Total regular season home attendance of the Chicago Cubs from 2007–2016

MLB ranked the 2016 Chicago Cubs as the third-best World Series championship squad in the last 25 years. Breaking a 108-year drought, the build-up to the magic of the 2016 team was also greatly reflected in their fan’s home game attendance.

Before 2016, the Cubs had not won a World Series since 1908, or a National League pennant since 1945, yet still were and remain one of baseball’s most loyal and vocal fanbase, not just on the North Side of Chicago but nationwide.

Cubs fans have supported the team even through the most mediocre of years, and it’s safe to say that their loyalty has evolved into something much bigger. Whether it’s the unique energy that ignites Chicago during the classic cross-town rival against the White Sox or the way the fans have cultivated an entire neighborhood on the Northside of the city.

Regardless of the team’s lack of championships, Cubs baseball has extended connections beyond the ivy.

After the team’s 2007 and 2008 National League Division Series appearances, the franchise witnessed a sharp decline in home game attendance. Shortly after, the Cubs would hire Theo Epstein in 2011 as President of Baseball Operations. Here, the team would experience a key and significant rebuild, adding some of the team’s most crucial players that helped guide them to a World Series win just 5 years later.

The graphic below illustrates the shift in Cubs fans attendance from 2007-2016.