Brewers win first title in 44 years
The franchise's championship ending a long drought mirrors an optimistic 1982 cartoon that predicted Milwaukee's eternal hope.
By Sofia Ramirez ·
A 44-year cycle of optimism closed on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series at Tropicana Field. The victory secured the franchise's first championship, a moment that echoes a specific editorial cartoon drawn 44 years prior.
The connection traces back to the 1982 World Series, where the Brewers held a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. That season, the Chicago Tribune ran a cartoon by Jeff MacNelly captioned “Hope springs eternal …” The image depicted a smiling Chicago Cubs fan in a Hawaiian shirt and cap, surrounded by bulky Milwaukee fans in parkas at County Stadium.
MacNelly, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, chose the Cubs as the subject of the drawing despite the teams being in different leagues. The selection served as a subtle critique of Tribune Co., which owned the Cubs and was managing a team that had gone 37 years without a National League pennant and 74 years without a World Series title. The cartoon portrayed the typical Cubs fan as an oblivious optimist who sees a 35-degree forecast and decides it is time for summer clothing.
The 1982 cartoon became an instant classic, appearing on T-shirts for years. MacNelly, who died of lymphoma in 2000 at age 53, was known for his ability to turn any scene into a drawing. During a 1986 Super Bowl trip, he created souvenir T-shirts for newsroom staff featuring a cartoon bear wearing a headband that read “Woof,” a nod to the Chicago Bears' defensive unit.
In the 1982 series, the Brewers lost the final two games after MacNelly's drawing captured their moment. The team waited four decades to return to the Fall Classic. The Cubs ended their own title drought in 2016, shifting the dynamic as they began chasing the Milwaukee team in the National League Central.
The 2026 series carried a similar weight of expectation. The Brewers were on the brink of a sweep Tuesday night before blowing a one-run lead in the 12th inning of Game 4 to lose 4-3. No team in history had previously blown a 3-0 lead in the World Series, a fact that fueled anxiety among the fan base.
Thousands of Milwaukee fans traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida, to support the team, turning the Rays' home stadium into a de facto away game for the Brewers. The atmosphere in the stands was tense, with fans described as waiting to explode yet nervous to the core.
The Wednesday victory confirmed that the anxiety was misplaced. The Brewers became the first team in history to win the World Series after trailing 3-0 in the series, a feat that validates the enduring hope depicted in MacNelly's 1982 work. The cartoon, which mocked the optimism of Cubs fans, now serves as a symbol for the Milwaukee supporters who refused to give up.
MacNelly's second cartoon from the 1982 edition showed a tailgating scene at County Stadium. It depicted fans with old speakers stacked high next to their cars, music blasting loud enough to blow one fan's hair sideways. Another fan was shown cooking a sausage on a stick over a car engine. That drawing ran on Page 3 of the sports section and received less attention than the main piece.
The Brewers' win marks the end of a 44-year wait for a title. The franchise has moved from the role of the eternal optimist to the champion, shifting the cultural narrative from the 1982 cartoon's subject to the team that finally delivered the result.
