St. Louis Cardinals: Infiltrating the Chicago Cubs World Series Parade

Surrounded by Cubs fans, watching a caravan of vehicles, and one horse-drawn carriage move through the streets during the Chicago Cubs parade was a bitter pill to swallow as a St. Louis Cardinals fan. But as a fan of the game of baseball, I will remember it forever.

As a baseball fan and more specifically a St. Louis Cardinals fan, seeing an event 108 years in the making is something truly spectacular. Five million people showed up to see it, and hats off to the bad guys because they earned this. The baseball fan in me had fun. However, the Cardinals fan in me hated seeing Ben Zobrist on a double-decker bus, hoisting his MVP trophy high in the air for all to see.

I stood in Grand Park, which is where the parade ended. It is also where the rally and speeches were going to happen, but by the time my friends and I went to see the players’ speeches, it was too crowded for anyone else to attend. Five million people coming together in one place is spectacular, but it isn’t ideal when attempting to view a show.

Part of what made this so difficult to see is the fact that the Cardinals did not even make the 2016 post season. This is incredibly rare and ever since I started watching the Cards, it seemed like they always have made the playoffs.

Reflecting now on the celebration, I know one thing for sure. I am very hopeful for next season. The St. Louis Cardinals just have a culture of winning. Sure, the Cubs will still have the talent they had this past year but there will also be another year of experience under the Cubs belt. But as we have seen in the past like with Murderer’s Row in New York, the most talented teams don’t win it every year.

For the Cardinals it came down to the final few games and it just didn’t go as well as we would have liked. But, as the Cubs enjoyed their season ending parade, a new season begins. And a new season can bring many surprises. Afterall, who would’ve expected the Cleveland Indians to be in the World Series? Not many. Baseball every year has proven anything can happen. Just ask those Cubs fans who have waited for a championship.

That is the beauty of baseball. The parade showed the beauty of the game. The joy on the faces of the Cubs fans, the ability for anything to happen, and the huge following showing up for a celebration all highlight what makes baseball so amazing.

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Clichés in sports seem to work so beautifully because there is always next year. And next year, the trophy and the championship parade can come back to St. Louis. With just a few improvements this offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals can field the right team. If the Cardinals would’ve managed just a couple more wins, then who knows what would’ve happened. The city of St. Louis expects the Cardinals in the postseason, so enjoy the success for now Chicago but St. Louis isn’t going anywhere.