While the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians to win their first World Series in 108 years on a rainy Wednesday night in Ohio, thousands of Chicagoans swarmed outside Wrigley Field to celebrate. Amidst the raucous street ceremony, fans turned the outside of the stadium’s right field wall into a memorial to loved ones who died before seeing the Cubs break their championship drought.
According to DNAinfo, unopened boxes of chalk appeared outside the stadium over the weekend. Throughout the week fans canvassed the brick wall with encouraging messages to the team. On Wednesday, locals transformed the wall into a tribute, writing dedications to lost friends and family.
“I don’t exactly know what the point is,” Jay Sirois, who wrote the name of his deceased father on the wall, told The Athletic. “But it feels good to come here today, make them a part of it.”
Like the World Series itself, the spontaneous memorial is a bridge to history, preserving memories of relationships that wouldn’t be the same without shared rooting interests and shared hopes. Scroll for more photos of the wall. For anyone who learned how to love a team from their parents or grandparents, you may want to grab a tissue.
People are writing the names of loved ones who didn't live long enough to see this all along the Sheffield wall at… https://t.co/0bF5JMWpdb— Alex Nitkin (@Alex Nitkin)1478154470.0
Wrigley Field's makeshift memory wall dedicated to decades of Cubs fans who weren't here to experience a… https://t.co/UwxNvHzG47— newsburrow (@newsburrow)1478125466.0
Had to get my Great Papas name on the brick wall outside of Wrigley Field. He's the reason I'm a Cubs fan.. RIP Pap… https://t.co/PEk5SgvfmD— Frankie LaVere (@Frankie LaVere)1478121551.0
Walsh family representing on the Wrigley Field wall https://t.co/D5YjJebYav— Fatter John Misty (@Fatter John Misty)1478120204.0
written on the wall of Wrigley Field for my grandpa, a true die hard fan ❤️👼🏼💙 #WorldSeries #FlyTheW https://t.co/csD9MCbnqT— halle 🌻 (@halle 🌻)1478153024.0