Cubs Win! Cubs Win!
One word: Finally. What an amazing World Series! Here’s my take on the Cubs’ victory, 108 years in the making.
I think many of you would agree with me when I say that of all the major sports here in the US, baseball is not the most exciting one to watch on television. In person, sure. The whole ballpark experience is awesome. But on TV at home…eh, not so much.
But holy heck was that World Series a nail biter! If you follow me at all on social media on watch me on TV, you know I am team-agnostic. I was raised that way and as The Hungry Fan, I kind of have to be. When pressed, I usually root for the underdog. So when it came to this series, I was mostly open to whatever end result — Cleveland Indians or Chicago Cubs. But even with that said, there’s something special about being alive to witness the potential victory of a team that hadn’t won a World Series in over a century. So maybe, subconsciously I was rooting for the Cubbies. (P.S. I am a total history nerd).
In years past, the audience numbers for World Series broadcasts haven’t been super incredible. And demographic analysis has demonstrated that the median age of a viewer has been creepin’ up there.
Not this year. Judging by the audience viewership numbers reported by the media, many of you were right there with me on the edge of your seats — for all seven games — waiting to see who’d clinch the Series.
Game 7 alone — which was an instant ESPN Classic game if I’ve ever seen one — saw the highest ratings in twenty-five Years, averaging 40 million viewers and more than 75 million viewers saw all or part of the game. That game alone, according to Forbes Magazine, projects to be the most-watched telecast aired on a single network in the United States since Super Bowl 50 this past February. (And we all know what kind of ratings the Super Bowl fetches).
The game’s dramatic, extra-innings finish was emotional. Good lord. The triumph of the Cubs — 108 years in the making — that was something to behold. But even more incredible for me was to see the Cubs fans light up, aglow in the sheer ecstasy of overcoming a three games to one deficit — only the sixth team in MLB history to do so.
This guy. Bill Murray. (Who doesn’t love Bill Murray?!?) He did it for me. Look at that face. That smile. As I noted on my Instagram postfrom that night, the jubilation written all over his face so did it for me. It made me proud to be a sports fan, it made me feel like I — thousands of miles away, watching on TV — was somehow a part of it. I think that’s what we as sports fans live for. Yes, often, it’s optimal if it’s our team. But I mean come on…108 years.
So now that the Cubs win, and baseball season is officially wrapped for 2016, we move onto basketball and hockey, and we’re already well into football for the year. We have plenty of sports distractions to keep up going.
But if you should happen to be a Cubs fan — especially if you’re from Chicago, where the Bears aren’t so much killin’ it right now — I hope you continue to ride this World Series win wave for a bit. And should you fancy some bubbly to celebrate, because it’s always sparkling-wine-o’-clock, I suggest you take a peak at one of my latest Picks for this month: Cubs Sparkling Wine. Cheers!
