An interview with the other Baseball Brit!
Twitter (and the internets, in general) can be a harsh place at times to visit as a sports fan, but it can be a great place to connect with people as well (I see you, my CubsDNA peeps). So when I saw that there is an international Cubs fan account, I wondered, how did they become fans? I chatted the UK Cubs Fan up on the DM and asked them some burning questions, and Joe (half of a duo who runs the account) was nice enough to reply.
Who are you and where do you live?
Joe: Hello my name is Joe and I am half of UK Cubs. I am from London, but right now studying in Wales.
How did you become acquainted with baseball and how did you become a Cubs fan?
Joe: One of the first things in my childhood was sitting watching baseball with my family or playing catch or trying to swing for the fences with a bat in hand. With 3 generations of Cub fans before me, I had no choice but to end up being a Cubs fan. (His family is originally from Chicago.)
Do you enjoy watching other American sports?
Joe: I enjoy watching clips of the old Bulls from the 90's, but it (basketball) just doesn’t seem to be the same sport anymore. I have just started to get myself into the Bears and that might be from the fact (I've) hours spent playing Madden (NFL) over the past couple of years.
Have you been to Wrigley yet? Have you seen any other baseball games?
Joe: Yes, I have been to Wrigley and there is no better home field to be at. I have seen the White Sox as well as the Gary South Shore Rail Cats. And let’s not forget about the London series just gone, which was a banging experience.
Do you see baseball getting more popular in the UK? How excited are you about the Cubs coming over to play next year?
Joe: I do I think MLB started off well and is popular, but (it) needs to put more work into bringing new people into the sport. I can’t wait to the see the Cubs play in London! It will be so weird seeing players like Rizzo and Baez play over here.
Have you noticed any differences in how Americans consume sports vs. Brits?
Joe: For myself, the approach of baseball in America is that you do have your die-hard supporters as well as an element of it still being a family sport. While comparing it to back in the U.K., I find the element of football fans (who) take on a new sport and more of that banter taking place instead, but still with the die-hard as well.
How many Cubs games do you watch? How do you watch them?
Joe: I try and watch as many Cubs games as possible... it just seems like a nice way of shutting off the world. It does matter on the time and the day, but I’m always on the highlights the next day catching up if I have missed out on a game.
We usually each buy an MLBTV subscription (costs about £110) which broadcasts every game over here, we don't have blackouts. (This is tremendous! Maybe we should all move to the U.K.!--Staci)
Is there a rivalry between you and other UK baseball accounts?
Joe: There are a few banter rivals on the accounts, but that has come from different meet ups and from different situations. IE : UK Phillies from their terrible performance that let us down and lost us the game of beer pong. (Tina laughs)
We keep the Twitter page updated whilst watching (the games), so (we) have constant interaction with our fanbase. However, we are also in Twitter groups and WhatsApp groups with constant chat with the other UK fan accounts. We're just one big happy UK baseball family!