Mayor Johnson reacts to Brewers reaching World Series

Milwaukee Brewers headed back to the World Series for the first time in 44 years and I know I am not the only one excited about this news. I want to go ahead and bring in Mayor Cavalier Johnson joining us here on Fox 6 Now and I see you've got all your gear on as well. Yeah Haley this is super exciting not just for me but for the entire city of Milwaukee really the entire state of Wisconsin. You just showed some images of folks going to the team store jam-packed after the victory last night. And folks all across the city, all across the region, all across the state are super excited about the energy that Milwaukee Brewers are bringing. Yeah, to your point, one thing that I loved about this year's City Connect series with the Brewers was that they actually chose to put Wisco on the jersey because this is really the state's team. Obviously, us in Milwaukee, we're lucky to be able to catch a lot of the games since it's right here in our city but yes absolutely Wisconsin elated today walk me through your reaction last night I imagine you were watching the game what was it like for you oh I was absolutely watching the game I've been glued to the television every time the Brewers uh have been playing games uh all throughout these last several series including last night I was at an event actually when the game got started and when I got in the car to head home to catch the game we were down the Brewers are down four to nothing um but then by the time of course we got to the end they did what Brewers what the Milwaukee Brewers have been doing which is playing Brewer baseballs playing smart having teamwork not giving up having grit and working to win our way and that's exactly what happened last night and resulted in the victory for the crew be honest were you ever nervous when they were down four runs did you think okay we're gonna need a game five or did you think nope we're still going to sweep these Dodgers? No, I felt pretty confident in the Brewers' ability to sweep the Dodgers and to win the game. If you look back at the series with the Padres and even here with the Dodgers, there have been many times where the Brewers were not the first ones to score, but they just stuck at it. It's, again, that mantra of win our way and not giving up and having just the teamwork and the camaraderie that this team has, and it's a very special team, And they used those same sort of strategies in order to secure victory last night. And now they're going to the World Series for the first time since 1982. That's, you know, fewer people that live in the city of Milwaukee were alive then, you know, than what we see now. I wasn't alive. The vast majority of people in the city weren't alive in 1982 when the Brewers were last there. Now all of us get to witness it and cheer on the team here in 2026. And we're all super excited about it. Yes, to your point, for so many people, this really is the first time in their lifetime that the Brewers have made it to the World Series. Obviously, we hope that it's not the last. We hope that we start seeing this even more frequently as the seasons go by. As the mayor of Milwaukee, I mean, what do you think this World Series appearance really means to the city? Oh, it means a ton to the city. The Brewers are a treasured part of our community here in Milwaukee. Obviously, that has impacts across the region and the state of Wisconsin. This means that more attention, more focus is going to come to Milwaukee, just like we've been seeing over the course of the last number of years. This just continues to elevate Milwaukee's stature across the United States. I anticipate you're going to have several tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people that come into the city of Milwaukee over the course of the next week plus to just be a part of the action. I know that American Family Field is going to be completely sold out, but there will be people all throughout the state that come into Milwaukee to be close to the fever that the Brewers have everybody captured in right now. Absolutely. I feel like it's similar to what we saw when the Bucs had their championship win. Now it's the Brewers' opportunity for all of these people, whether they come to Milwaukee or they're just learning more about the city through this postseason run. And what is kind of the main message you want them to know about Milwaukee, about who we are? Well, I mean, I think the brewers are showcasing that very well on the field, that this is a city that is scrappy, that does not give up, that fights for our share, and that will continue to move on, get bigger and better as we move forward here. Milwaukee is so many things in the state of Wisconsin, we're the diversity center, we're the population center, we're the economic center. And I think that all of those things will be on full display over the course of the next week plus as World Series fever catches hold here in Milwaukee. Let me ask you, too, because, you know, October baseball is going to come right before an election, which is usually a time of divisiveness. But there's something about rooting for the same team that's going to bring this city together. What has it been like for you to already see, I mean, this camaraderie, these friendships form at watch parties, at bars, people just rooting on this same team and being together? Yeah, I mean, it is a stark contrast to what we're seeing right now taking place on the political side of things. And I wish that, you know, we had more opportunities to do this, but that's the magic of sports. It has the ability to bring folks in. You know, I can think about what's happening on the political side and all the divisiveness and pushing people out and trying to make it seem as if, you know, the people who live in Milwaukee are any different than the people who live in the balance of Wisconsin. And the truth of the matter is that we share so much in common. And I think, you know, with the Brewers championship run here, it's we're finding a way that the team is leading us here to find a way, much like the Bucks did years ago, to bring everybody together. And there's there's a lot of power in that. And I hope that, you know, even beyond this incredible run and, you know, hopefully and I think certainly a World Series win for the Milwaukee Brewers, that we continue to see the good in each other, no matter where we live across the state of Wisconsin. Oh, absolutely. And I mean, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but we're all optimistic for a World Series victory. I imagine the city of Milwaukee is probably going to like put on a pretty big party for the Brewers if that happens. You betcha it will be. Well, we are all certainly hoping that it happens, that it comes true again. One week from today is game one. I would love to get your input here on our poll question for our viewers today, Mayor Johnson, which is who do you want the Brewers to face in the World Series? Are you going to go Cleveland Guardians or are you going to go Tampa Bay Rays? I'm with your pollsters there with the Cleveland Guardians. I like the idea of having a World Series that is focused on the Midwest. I think Florida, New York, these coastal places, they get enough praise. They get enough recognition. I'd like for some of that attention certainly is coming here with Milwaukee. But I'd like Cleveland to be a part of that conversation too and a Midwest focus for the World Series this year. Look at those Midwest manners on display, wanting to share the spotlight with a fellow Midwest city, but only to beat them. That's where the kindness ends. Yes, absolutely. Mayor Johnson, thank you so much for joining us here on Fox 6 Now on a day that I know the city is just already celebrating so much. Thank you and go crew. Go crew, go.