Gary Koca

The 2016 Chicago Cubs Gary Koca

On November 2, 2016, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, in the seventh game of the World Series, ending the longest drought in team sports history in the United States. It was in 1908 - 108 years earlier - that the Cubs last won a championship. Immediately, millions of people around the United States stood up and cheered, screamed, hugged whoever was near them, and generally lost themselves in sheer joy. The next day, many of them visited the gravesites of departed relatives and friends, just to let them know that the 108 year drought was over. One middle-aged man drove from North Carolina to his father's grave in Indiana just so he could listen to the game with his dad, a huge Cub fan who passed away in 1980. On Friday, November 4, the City of Chicago observed the Cubs' world series championship with a celebration in downtown Chicago. The Chicago police estimated the crowd to be about five million people, which would make it the seventh largest gathering of humanity in recorded history. Clearly, this was more than just another World Series win, it was an historic victory for the underdog and for Cub fans throughout the Chicago area, State of Illinois, United States, and perhaps the world. This book will examine the 2016 season in its entirety, what preceded this event, and the factors that led to this victory after 108 years of misery.