Dustin Pedroia grips the front of his baseball cap and stops in the middle of the sidewalk. Looking up, the clouds are dark and fluffy. Cumulonimbus clouds – it’s about to rain. Pedroia sighs. At almost 70 years old, his family disapproves of his late afternoon walks but he can’t help himself. Pedroia lingers and takes another moment to appreciate the sun setting behind the once great Fenway Park, now a community center filled with offices and people dressed in suits. Sometimes, if he closes his eyes and strains his ears, he can still hear the roar of the crowd, see the Mexican wave starting from the bleachers and feel the thwack of the bat as it connects with the baseball and soars past the Green Monster.  

As he stands looking at the center, the replacement of the sports cathedral that was once representative of everything baseball in Boston, his professional home base for 13 years, Pedroia feels a little twinge in his chest. He had left Boston shortly after his professional baseball career for Arizona but, like a sailor drawn to the water, the city had a tight grip on his heart and he found himself returning. Maybe someday, Pedroia thought, Boston will once more be the greatest sports city in the world, but not today. 

If you asked Pedroia what triggered the downfall of Boston sports, he would point to October 20, 2021, at a sold-out Fenway Park. The stadium was so full it almost hurt to squeeze through the crowds and the rising tension in the air was claustrophobic. It was the Boston Red Sox versus the Houston Astros in the fifth game of the American League Championship Series. The series was tied at 2-2. The previous few days, fans had been filling the stadiums and eagerly tuning in to each game with bated breath, hoping that their beloved Red Sox would be able to make it to the World Series.

On that night, the Astros moseyed into a 3-2 series lead as they easily scored 9-1. But Red Sox fans were not to be deterred. Their unshakable belief in the team meant that baseball enthusiasts mobilized to defeat the opposition. On Twitter, #WhistleGate was trending as Sox supporters referenced the Astro’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal. One attendee was spotted wearing a yellow Red Sox jersey while holding a sign that read “I had a really great sign but the Astros stole it!” 

When the game ended, Boston walked away disappointed. It had been a whirlwind season and they had faced many challenges. The Red Sox began the year with three straight losses against the Baltimore Orioles and by the end of September, it was doubtful that they would even make it to the playoffs. Fortunately, the baseball gods shone down on Fenway and, by some miracle, the team found themselves sailing through the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays and into the ALCS. Still, despite the loss, Boston devotees were resolute in their belief that the team could turn it around and tie the series.

The following night, the Red Sox officially lost to the Astros, 5-0. Unbeknownst to aficionados, this was just the beginning. Fans watched as the leaves changed, the snow fell and Boston teams crumbled. The loss to the Astros was like a death knell for sports. The Celtics had a chaotic season as players held grudges, refused to cultivate teamwork and struggled to find their rhythm. Tom Brady left, enough said.  The Patriots were never the same. The Bruins started off strong, as the Bruins tend to do. Yet, as the season drew to a close, the team followed in the Red Sox’s footsteps and ended their season in losses.

In the following years, Boston stayed hopeful. Yet, no matter how loud they cheered or how many times they rallied, it wasn’t enough. Commentators and sports connoisseurs threw out theories and speculated on what happened to the spark that once drove the city that many celebrated athletes like Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, and David Ortiz called home. Historically, Boston was undoubtedly the most successful sports town but as the losses grew to outnumber the wins, even the die-hard fans began to lose their spirit.  

Of course, there were the believers who had been there from the beginning. For some, the fandom was a tradition passed down from generation to generation and giving up was sacrilegious . Fights erupted between zealots as emotions soared. The only thing anyone could agree on was that it had been 40 long years a nd Boston was on a steep decline.

The city that was once powered by its love of sport was forced to evolve. In the beginning, bars along Lansdowne and Jersey Street continued to broadcast games – any game, optimistic that the flatscreens above the bar would continue to attract customers. However, as Boston teams continued to lose game after game, crowds thinned forcing establishments to shutter. Eventually, these old haunts were transformed into high-end eateries serving a wide breadth of cuisines; honey-roasted duck breast, lamb steak with fries, Sichuan fish fillet, cumin spareribs.  

Above these sports-bars-turned-restaurants, medical offices and labs took up residence turning the Fenway community into a medical research hub. The old Hotel Commonwealth, previously a popular choice for visiting celebrities and athletes, changed hands multiple times before being converted into a space for independent medical practitioners.

In living rooms today, Bostonians continue to tune into games, but it is rare to find a sold-out stadium. The city has lost its fighting spirit. Yet, Pedroia is still waiting, hopeful that one day, the city that he returned to and made his home will dig deep, rekindle the fire and make a glorious comeback.