UNL graduate goes
yard with film debut
‘The Cub Fan’ takes look
at beloved team’s followers
a
All the way through,
in my head, I already
knew it was going to
be on PBS and I
knew I was going to
get Bob Costas. It
was a reality in my
head. It may sound
weird, but it was just
a frame of mind ”
Bob Ray
filmmaker
lion-dollar athlete or the GM that’s
making the bad trades.
“It should be one of those things
that even if you’re not a fan of the Cubs,
you can relate to this. Husker fans
should be able to relate to this. I think
when people watch it, they will say, ‘Oh
my gosh, that reminds me of this guy I
know that follows’ whatever team. It’s
like candy. Everybody likes candy.”
By David Wilson
Staff writer
Bob Ray has found success through
a team that seemingly can’t find any.
A Chicago native and 1997 UNL
broadcasting graduate, Ray took a gam
ble and attempted to jump-start his
career by writing, producing, directing,
shooting and editing a documentary on
Cub fans.
Though Ray did receive one grant
for his film, “The Cub Fan,” the majori
ty of the year-long project was funded
out of his own pocket.
In this business, Ray said, no one
is going to give you a hand out. You
have to be self-motivated. The main rea
son I did it was to give myself experi
ence. s
“I figured, how cool would it be to
interview all these die-hard fans and
find out what makes them want to fol
low this team that hasn’t won a World
Series in almost a century.”
And the experience Ray gained has
already opened doors for him in the
broadcasting field. The documentary’s
television debut came last April on
WTTW in Chicago.
“The Cub Fan,” narrated by Bob
Costas, will air on Nebraska Public
Television for the first time Saturday
morning.
“All the way through, in my head, I
already knew it was going to be on PBS
and I knew I was going to get Bob
Costas,” Ray said. “It was a reality in
my head. It may sound weird, but it was
just a frame of mind.”
Being a life-long Cub fan didn’t
hurt Ray’s success either. But even Ray
admits that he was a little fuzzy on Cub
history.
Through the process of learning the
ins and outs of documentaries, Ray said,
he also learned a lot about the Cubs,
their fans and Major League Baseball.
“I was surprised that I really didn’t
come up with a conclusion as to why so
many people follow the Cubs,” Ray
said. “Mostly, people came up with
stuff like, this is the way they were
raised. They look at the Cubs like an
extension of their family.
“I also learned that it’s a really good
thing. There’s so much negative stuff
around - as far as entertainment This is
a wholesome thing and it brings people
together.”
That’s part of the reasoning that
helped Ray sway Costas into narrating
the film. All it took, he said, was a num
i ber of phone calls and some mailing of
scripts and film footage before Costas
agreed to take die gig.
The 53-minute film also features
interviews with Chip Caray, Dutchie
Caray, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and
George F. Will.
“If I didn’t have a big-time narra
tor,” Ray said, “I wasn’t sure people
were going to take this seriously. Bob
Costas was really generous. He’s a real
ly cool ghy. Really classy. He is, what I
think, exactly what you hear and what
you see. I really respect him.”
But along with the good, Ray said,
he also learned a little about baseball,
the business.
“Money is definitely what it’s all
about now,” Ray said. “I think if people
knew the inner-works, they may stop
attending games. It’s pretty wicked. Just
Major League Baseball and the Cubs -
they have the little guy by the horns. I
don’t really think they care a whole lot
about the fans.”
Ray’s documentary, on the other
hand, is about the fans. It contains no
actual game footage - just actual
footage from the stands and beyond.
It’s a “slice-of-life” piece, as Ray
puts it. A fast moving, film that’s not
really anything “anyone is going to look
to deep into.”
“That’s the cool part about it,” Ray
said. “It’s completely from the fans’ per
spective. It’s their story. It’s not the mil
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