For an extended period of time, the major professional sports organizations in the state of Wisconsin had suffered a notable championship drought. The Packers went nearly three decades before winning their Super Bowl in the 1996 season and then again in the 2010 season. The Bucks ended a fifty year drought winning the NBA Finals in 2021 and the mid-season NBA Cup in 2024-25. The Brewers won the American League pennant in 1982, but even with switching over to the National League conference back in 1998, they still have yet to reach a World Series since that ’82 season.

For much of my lifetime, the pro sports in my native home state have attempted to chase the gold, as well as the respect of the national consensus. Great players have come and gone, but most of them ended up leaving only with franchise records at best, but never the big one.

Brett Favre and Reggie White brought gold and respect to the Packers in the 1990’s. Ray Allen tried to do the same with the Bucks, but ultimately failed and left for ‘better pastures.’ Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder tried to make the Brewers relevant again in the post-Robin Yount era. They did make it to the NLCS but they just couldn’t reach the World Series.

Far be it from me to say that being in the smaller market presents challenges to attract big name players (and some coaches) to come to Milwaukee or Green Bay. There’s supposed to be ‘parity’ in all sports, but I would call that bunk. True parity exists when all teams in all markets are equally respected and valued. It’ll never be the case, so you might as well call a spade a spade: big markets usually win out a handful amount of times. And most people will show up and tune in for that big market team, period.

Prestige for the ‘cheeseheads’ may be the only reason some would actually come to Green Bay in the case of the Packers. For the Bucks and Brewers, the last decade has brought about a change, one that hasn’t happened in quite some time: the national media finally acknowledges them.

Christian Yelich came from Miami to join the Brewers in 2018 and had an immediate impact. Pitchers and other position players came along and suddenly, they’re facing off against a powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers team. Even with the team riddled with injuries, the Brewers have been discussed highly in a continuous way for the first time in my lifetime. This is in part due to having winning records, winning the NL Central division and in 2025, possessing the best record in MLB. This is no easy feat for a team with the smallest media market. Big names like the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Cubs can attract stars easily. Finances have never been an issue to them. But to see the Brewers defy all of that by working the farm system, having stable management and having a ‘chip on their shoulder’ resulted in being the exception against all odds. All they need now is to, at the minimum, get past the NLCS.

The Bucks went a long while without having any championship promises. From 2001, the best they had over a twenty year period was the Eastern Conference Finals against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. A seven game series resulted in the conclusion of the Bucks’ season. They did not have any promising chances whatsoever. That is, until Giannis arrives. Since his arrival, along with Khris Middleton, the Bucks built their way back into getting a step closer every other year leading up to the Finals in 2021. After fifty years, they finally won it all. Giannis became the perhaps-debated undisputed MVP of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin at that point in time, rivaled only by Aaron Rodgers formerly of the Packers with his only Super Bowl title and four regular season MVP’s.

Lately, there has been a feeling going around that the national media had to be forced into a position to talk about these Wisconsin teams. The Bucks and Brewers definitely had to work for it. In being the case, it’s the first time to my recollection that all three teams are talked about for a widespread audience at the same time. Usually it has been only one team and not the other two, or two teams and not the other one.

This is to say I can no longer take this current era of Wisconsin sports for granted. Coming up, there was personal admiration as a kid for the guys that were much older than me. Today, I see the majority of top players that are younger than me, and they have rekindled a feeling of support for the hometown teams that had laid dormant for a long while. As one gets older, the appreciation sets in because there can easily come to a point soon where one, the other(s) or all three teams may no longer be relevant in the national eye again all at once.

So take this as a way of saying that if you are a Bucks, Brewers and/or Packers fan, the advice would be to cherish this moment in time (primarily the last decade) of Wisconsin sports. This may be the last time in a while all three have serious implications of being championship contenders. Even if waiting for a Brewers title since being born, I sincerely hope that I can bear witness to all three with championships in the 21st Century. The hope as a Wisconsin native is that it can be possible. Simply put, let’s not take this this period of time for granted.