For those of you watching the World Series, this is a pretty interesting case study for possible comms. First of all, you have the Houston Astros, who are notorious for the 2017 cheating scandal. Then you have the Philadelphia Phillies. a red, scrappy underdog that many people hate, but because of the Astros cheating scandal, are essentially forced to root for the lesser of two evils.

So the question is, what could be examples of comms for this World Series?

In 2017, the Astros played in a city ravaged by disaster, Hurricane Harvey. People wanted them to win against a big, bad, considered unstoppable machine, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who through shrewd player development and free agent signings, plus a major investment through a new ownership group, had established themselves as the perennial power team in the National League. This power team was both incredibly popular and incredibly despised. The Astros won in 7 games, and were viewed as a true story of hope in a time of great crisis.

Two years later, the Astros were rocked by a scandal as a whistleblower alleged the Astros had stolen signs electronically during that championship season utilizing a sophisticated system involving trash can banging and haptic buzzers. After an investigation by MLB, the players responsible received no discipline, though certain coaches and staffers were suspended and/or banned. Fans were understandably outraged. They were angry that the commissioner refused to strip the title away from the team, and they were also angry that none of the players were suspended. To this day the known alleged perpetrators are still considered persona non grata, greeted with hostility at opposing stadiums. (They will not be able to walk the streets)

Still, the Astros have established themselves at the perennial AL power team, having represented the AL in the 2019, 2021, and now 2022 World Series. In 2019 and 2021, the heavily favored Astros lost to two scrappy underdog teams, the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves, who overcame slow starts and carried red hot momentum to unexpected titles.

On the flip side, the Phillies represent a third instance of an underdog from the National League getting hot, defeating much stronger teams in the playoffs, and earning a World Series berth. However, the Phillies, or any Philadelphia based MLB team, have had some unfortunate events happen during their championship runs.

Every time a Philadelphia team has won the Fall Classic, there has been a financial crisis. In 1929, the Athletics won, and the stock market collapsed, triggering the Great Depression. In 1980, the Phillies won, and the world fell into a severe recession that lasted three years. In 2008, the Phillies won again, and the markets collapsed... again. Hell, even the Wall Street Journal highlighted this in a recent article.

The Phillies are also one of the most hated teams in baseball, with a fanbase considered hostile and unruly, and in some instances, racist, at least comparable to Boston Red Sox fans. Their best player, Bryce Harper, is arguably one of the biggest names in baseball. And let's not forget, the team wears red.

As I said earlier, Some fans are grudgingly rooting for the Phillies because they would rather root for a team they hate than a team that cheated. They feel that of the two evils, Philly at least doesn't cheat so them winning would be good for baseball.

If sports are rigged, as some people have alleged, then there are serious comms in play here:

The Astros represent a superpowered cheating side that has yet to truly see justice but are justly vilified by a fanbase that are sick and tired of seeing them continually represent one league in the World Series. If they win, financial crisis likely averted, but the Democrats remain in power with no justice done.

The Phillies represent a red-clad scrappy underdog who, though hated, represent the best hope for preserving the integrity of the game. However, their titles have happened during economic disasters. If they win, then we are likely at the economic precipice, however the Republicans, at least hopefully the good ones, take power back.

Curious what you all think. As a Mets fan, it pains me to root for the Phillies, but if it means that justice is done, then I may just have to do so.