Cubs Launch TikTok Rom-Com Series

On Monday, the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers kicked off a four-game series at Wrigley Field. Yet, it wasn’t the game itself that grabbed attention, nor was it the camaraderie between managers Craig Counsell and Pat Murphy. Instead, excitement built around a new production from Cubs Productions. They announced a TikTok series aimed at Gen Z and millennials, titled “Nine Innings to Love.”

The series narrates a fictional tale of two young Cubs fans discovering love in the bleachers. The story spans 17 episodes across nine innings. As explained by Jen Martindale, the Cubs’ executive vice president of marketing and communications, the series merges baseball with BookTok enthusiasm and classic rom-com charm, set specifically at the Budweiser Bleachers.

Merging a baseball game with BookTok fandom and rom-com vibes, we’ve crafted a unique story set in the Budweiser Bleachers at Wrigley Field. — Jen Martindale

The series trailer debuted Monday before the Cubs’ confrontation with the Brewers. With Milwaukee leading the division by eight games, interest shifted from the game to the TikTok storyline. The full series is set to release on September 4, by which time the Cubs and Brewers will have completed ten games. This allows for speculation on how the season progresses from there.

While the TikTok project can’t match the scale of a full-length movie like the 2004 rom-com “Fever Pitch,” which included Red Sox players in cameos, it brings a fresh take. Notably, no Cubs players feature in the series. This is surprising, given Pete Crow-Armstrong’s acting lineage; his parents are both actors.

The trend of sports teams venturing into love stories isn’t unique to the Cubs. For example, the Bears are working on a Hallmark Channel movie called “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story,” featuring appearances by Coach Ben Johnson and players Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet.

If the Cubs’ TikTok series becomes a success, the White Sox might even consider producing a rom-com of their own. Seeing teams in entertainment captures fans’ imaginations, similar to the emotional impact of “Brian’s Song,” which highlighted the friendship between Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.

Chicago has a storied history with rom-coms. Notable films like John Cusack’s “High Fidelity” and Julia Roberts’ “My Best Friend’s Wedding” showcased parts of the city. However, those films didn’t focus on a single venue like “Nine Innings to Love” does with Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field’s vibrant atmosphere serves as an ideal backdrop for romance-focused content. Often, young fans in the bleachers seek connections more than they watch the game. The TikTok teaser showed this with clips of fans creating a beer cup snake.

Coincidentally, a personal TikTok rom-com project from me, tentatively titled “You Had Me at Woo,” is underway. It follows Chad, a hedge fund manager, who connects with Windy, a public relations intern. They meet while filming a brawl between Cubs and Sox fans. Their encounter leads to unexpected romance, with humorous elements including a goose, a rat, and a cup snake thrown into the mix.

The Cubs’ initiative on their rom-com aligns with overcoming pitching challenges. If their TikTok series diverts attention from these struggles, it’ll have done its job well.