Chicago Cubs: What could have been the best series in London

Chicago Cubs: For the fans

Since 2007 the NFL has gone over to London to play regular-season games. The average attendance for those games was amazingly high, between 80-85 thousand people have attended each of those games. Last year the British capital hosted three different games. According to a study done by Statista, the highest total of last year’s four-game series was 84,771 when the Houston Texans took on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Last year’s London series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox drew in over 59,000 fans throughout two games. That’s 7,000 less than the capacity of the London Stadium. The two-game series attracted a total of 118,718 fans.

It also generated 13.95 million social media impressions during the week of the event, while 14,729 fans attended London Yards. A baseball-themed festival took place there, and it featured music, food from Boston and New York. Based on a report by Sports Industry Group, 70% of tickets were purchased by UK-based fans, with 20% sold to people in the US and 10% to the rest of the world. You can tell from these stats alone, the fans in London wanted to see the sport of America’s pastime.

The two-game set lasted nine hours and six minutes. Both teams combined for 50 runs, 65 hits, 16 doubles, and ten homers.

This year’s series could have been the one to top those records, cause all of us to know the Cubs-Cards rivalry is possibly one of the top competitions in all of the sports. The long history dates back to April 12, 1892.

Chicago Cubs: For the clubs

The star power for both teams is undeniably good. Fans want to see superstars play, and that’s what the MLB is trying to do with the Cubs-Cards rivalry.

As we all know, baseball isn’t as popular as soccer is over there yet, but they still show support as they wear there favorite kit (jersey) of either their hometown team or their favorite player. Such names like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo for the Cubs, Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, and Yadier Molina for the Cardinals, have a high rep that makes them the stars for their teams.

We all know our beloved Cubs are full of superstar caliber talent; from our minor league system to the big leagues, we have players that can simply play the game. That is what fans want to see if you were going to a soccer game you would see a lot of jerseys for one or two players that they think are superstars. Fortunately, we have a full squad of players who are loved and adored by fans.

Chicago Cubs: For the world of baseball

It does seem like when the MLB puts games outside the United States, and the most interest comes from the host country, which is good cause it draws attention in the game and potentially gets people involved playing the sport or studying the game more.

From a financial standpoint, games in different countries seem like they cost a lot. Well, your right, they do require a lot, but in the end, it’s worth it. Just imagine all the advertisements on social media, billboards, etc. Live-streams are becoming the norm in today’s society with sports live-streaming that expands their audience.

All in all, baseball is getting more popular throughout the world. As it gets more popular, it will grow even more than just Mexico and London. Who knows, we may also see a professional team eventually form in London.