By John Knebels • Posted October 30, 2026

Watching grown men eschew social protocol after winning a championship always warms the heart.

Aided by fabulous camera work by the Fox network on Wednesday night, Oct. 28, viewers got to see numerous Milwaukee Brewers instinctively react to their franchise’s first-ever World Series title.

Some fell to the ground. A few removed their jerseys. Several clearly cried. One mouthed, in slow motion, “Oh my Goddddd!” as he raced toward his teammates near the pitcher’s mound.

Rookies, veterans, coaches. Young, middle-aged, old.

Big, strong, invincible, but fully human, filled with feelings of joy and fear and confidence and doubt, but all too often petrified to show the world how they really feel. Instead, they keep their vulnerabilities close to the vest. They only allow a few “in.”

But when they win a World Series, or any other significant event, they no longer think. They just start to “be.”

Most of the observers can’t get enough. They stay glued to the television, often hitting rewind. They forward snippets to friends, who usually react with “love” emojis adjoined by a short-but-sweet “awww.”

After the last out ignited a firestorm of ecstasy, these lifelong athletes literally couldn’t wait to meet their brethren for long hugs. Heads buried into burly chests. Shoulder squeezes. Group cuddles.

While the norm for men while growing up is to hide their emotions and to play it straight instead of really letting loose, this was a time when it didn’t matter how it looked.

Meanwhile along the Tampa Bay dugout, the tears of sadness and disappointment poured without embarrassment.

We see this in every sport. There’s a reason why the talented camera operators and experienced television producers spend so much time and energy focusing on the pent-up emotional release by some of the most masculine men on the planet. It’s because people watching love it.

Viewers can’t get enough of watching big, strong, grown men reverting to being kids.

Too bad it takes so long to win a championship.

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Contact John Knebels by email at jknebels@gmail.com, on ‘X’ @johnknebels, or on Instagram @johnknebels.