Why Did Peter O'Malley sell the Dodgers in 1997?

"Several factors contributed to the ultimate sale of the team, with Peter O'Malley himself revealing the city's rejection of his plans to build a football stadium played a huge part in his decision. "I can't deny that was a factor," Peter O'Malley said a few months after announcing his decision. "I must tell you I was extremely disappointed when we were asked to shelve our ideas.""

"The Dodgers were also the O'Malley family's biggest asset, and the former Dodgers owner said player salaries had "grown too high for a baseball-only business to succeed.""

"The Dodgers enjoyed some of their most prosperous periods under the O'Malleys, winning six World Series championships during their 50-year reign. The first of their six came while the team was still in Brooklyn in 1955, as they took down the New York Yankees in seven games. They moved to Los Angeles three years later, in 1958. A dominant period followed the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles, as they won three more World Series from 1959-65. Peter O'Malley also had a couple of World Series titles under his watch, coming in 1981 and 1988."

Peter O'Malley announced plans to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jan. 6, 1997, ending a 50-year O'Malley family relationship with the team. City rejection of proposed football stadium plans contributed to his decision and prompted expressed disappointment when those ideas were shelved. Rising player salaries made the Dodgers difficult to sustain as a baseball-only business. Walter O'Malley became part-owner in 1948, took full control by 1950, and passed ownership to Peter in 1979. The Dodgers won six World Series under the O'Malleys; ownership later transferred to Fox and is now Guggenheim Baseball Management.

Read at Dodgers Nation