The brotherhood of baseball is far more than just lip service. When you spend 162 regular-season games together, six or sometimes seven days a week, it forces you to bond. Add practices, travel, film sessions, and team-bonding activities to the mix, and sometimes, these teams become a second family. That's what the Milwaukee Brewers' culture is like both in the dugout and within the fandom.
The City of Milwaukee has a deep reverence for its sports teams and the athletes who represent them. They give back in times of need and rally behind those who rally behind them. We saw that in full display earlier this week as Brewers players and Milwaukee-area baseball fans rallied together to support Venezuela in the wake of two massive earthquakes in the home country of two Brewers mainstays: outfielder Jackson Chourio and catcher William Contreras.
More than a dozen Brewers players and hundreds of fans gathered to donate supplies that will be shipped to Venezuela to support the people as the death toll nears 1,800 from these two devastating earthquakes. They packed food and supplies as part of the “United for Venezuela” Emergency Relief Effort, with Forward Latino helping to lead the charge.
Chourio expressed his appreciation for his new community in Milwaukee, which translated to: “I’ve always felt the love from Brewers fans, but today was super special. One more time, they were there to support not just the Venezuelan players, but Latin players, the Latin community. We feel one more time that Brewers fans love the Brewers players.”
We also heard from Contreras, who has let his emotions show on and off the field as he faces a harsh reality that he can't be there to help those in need: “It’s a hard feeling. You don’t want to put yourself in the shoes of people who lost family and lost everything they have. Whatever the country is going through is devastating. I would love to be there to help people, but I have a job to do. For those people, I want to make sure they know we are doing the best we can to help some way, somehow.”
The bond between the Milwaukee Brewers, Chourio, Contreras, and Wisconsin communities doesn't stop at baseball.
There was no hesitation in Milwaukee when it came time to help the people of Venezuela. From the Brewers teammates who helped pack supplies to the countless cars lined up three miles from American Family Field, Brewers fans knew the toll these earthquakes would take on players who mean so much to their team.
But that's how we do it in Milwaukee. There doesn't need to be a disaster for the Brewers fans to rally around their team and those who need them most. From pet supply drives to diaper drives, disaster relief, and more, the Brewers Community Foundation is always finding new ways to address important problems, and Milwaukee always answers the call.
There's something powerful about being part of something bigger than yourself. That counts in life and in baseball. Right now, the Brewers and their fans are giving back to something far bigger than any one individual. But that tried-and-true recipe is part of the culture that brings success to the team on the field, too. We're seeing it play out right now as the Brewers, who are 20 games above .500, come together off the field and keep building on it.
Either way, that culture is paying off in an important way, and it matters far more than baseball at a time like this. Just ask William Contreras or Jackson Chourio.
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