Boiling Point (LA Times Studios)

Episode Title: ICYMI: “Baseball, Brought to you by Oil and Gas”
Release Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Sammy Roth
Featured Guest: Bill McKibben, environmental writer and cofounder of 350.org

Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, host Sammy Roth explores the entanglement of Major League Baseball—specifically the iconic Los Angeles Dodgers—with oil and gas sponsorships. With climate activism reaching the gates of Dodger Stadium, Roth interviews Bill McKibben, a preeminent climate journalist and activist. Together, they dissect not only the impact of fossil fuel advertising in America’s favorite pastime but also the broader implications for our culture, politics, and progress on climate change. The discussion deftly connects sports “sportswashing,” the fossil fuel industry’s propaganda tactics, and echoes from the tobacco advertising battles of decades past.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dodgers, Oil Sponsorship, and Climate Protest

[01:30–03:34]

• Climate activists, led by groups like the Sierra Club and Communities for a Better Environment, recently protested Phillips 66’s long-standing sponsorship of the Dodgers (through its 76 gas station brand).
• The campaign included a petition with over 20,000 signatures to end what organizers call the team “giving cover to producers of climate chaos.”
• Notable, this was the first high-profile U.S. sports protest against a fossil fuel sponsor.

Quote:

• Alicia Rivera, as paraphrased by Sammy Roth: “Phillips 66 is contributing to the pollution and the degradation of our environment.” [02:40]

2. Why Sports Sponsorships Matter for Climate Action

[03:34–06:49]

• Roth asks McKibben why a climate leader would care about a ballpark sponsorship, given more direct avenues for activism.
• McKibben emphasizes the cultural clout of sports and the fossil fuel industry’s calculated use of art, music, and athletics to “paper over” their climate legacy:

Quotes:

• Bill McKibben:
  “It makes me angry to watch the fossil fuel industry... attempt to paper that over and cover it up by pretending to be engaged in the good things in this world, art and music and sports, sponsoring the festivals and the museums and the ball games—that just annoys the hell out of me.” [04:12]
• On the Dodgers’ heritage:
  “This is a team with a proud history... and the idea that it’s been co-opted by the fossil fuel gang is just a little too much for me.” [04:37]

3. Greenwashing and the Evolution of the Climate Fight

[06:49–11:12]

• McKibben contextualizes fossil fuel advertising as “greenwashing” or “sportswashing,” akin to the industry’s broader disinformation campaigns.
• Exxon’s internal science predicted warming with “stunning accuracy,” yet executives chose a path of denial and delay—setting America back “the thing we needed most dearly. Time.” [08:27–09:46]
• Today, “solutions denial” is the new tactic: arguing that solving climate change is infeasible or overly slow, despite states like California making real progress.

Quote:

• McKibben:
  “We’re now at a point where climate denial of the classic sort is hard... Now I think really we’re engaged in what you might call solutions denial.” [09:19]
• Host Roth:
  “In 2023 it was close to 60% of California’s electricity came from climate friendly sources over the course of the entire year. And... about 25% of new vehicle sales... were zero emission.” [09:46]

4. The Psychological Impact of Fossil Fuel Branding in Sports

[11:12–14:05]

• McKibben argues fossil fuel advertising in ballparks is designed not to sell gasoline, but to reinforce its presence and “normalcy” within beloved aspects of life:
• Nostalgia—such as for the 76 sign at Dodger Stadium or the Citgo sign at Fenway Park—clashes with the urgent need to see these logos as “symbols of a kind of gross destruction.”
• Ballparks, once places of joy and escape, are now complicated by climate reality: rising temperatures turning games into dangerous affairs.

Quote:

• McKibben:
  “These are now symbols of a kind of gross destruction. And it’s high time just for our own sanity... that we rid ourselves of them in the places where we go to forget the world a little bit.” [12:42]

5. Lessons from Tobacco Advertising and Social Change

[14:05–17:13]

• Roth and McKibben compare fossil fuel ads to the now-banned tobacco sponsorships prevalent in American sports decades ago.
• McKibben traces the demise of tobacco advertising across sports, movies, and public spaces:
  “It was a full court offensive to try and make people understand that what used to be normal no longer could be. And I think that’s a perfectly good analogy for gas and oil.” [15:25]
• The difference: fossil fuels are more central to modern life—“Exxon takes us out one planet at a time,” compared to tobacco’s one-person-at-a-time death toll.

Quote:

• McKibben:
  “Philip Morris killed us one person at a time. Exxon takes us out one planet at a time. So it’s an even bigger deal.” [17:49]

6. Is Sidelining Oil Sponsors a Distraction?

[17:13–20:19]

• McKibben addresses the frequent critique that efforts to remove brands like 76 from Dodger Stadium might distract from “bigger” climate policies.
• He insists small and symbolic efforts complement larger campaigns:
  “I’m not going to tell you that getting the 76 logo out of Chavez Ravine is as important as who the president is. But I am telling you that it is an important part of this deep, deep battle.” [19:53]
• Movements, he argues, can help “break the political power of the fossil fuel industry,” which in turn facilitates the rapid adoption of clean energy.

7. How to Take Action: Boycott, Culture, and the Power of Shifting Norms

[20:19–22:38]

• Roth inquires about effective activism for fans wanting change.
• McKibben explains consumer boycotts of gasoline are generally ineffective; instead, cultural and reputational pressure can tip the balance.
• If enough fans voice discomfort, teams will seek less controversial sponsors.

Quotes:

• McKibben on boycotts:
  “Boycotts are extremely difficult to carry out in the best of times... I think that the pressure needs to be mostly cultural...” [20:36]
• On what’s at stake:
  “That’s not going to save the world by itself, but it’s one more step in an important fight.” [21:51]
• Roth, on awareness:
  “Once I started writing about this, now I can’t unsee it... I’ve taken the pill from the Matrix. It’s like, oh God, every time I look, it’s like, there it is.” [22:06]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On fossil fuel PR:
  McKibben: “Their job is to slow things down. It’s why they spent money on the Trump campaign and it’s why they spend money at Dodger Stadium.” [10:48]

• On solutions denial:
  McKibben: “What the fossil fuel industry would like you to believe now is that we can’t do anything about this. It’s going to take decades, whatever. Despite the fact that as California has proved... you can day after day... generate 100% of the electricity that you need from the sun and the wind and water.” [09:19]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [01:30] Dodgers protest recap and background
• [04:12] McKibben on emotional impact of fossil sponsorships
• [09:46] California’s climate progress and statistics
• [12:42] Sports nostalgia vs the reality of climate change
• [15:25] Tobacco advertising analogy
• [17:49] “Exxon takes us out one planet at a time.”
• [19:53] “Important part of this deep, deep battle”
• [20:36] Why boycotts are difficult; focus on cultural change
• [22:06] Roth’s Matrix moment—once you see, you can’t unsee oil ads

Update & Context

[22:51]

• Phillips 66 later announced the closure of its LA refinery (2025), citing the state’s EV transition.
• “There’s been no indication the 76 ads at Dodger Stadium are going anywhere, at least not yet. But the refinery closure, that’s a big deal. Consider it a sign of the times.” – Sammy Roth

Key Takeaways

• Fossil fuel sponsorship in sports normalizes polluting industries and is a legacy tactic akin to big tobacco’s past.
• Meaningful climate progress requires both political change and cultural shifts—including removing fossil fuel branding from institutions we cherish.
• Every action, from pushing for policy change to confronting oil sponsorship in baseball, is part of an “all of the above” movement to break fossil fuel power.

Notable Final Quote:
Bill McKibben: “Find a brewer, not a refiner to sponsor the Dodgers or something, because that’s just sad.” [22:29]

This episode offers both a deep dive and practical reflection on how symbolic actions in pop culture—like cleaning up ballpark billboards—fit into the urgent mosaic of climate action. Whether a baseball fan or climate activist, listeners are left with a reinforced sense of the link between our everyday joys and the broader battle for a livable planet.