Brewers' Rise: Exploring Fan Passion and Rivalry with Cubs

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

Brewers Fans Embrace an Underdog Team Built on Trust and Unity

Some Brewers fans appear frustrated with the national media and Major League Baseball after feeling ignored and treated like second-rate citizens for years. With the team now at the top, there may be an element of “I told you so” among part of Brewer Nation.

Milwaukee may also have a little brother syndrome because it is less than 90 miles from the Chicago Cubs, a national darling whose fans travel well and regularly fill seats at games in Milwaukee. That has helped create a robust rivalry and perhaps an inferiority complex among Brewers fans, even though Milwaukee has won the division four straight years.

A World Series victory would make Milwaukee the smallest metropolitan area ever to accomplish it. The Brewers are doing it with a small payroll and a style built around small ball, playing the game the way it used to be played.

Pat Murphy deserves significant credit for the team’s success. He trusts players who seemingly come out of nowhere and gives them opportunities to contribute in major moments. That trust has helped create what feels like a complete team victory.

Christian Jelich, Jackson Cheerio and Mizurovski may receive many of the headlines, but the Brewers play as a unified group. The team has an esprit de corps that many other MLB clubs lack, along with a dugout that appears to be low on egos. Jackson Cheerio has the potential to be a star for more than a decade, but Milwaukee’s success remains rooted in the entire team.