When the Chicago Cubs won the one-game Wild Card play-in last Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, fans took to celebrating the accomplishment in the streets outside of Wrigley Field. The same happened when they clinched the National League Division Series against the rival St. Louis Cardinals at home Tuesday.
Since the beginning of the semester, you’ve probably noticed a lot of royal blue and red shirts while walking around campus, many of them with “RIZZO” and the No. 44 on the back. You’ve probably seen even more tweets and Instagram captions ending with “#FlyTheW” or “#WeAreGood.”
These people are Cubs fans, and their fan base is growing in number each day. As a fan of the New York Yankees, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week, seeing all of the Cubs support can get annoying.
If you’re a baseball fan, you probably know that the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908. It’s a fact that has made them the laughing stock of fan bases across the sports world for decades, but enough is enough.
I’m rooting for the Cubs to win the World Series and you should too.
As a Yankees fan, I’m glad I got to experience the last few years of the Boston Red Sox 86-year World Series win drought. I’m sure Cardinals and Chicago White Sox fans feel the same way about the Cubs dumbfounding 107-year streak.
Having seen the raucous celebrations in Boston after the Red Sox finally won a World Series in 2004, I can only imagine what the scenes in Chicago could be like if the Cubbies win it all. Pandemonium, parties and parades will be had for days, if not weeks.
Here in Milwaukee, you really shouldn’t have another horse in the race (unless your team is still in the playoffs, of course). The Brewers won’t be playoff contenders for a handful of years, nor will the White Sox. On the flip side, the Cubs have an influx of young talent in guys like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell. They have the probable NL Cy Young winner in Jake Arrieta. They hit a lot of home runs, have a great pitching staff and a catchy fight song.
So whether you’re a student who hails from the Chicagoland area or you’re just a fan in need of a playoff team to root for, consider changing your fanhood just until November. Baseball is more fun when you have reason to celebrate. Go ahead and jump on the bandwagon with me. I won’t judge you, and the Cubs fans will be happy to have you along for the ride.
