There’s a pretty regular mindset among sports fans in general to root against the team that eliminates them from the playoffs, and that’s no different now for Braves fans who want to root against the Dodgers
But Braves fans should actually be rooting for the Dodgers for one reason: It would actually make the Braves' path to a World Series easier in the future.
As it currently stands, the National League still runs through LA, at least until they bring a title home.
While other sports focus around dynasties, it seems in baseball, especially over the last decade, that teams make a title push and once they win it all they take a step back.
Look at the last five World Series champions, the Nationals, Red Sox, Astros, Cubs, and Royals. Look at how they fared in the season after their title run.
After winning the World Series in 2015, the 2016 Royals lets five players walk in free agency and finished just 81-81, third place in the AL Central.
In 2017 the defending champion Chicago Cubs won the NL Central but got bounced by the Dodgers in the NLCS.
The 2018 Houston Astros also got bounced in the championship series in five games.
In 2019, after winning it all the previous year, the Boston Red Sox finished 19 games behind the Yankees and finished third in the AL East.
There's a very clear pattern of the previous year's champions not being able to repeat and that's good news for the Braves.
Unless the Dodgers break the mold, a win in the World Series might see them take a step back either by performance or by personnel.
If the Dodgers don’t win it all they’ll have that taste in their mouths all offseason and all year next year, they’ll be pushing harder than ever, but if they win and take their foot off the gas at all, the Braves will be right there to push past them.