Cubs End 108-Year Drought: 4 Trophy-Industry Lessons From Game 7 ⚾

Chicago beat Cleveland 8-7 in 10 innings on Wednesday — the most-watched baseball game in 25 years. The trophy lift created images that will be referenced in NL Central pitch decks for the next decade. Worth studying what made the photos work.

Tarp Delay Choreographed the Lift Better

The 17-minute rain delay in the 9th gave the Cubs time to organize who would lift first, second, and how. Spontaneous lifts produce confused frames; coached lifts produce iconic photos. For your perpetual cups, brief the eventual captain on lift sequence during a quiet moment of the ceremony preparation — not at handoff.

Long-Drought Wins Demand Multi-Generation Photos

Photos of Cubs fans crying in the stands — many in their 80s, having waited their whole lives — became as iconic as the trophy lift itself. For events with long-format perpetual cups, plan ceremony photography to include long-serving spectators/sponsors alongside winners. The story is bigger than the moment.