA, which is distributed by Charter Communications (which operates the Spectrum brand), as part of an $8.35-billion deal struck more than a decade ago. Though nonsubscribers were shut out from Dodgers games for years, Spectrum reached a deal in 2020 to broadcast games on DirecTV and U-Verse. (Other pay-TV operators, such as Cox, are still excluded.)

Having a recognizable and valuable brand is a huge advantage in the sports world, Andrews said.

“The bigger the brand, the more merchandise you’re selling and the more money you’re making,” he said. “If you can do that, it gives you that baseline revenue to build your business off of.”

The Yankees generated $679 million in revenue in 2023, while the Dodgers raked in $549 million, according to Forbes’ calculations.

This World Series not only represents a battle between two of the league’s storied and successful franchises, but also the nation’s two top media markets — L.A. and New York — which adds to the brand strength of those franchises, said Bryan Harris, founder and chief executive of 25 Hits, a marketing communications firm with sports expertise.

It’s part of how these two brands have transcended the sports sphere and made their way into fashion, lifestyle and pop culture, particularly internationally.

“The baseball cap is, if anything, the American uniform,” said John Thorn, the official MLB historian since 2011. “New York and L.A. have come to symbolize America in distant lands. To be a media capital or a cultural capital is to become a fashion capital.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Port of Los Angeles more than $400 million to support its transition to electric cargo-moving equipment — a major boost to efforts aimed at curbing pollution at America’s busiest container port.

The so-called Clean Ports grant, announced Tuesday, is part of a larger $3-billion initiative to deploy zero-emission equipment at the nation’s ports, which are significant sources of lung-searing smog and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Port of Los Angeles received the largest single award, securing $411 million in federal funding. The port and its private partners have committed an additional $236 million in matching funds for zero-emission initiatives.

“This transformative investment will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to meet our ambitious zero-emission goals, improve regional air quality and combat climate change while accelerating the port industry’s transition to zero emissions across the country,” said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles.

The landmark grant, funded through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, will significantly accelerate the port’s efforts to replace diesel-powered equipment with all-electric alternatives.

The funding is expected to finance the purchase of more than 400 pieces of cargo-moving equipment, such as yard tractors and forklifts. The grant also aims to increase the number of battery-electric trucks and expand the port’s charging infrastructure.

These investments will help the port avoid burning 3.5 million gallons of diesel fuel each year, according to port officials. It will reduce smog-forming emissions by 55 tons and planet-warming carbon emissions by 41,500 tons per year.

“Our ports are the backbone of our economy — critical hubs that support our supply chain, drive commerce, create jobs and connect us all,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who visited the port in March. “But we cannot overlook the challenges faced by the communities that live and work near these ports. Too often these communities face serious air quality challenges due to diesel pollution from trucks, ships and other port machinery.”

Six other California ports were also awarded federal funding: Oakland, Oxnard, San Diego, San Francisco, Stockton and Redwood City.

The Port of Long Beach however, which operates adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles and is the second-busiest port in the nation, was notably absent from the list of announced grant recipients.

On Tuesday, a Port of Long Beach official said the complex had requested $380 million to deploy nearly 300 pieces of zero-emission cargo-moving equipment and up to 1,000 trucks.

“The Port of Long Beach congratulates its fellow ports and the U.S. EPA for the Clean Ports Program awards today,” said Noel Hacegaba, the port’s chief operating officer. “As our port partners intensify their efforts to decarbonize the supply chain, we all benefit from the technology advancement, air quality improvement and the reduction of greenhouse gases … We certainly welcome zero-emissions trucks being added to the fleet serving this San Pedro Bay ports complex.”

The Port of Los Angeles — nicknamed America’s Port — serves as a vital gateway between Asia and the United States. Roughly $300 billion worth of goods pass through the sprawling seaport every year. These operations provide tens of thousands of jobs to dockworkers, truck drivers and other laborers who help move this cargo.

But the port’s activity is also one of the region’s largest fixed sources of smog-forming emissions. Although the port has drastically slashed diesel exhaust and nitrogen oxides through cleaner fuels and engines in the past two decades, it is now faced with its stiffest challenge to date: adopting zero-emission technology.

The new funding will help push it toward its ambitious goal of having all terminal equipment be zero-emission by 2030. The port has more than 2,100 pieces of cargo-moving equipment — about 72% of which are diesel-powered while 9% are electric.

The Clean Ports funding could phase out more than a quarter of the diesel equipment. It will assist the port tenants in purchasing 337 yard tractors that ferry containers across the harbor; 56 top handlers that load and stack cargo; and 24 forklifts.

The trucks, cargo ships and trains that transport these goods continue to generate pollution and planet warming emissions, however.

More than 22,000 trucks are registered to serve the Port of Los Angeles. Ninety percent are diesel-powered. Fewer than 2% are zero-emission, and they include 332 electric trucks and 51 hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

The EPA grant will fund the financial incentives for trucking companies and operators to purchase an additional 250 electric cargo trucks. It is also expected to cover the installation of 300 electric chargers, two solar arrays and 10 battery storage systems.

“The San Pedro Bay communities have struggled with the impacts of cargo-goods-related emissions for far too long, so we congratulate the Port of Los Angeles on its substantive EPA Clean Ports Grant award to make meaningful progress towards the stated zero-emissions goal,” said Ed Avol, who sits on the board of the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, an organization working to mitigate pollution at the ports. “The Harbor Community Benefit Foundation looks forward to working with the Port to achieve that goal without delay.”

In July, the EPA announced another historic $500-million federal grant to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which plans to encourage the adoption of zero-emission cargo trucks, delivery vehicles and some locomotives.

The Port of Los Angeles partnered with Yusen Terminals LLC, Everport Terminal Services, TraPac, Fenix Marine Services, APM Terminals and the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation for the grant application.

The port’s bid was supported by elected officials, public agencies, business groups, environmental justice advocates, community groups and labor organizations.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union emphasized that the grant funding will be spent on human-operated equipment that won’t automate operations and eliminate jobs. This includes $50 million toward community benefits, including training for residents who are interested in learning how to operate and repair this new equipment.

“The men and women of the ILWU are thrilled to learn of this over $400 million investment, by the U.S. EPA, in the environmental and economic well-being of our members and local community,” said Gary Herrera, president of ILWU Local 13. “Human-operated, zero-emission cargo handling equipment is the gold standard for maritime port operations not only because it protects good jobs while cleaning the air, but is also the most efficient and cost-effective in terms of port operations, while additionally providing the necessary safeguards against cyber threats to our national security.”

Electric vehicle registrations rose 2% in California for the three months that ended Sept. 30 compared with the year-earlier period, but top-selling EV maker Tesla saw a 3.5% decline, according to the latest report from car dealers.

Tesla moved 57,587 vehicles for the third quarter — which still accounts for more than half of the 102,044 EVs sold or leased in the state for the period, according to the California New Car Dealers Assn. The third-quarter sales decline for Tesla follows drops of 7.8% in the first quarter and 17% in the second. Year to date, Tesla’s California sales and leases have declined 12.6%. Globally, for the third quarter, Tesla sales rose 6.4% as the new Cybertruck made up for sagging sales of the Model 3 and Model Y.

Tesla’s dip in sales comes amid increasing competition from other automakers rolling out new EVs, especially at lower price points. It could also be a reflection of Tesla owner Elon Musk’s prominent support of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in left-leaning California. “I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy” is the slogan on one bumper sticker that can be found on many Teslas these days.

“Unfortunately for Elon, a certain amount of his consumer base is not a fan of what’s given him a high profile over the past year,” said Karl Brauer, auto market analyst at iSeeCars.com.

Alexis Tjian of Berkeley sold her Tesla Model Y several months ago and bought a Rivian. She and her husband were unhappy with the Model Y’s quality and Tesla’s service, she said, but Musk’s politics and increasingly bizarre behavior were the last straw: “We said we’re done. He doesn’t align with our values anymore.”

Other EV makers saw high percentage gains but on a much smaller base. Year to date, Kia jumped 64%, to 10,584 vehicles, while Hyundai posted a 30.5% increase with 16,433 vehicles. Both South Korean carmakers occupy the more-affordable segment of the EV market, and also offer what Brauer calls attractive leasing options.

Ford posted a 17.3% jump in California EV sales and leases, to 12,828 vehicles for the quarter. BMW rose 36%, on 14,610.

Sales and leases of General Motors’ Chevrolet EVs plummeted 48% to 8,817 vehicles. The automaker’s fortunes might improve in the months ahead, however, with the recent launch of two new crossovers, the Equinox EV and the Blazer EV. Trade journal Automotive News reports those vehicles are already among the ten top-selling EVs nationally.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has mandated that 35% of California car sales and leases be for EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2026, rising to 100% by 2035.

But the pace of EV sales has slowed dramatically after several years of torrid growth. New car market share for battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rocketed from 7.6% of new registrations in 2020 to 12.2% in 2021, 19.1% in 2022 and 24.9% in 2023.

For the first nine months of this year, however, the market share has inched up to 25.6%, amid continuing concerns among some consumers over the higher cost for EVs and so-called range anxiety.

Josh Boone, executive director of Veloz, a nonprofit consumer resource for electric vehicles, said he remains optimistic. “From our perspective, we’re continuing to see remarkable sales momentum across California,” he said. “EV market share is still increasing.”

Acknowledging that growth needs to pick up to reach state goals, he said that “we also understand that any high-tech market has ebbs and flows.”

He also put a positive spin on Tesla’s loss in popularity among many Californians, and their move to competing makes and models: “More competition is good.”

Yet, impediments to growth remain. Brauer believes California’s botched rollout of public EV charging stations is a major hurdle. Tesla has earned a strong reputation for reliable charging stations, while public chargers built to serve other brands continue to suffer from overcrowding and poor performance.

Brauer says a recent journey in a rented Hyundai Ioniq 5 became “a nightmare,” a “hugely stressful and time wasting Friday evening” when he spent four hours searching for a working charger and then waiting in a long line to fill up for the 50 miles to get him to his destination.

“That was not a fun four hours,” he said, and unless public charging improves, “I will never buy an electric car.”