How much do you believe in your city?
The Milwaukee Brewers are officially 2026 World Series Champions. As a native Milwaukeean, I’m overjoyed. Major league sports are something that truly unite the city and state. Never are the freeways more crowded than on game day, leading towards American Family Field (or as the locals still call it, Miller Park).
This season was so important for Milwaukeeans because before this year, the Brewers had never won a World Series. Generations of people who grew up mega-fans had never seen their team make it all the way, and to see the Brewers represent Milwaukee, a relatively underappreciated city, meant everything.
By underappreciated, I really mean unknown. As one of Occidental’s few Wisconsinites, I feel a great sense of pride when I get to tell my friends about Milwaukee. Seeing their confused faces after explaining that yes, we do have beaches, never gets old. Milwaukee is a fantastic city, with a beautiful historic Third Ward, local music scene and booming nightlife district. Combined with great food from its countless immigrant communities, Milwaukee has it all. Seeing the city finally brought to the forefront of the nation’s attention is a fabulous feeling.
Growing up in Milwaukee, I’ve always been a big Brewers fan. Honestly, what got me invested is the sausage race in the middle of the sixth inning. My grandmother has watched the Brewers play every night, every game of every season for as long as I can remember, and whenever I went to her house during the season, my arts and crafts projects were completed to the soundtrack of the broadcast.
Another legendary fan of the Brewers, Bob Uecker, passed away January 2025. Uecker served as the Brewers’ play-by-play commentator for 54 seasons before his passing, becoming a local legend and the literal voice of the team. Countless fans, old and young, grew up listening to Uecker, so his death was a major loss for the city. Many fans, myself included, consider this victory to be a win for Uecker, who never had the chance to see the team go all the way to the World Series. Brewers fans who attended the World Series games in both Milwaukee and Tampa Bay brought handmade signs with messages such as “Do it for Ueck!”
I’ve lived in Washington D.C., Detroit and Stockholm, Sweden, and while all of those places were fantastic, Milwaukee has a special place in my heart. The population is incredibly multicultural and diverse, allowing for each part of the city to become a new adventure. One of my fondest memories is my third grade trip to see the Brewers play during the regular season. With free tickets from school, my friend and I went together with our parents. We got to run the bases after the game and ride down the stadium’s giant yellow slide, which Bernie Brewer, the team’s mascot, slides down after the Brewers hit a home run or win a game.
Without cable TV to stream games at Occidental, I kept track of the regular season and playoffs through a combination of googling the score and checking my summer job’s group chat. I work at a summer camp, so there’s typically little communication between coworkers during the offseason. But during this legendary Brewers postseason run, my phone exploded every game night, with texts like “DO YOU BELIEVE IN THIS CITY,” and “Oh my god did you guys see that?” My coworkers are some of the most loyal Brewers fans I know, so when I asked them after game four what a World Series victory would mean to them, my inbox lit up like a Christmas tree. My coworker Paddy said, “This team is fun. They have fun, they win and they are dominant,” followed by my friend Sophia, who said, “There is something so magical about these dang Brewers.”
And the Brewers really were magical this season. When most people think of baseball, teams like the Dodgers, the Yankees or the Red Sox come to mind. The Brewers have less glory, less wins and less prestige, but just as much spirit and fun. After the win on Wednesday night, Milwaukee exploded with shouts of joy, fireworks and the new Brewers anthem, “Milwaukee Brewers,” by local rapper Foenem. The parade, which took place Oct. 30, was such a city-wide event that Milwaukee Public Schools, which I attended, cancelled all classes so students like my little brother could attend and celebrate with their city.
The Brewers are just one of the countless things that bring light and joy to Milwaukee, and they are a team I’m proud to represent here in LA. I truly hope that this victory will bring more attention to Milwaukee, and the state of Wisconsin in general.
Contact Lydia Fleisher at lfleisher@oxy.edu
