Pursuits
Cubs Nation Is Way Bigger Than You Thought
A huge wave of Chicago transplants is driving record World Series ratings.
Cubs fans celebrate the team's World Series Game 5 victory at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Sunday.
Source: Kyodo News via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Baseball is the new football.
Television ratings for the current World Series are, to put it scientifically, boffo. When the title is decided, average viewership may well be the highest that baseball has seen in 12 years, since the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the game's 100th championship battle, breaking Babe Ruth's curse. That's even as viewers turn away from the NFL and the Olympics, traditionally the clutch performers in the ratings game.