The Los Angeles Dodgers giveth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers taketh away. At least, that’s how their fans are starting to feel.

As critics around the league chastised the Dodgers for their excessive spending on team payroll after their latest offseason spending spree, claiming that it was “ruining” baseball, their loyal fanbase stood by them.

After all, if you have to spend more money to win more games, it’s worth it in the end… right?

However, the cost of the Dodgers’ bloated team payroll is starting to fall to the fans, who are being asked to pay higher ticket prices than any other fanbase in the league.

Dodgers fans already turning on organization (and ticket prices) after praising them for massive offseason expenditures

In a recent opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times (subscription required) Bill Shaikin claims that the Dodgers have gone too far with their spending, to the point that they have begun to prioritize making money over providing an affordable experience for their fans….

On a basic level, it makes sense.

A professional sports franchise is, at the end of the day, a business; when the Dodgers make a massive financial commitment to their team payroll, they need to run a business that supports that kind of financial commitment.

If that means jacking up the prices for tickets, concessions, stadium parking and more, then the Dodgers will gladly keep doing it – even if it means alienating some of their most loyal fans in the process.

A recent study conducted just before Opening Day revealed that the average cost for a family of four to attend an MLB game is $208; that cost includes the four cheapest tickets, parking, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs.

Meanwhile, the cost for a family of four to attend a game at Dodger Stadium – using those same parameters – is nearly double the league average at $399.68.

For many families, that price is cost prohibitive. But alas, the Dodgers aren’t hurting for attendance, even with their high prices.

They have zero incentive to lower prices, even if it means pricing a significant chunk of their fanbase out of games.

Like it or not, a World Series championship and a star-studded roster headlined by three former MVPs have earned them that luxury.