This year on August 11, 2022 the Chicago Cubs will take on the Cincinnati Reds at the hallowed(?) Field of Dreams near Dyersville Iowa. This will be the second time the MLB hosts a Field of Dreams game.
History of the MLB Field of Dreams Game
Originally, the first game of its kind was to be played in 2020 between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. However, as we all know, then Covid happened and sent every major sports organization into a lockdown. The actual first game was played in 2021 between the same teams.
How the game w ould be received was a relative unknown to the MLB. However, after the game received the highest regular season ratings for a game in 16 years, the MLB announced it would be bringing the game back in 2022. Clearly, the game was popular. Why was it so popular, though? What resonated so much with fans to induce such a massive turnout for a relatively meaningless regular season game in the cornfields of Iowa?
Field of Dreams (Movie)
The idea for the MLB game was spawned from the popular movie, Field of Dreams. It follows a man fighting with his own life worries and struggling with the fact that he has not accomplished everything he envisioned in his life. Hearing voices and visions of baseball players, he sets out to build a baseball field in the middle of his farm cornfields. The movie concludes with the field having been built and the man making peace with his struggles.