Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to the new age.
It has been more than 104 years since the Chicago Cubs won their last World Series title. Their last National League pennant came in 1945. Baseball fans worldwide have come to mock and pity the team who has one playoff-series victory since 1908. That came in 2003.
Things will change soon enough.
One of the fascinating things with music is that one can give it numerous interpretations. Such is the case with Radioactive from the Imagine Dragons. When searching for lyrical meanings to the song and video, one will find answers ranging from drugs, warfare and a post-apocalyptic world.
According to MTV News, frontman Dan Reynolds explained the meaning behind the song and video. Here was part of his quote:
“…it’s a song about having an awakening; kind of waking up one day and deciding to do something new, and see life in a fresh way. A lot of people hear it in a dark way, but, I think, without saying the word too many times, it’s empowering…”
An awakening, just like when the Cubs decided to try something new in the post-Jim Hendry era. Some people were finally fed up with a team who, despite having one of MLB’s highest payrolls, were fortunate to play .500 baseball. They wanted more.
In 2011, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer were hired to overlook a massive rebuilding project that replenished every element of the organization from the 25-man MLB roster to the lowest levels of the farm system.
This brings us to the puppet-filled video. For the most part, puppets are entered into an enclosed fighting ring with a puppet gorilla who’s eager to grind them into smithereens. Playing the role of evil ringleader is Lou Diamond Phillips, known for his role as Ritchie Valens in La Bamba.
One of the last puppets who entered the fighting ring was a little pink teddy bear. As the fight starts, the bear suffers the same fate as every other entrant. The bear gets clobbered and beaten mercilessly. It’s not until late in the fight when the bear retaliates and exposes its magical powers against the gorilla. The bear shifts its attention toward the humans who were cheering for its demise, ringleader included.
Much like the pink bear, the Cubs have been trampled on for the last 104 seasons. But once the bear decided that enough was enough and that change was necessary, it took action. The human onlookers who mocked the bear were left with their jaws dropped.
Much like everyone else once they’re welcomed into the new age of Cubs dominance. Coming soon to a world near you.
Joshua Huffman is a contributor for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your LinkedIn and Google networks.
