Sports Looked Quite Different Last Time Cubs Played In World Series

A lot has changed in the sports world since the last time the Chicago Cubs clinched a World Series berth.

The Cubs punched their ticket to the World Series on Saturday night for the first time in 71 years with a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field.

It’s Chicago’s first National League pennant since 1945.

Here’s a look at what the four major North American sports leagues looked like back in 1945.

NBA
The NBA didn’t even exist in 1945. The first ever BAA game was played on Nov. 1, 1946 between the New York Knicks and Toronto Huskies at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. The BAA merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, resulting in a 17-team, three-division league called the National Basketball Association.

NFL
The NFL had 10 teams in 1945, and the AFL didn’t exist. There was no Super Bowl yet, either. The Cleveland Rams defeated the Washington Redskins 15-14 in the 1945 NFL Championship Game. Maybe that’s a good omen for this year’s Cleveland Indians, who will play the Cubs in the World Series.

NHL
The “Original Six” made up the NHL in 1945. The Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs were the league’s only teams from 1942 to 1967. The Leafs beat the Red Wings in a thrilling seven-game 1945 Stanley Cup Final series. Four of the seven games were decided by one goal.

MLB
Major League Baseball had 16 teams in 1945, eight apiece in the American and National leagues.

There was no Division Series or League Championship Series at this time, so the team with the best record in each league at the end of the regular season advanced to the World Series. The Cubs won the NL with a 98-56 record, while the Detroit Tigers won the AL at 88-65.

The Cubs trailed 3-2 in the series and forced a decisive Game 7 after winning Game 6 in 12 innings, but they lost the clincher 9-3.