Bill MURRAY WEPT tears of joy when the Chicago Cubs claimed the World Series after Game 7 last night.
The historic win from a 3-1 deficit at one point, marks the end of a century-long wait for the Cubs’ faithful while simultaneously banishing any future talk of the ‘Curse of the Billy Goat.’
Hollywood actor, and Cubs fan, Murray was at the centre of the celebrations and has been a cornerstone feature of the Series throughout.
He even assisted FOX Sports in capturing the magic from within the Cubs’ dressing room by interviewing club president Theo Epstein while being sprayed with champagne.
The pair also hugged it out in a poignant embrace while the party raged behind them. Murray has followed the Cubs for many years and speaking after the win last night, he told members of the press: I’ve been imagining this for a long time.”
But what about the other celebrities who’ve suffered alongside their teams through periods of drought? Here’s a selection of those who kept the faith with their local sports teams.
Jon Kenny – Munster’s Heineken Cup Dream
Jon Kenny has often referred to his continuing support for the Munster Rugby team and his passion for the province has even been included in some of his stand-up material.
Munster had suffered Heineken Cup pain in 2000 (against Northampton Saints) and again in 2002, at the hands of Leicester and the suspicious hand movements of Neil Back during a Munster scrum near the end of the game when the Irish side were desperately seeking a try.
But the southern province finally triumphed in 2006 against Biarritz and Kenny watched on with pride.
Noel Gallagher – Man City win the Premier League
The 2011/2012 Premier League title was still undecided on the last day of the season and a primal rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United determined the outcome.
United looked certain to collect another title when they edged ahead of City following a win over Sunderland. Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini’s side despaired as they trailed QPR 2-1. But then two injury-time goals dragged them back from the jaws of death to win their first title in 44 years.
Gallagher has always spoken proudly of his allegiance to City. He was in Santiago on that miraculous day in 2012 but he located a bar nearby to see the magic events unfold.
Skip to 2.34 to see his reaction.
Saw Doctors – Galway win the 1998 All-Ireland
Although some tunes in the Saw Doctors songbook are dedications to the much-maligned Mayo footballers, the Saw Doctors are Galway natives. And proud ones at that.
The 1998 season witnessed the unexpected rise of a movement in Galway, which began with a stir in Connacht and ended with their first SFC All-Ireland title in over 30 years.
The Saw Doctors made a brief cameo in the excellent documentary A Year Til Sunday, in which they play a gig on the eve of the final and are then seen again walking onto the Croke Park pitch luxuriating in the win.
Gary Lineker – Leicester’s miracle kept him true to his word
At the end of December 2014, Leicester were bottom of the Premier League table. By that time next year, they had soared all the way to the summit.
And so it was, that whenever people wanted to illustrate the magnitude of Leicester’s top-flight transformation in the year of their Premier League success, this was the statistic that people normally turned to first.
As Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker observed his former side’s inexplicable change in form, he issued the following promise.
YES! If Leicester win the @premierleague I'll do the first MOTD of next season in just my undies.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) December 14, 2015
At the time of his tweet, Leicester were still regarded as outsiders for the Premier League title but as the months rumbled on, chance turned to possibility which in turn evolved into certainty.
Leicester eventually completed the unthinkable last May with 10 points to spare. And Lineker, true to his word, committed to the vow and presented the opening MOTD of the new season in his underwear for the first half an hour.
Ben Affleck – Boston Red Sox World Series 2004
The Boston Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit in the AL Series in 2004 to go on and win the World Series. It was their first since 1918 and incidentally, they were also spearheaded by Theo Epstein who is currently involved with the Cubs.
While it was a significant moment for Ben Affleck as a Red Sox fan, it was also a pivotal occasion from a personal perspective, as he made his first public appearance with future wife Jennifer Garner during that World Series.
Garner later attributed their marriage to the World Series and said their relationship might not have survived had they lost because: “I would have been considered a jinx. Boston fans are pretty serious about superstition.”
The pair however, are now rumoured to be pursuing a marital separation.
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