Exclusive | Exclusive: The story behind Andrew Friedmans viral robe photo that became Dodgers folklore
Some photographs capture a moment.Others create a legend.For Los Angeles Dodgers fans, no image has become more synonymous with acquiring the best and most talented players in baseball than the photograph of President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman reclining in a white hotel robe.In the photo, Friedman leans back in a chair with one hand under his chin and the unmistakable look of a man completely unbothered by the baseball world losing its collective mind around him.The photo was originally taken at the MLB Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in 2018 as an inside joke between Friedman and reporters, but the photo has evolved into something far bigger than anyone involved could have ever imagined.Every blockbuster trade.Every star free agent signing.
Every deadline deal heist.Every time Friedman seemingly pulls another rabbit out of his hat, Dodgers fans dust off the robe photo and flood social media with it as if it were an official seal of approval.Over the years, the Dodgers have joined in on the fun and they did it again last Sunday.Hours after acquiring two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers official social media accounts on X and Instagram once again posted the robe photo, embracing the cultlike status it has achieved among the fan base.
And judging by the reaction it gets by fans online, it certainly won’t be the last.The renewed attention to the robe photo sparked another conversation among Dodgers fans on social media, Reddit forums, and on sports talk radio and podcasts.Many began lobbying for the image to become a promotional bobblehead giveaway next season.
Others argued it deserves something even more permanent: a statue outside Dodger Stadium in the centerfield plaza alongside Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax should Friedman guide the franchise to a third consecutive World Series title this October.But all the renewed chatter around the robe photo begged a simple question:How did a throwaway joke inside a hotel s...