CHICAGO—As thousands of fans stream through the gates at Wrigley Field, Sam Goldsmith heads the opposite direction. Wearing a hydration pack and listening to the Cubs game through his headphones, he circles the ballpark lap after lap. He won’t stop until the Cubs score three runs or the game ends.
Goldsmith has become a new fixture around the Friendly Confines, walking for a good cause.
Personal health.
Goldsmith posted the first installment of his series, “A Trip Around the Bases,” on July 8 after testing the idea during the Cubs’ June 15 game against the Colorado Rockies—the afternoon Pete Crow-Armstrong hit for the cycle. Whether the Cubs are at Wrigley Field or on the road, Goldsmith circles the ballpark.
Each video begins with the same introduction: “I’m fat and the Cubs offense stinks, let’s see if we can change those two things!”
The challenge began as a way to make working out more enjoyable while getting in shape for his wedding next spring.
“My fiancée actually made one of her New Year’s resolutions to post on TikTok every day. So I saw what she was doing, and she was having fun with it. I really struggled to get myself to go to the gym, and I hated walking on the treadmill. I knew I had to get in shape somehow and was looking for some way to go about it. I saw this guy during football season (Chase Bandolik) who was running a mile for every point the Bears lost by. I was like, how can I do that for baseball? I preferred something during the game because listening to the game gives me something to listen to and something to keep going and stick to it.”
Every game follows the same formula. Goldsmith walks continuously until Chicago scores three runs. If they never reach that mark, he walks until the final out.
“I just kind of arbitrarily came up with three runs,” Goldsmith said. “The first walk I did went into the eighth inning and so from there I knew I had a pretty good concept. I just kind of ran with it from there.”
Ironically, the North Siders have gone 19-9, scoring 6.39 runs per game since Goldsmith started his journey on June 15. Yet his opening catchphrase hasn’t changed.
“I think I just have to go with it. You know, the funny thing is they love going off on days I don’t walk. Out of nine walks I’ve done during Cubs games now, I’ve gone the entire game three times and then that first one I went into the eighth inning.”
So far, Goldsmith has walked 45.17 miles in 15 hours, 37 minutes, burning 8959 calories along the way.
As much as he appreciates the extra exercise, Goldsmith admits he’d welcome a few shorter nights.
“They definitely find a way to put me to work. I do appreciate them for caring about my health, but I would love it if they gave me an easy day here and there.”
Goldsmith started posting on TikTok before expanding to Instagram, where his first reel topped 77,000 views. Since July 8, he’s posted 11 videos that have generated more than 146,000 views combined.
“That’s been crazy. I started posting on TikTok first and just made the Instagram page two weeks ago. I put the first six videos up at the same time. I had some good ones on TikTok, but nothing ever saw more than a couple thousand views. When that first one blew up it definitely caught me off guard. The support has been unbelievable. All positive comments from a ton of my friends as well as a bunch of strangers.”
The online attention quickly spilled into real life.
“When I was walking to Wrigley this past Friday, someone rolled down their car window and recognized me. So that was the first time that happened and that was a really surreal moment.”
Goldsmith wasn’t worried about putting himself out there or appearing on camera. But filming himself while weaving through crowds outside Wrigley Field proved to be the bigger hurdle.
“I definitely was a little bit nervous at first, not necessarily the posting, but taking the live videos as I’m walking around, sometimes in groups of people. That was the only place I had hesitation. I’m a fairly social guy; I’ve had no problem finding my way onto a camera before. Being out there for the public wasn’t the issue, but definitely taking videos in a crowd is something I had to come to terms with.”
Following in his fiancée’s footsteps, Goldsmith has posted 11 videos, offering fans a lighthearted way to support a man on his fitness journey and stay up to date on their favorite team. Goldsmith not only documents his walks around the ballpark, but takes the time to analyze parts of the game and provide fans with a game recap.
Goldsmith also works a full-time job, making each walk fit around his schedule.
“I live a mile away, so most of the time I’ll just walk over after work. To be on the safe side in case it ends up being a short walk that day I still get a sufficient workout where I’m making progress towards my overarching end goal of getting in shape and just being healthier overall.”
This season has been filled with unusual weather—fog, wildfire smoke, torrential rain—it doesn’t faze Goldsmith.
He sees it as an opportunity.
“You know I would love to try and avoid the rain, but I know if it does start dumping on me, I know it (the video) will do well. I haven’t been worried about it too much; I’ve been pretty lucky. I caught a little bit of rain one time but nothing too bad.”
Goldsmith isn’t a content creator by trade. Before launching his series, he had little experience producing videos.
“My fiancée taught me how to edit a video on TikTok. But other than that, I have no experience at all. Just kind of figuring it out as I go.”
While the videos are new, his Cubs fandom isn’t.
“I’ve been a massive sports fan my whole life. I’ve been firmly a Cubs fan for a long time.”
His personal Instagram account features Cubs photos dating back to 2013.
Cubs’ players and broadcasters were enamored by Goldsmith’s story. Ryan Rolison had seen some of his videos and loved what he saw.
“I think it’s awesome,” Rolison said. “I’m curious to see how this journey goes and I’m looking forward to following along with it. I think it’s great getting outdoors and walking around, I mean there’s not a better place to walk, maybe in the country than outside Wrigley Field or inside Wrigley Field.”
Rolison also shares a love for walking. Outside of baseball activities Rolison’s favorite form of exercise is walking as well.
“I like to go on walks. My wife and I, usually in the morning, will walk and get coffee and go along the river. If we’re on the road I’ll try to see the city as much as I can by walking around. If it’s bad weather out I do an uphill walk on the treadmill. I think just moving your body is good. Especially first thing in the morning. Wake the body up and get everything rolling.”
The broadcast booth couldn’t get enough of this story.
“When I see stuff like this I will say it makes me smile,” Jon “Boog” Sciambi said. “It makes me happy that you can have some type of positive impact. If in some way we can put some kind of spotlight on it that motivates him that helps him, that’s wonderful.”
Cubs’ color commentator Rick Sutcliffe even wants to join in on the fun!
“You gotta take care of yourself,” Sutcliffe said. “The first thing I think of is he’s obviously in love. When you hear that, then it’s got a chance to work. If I get his phone number I’ll start walking with him!”
For Goldsmith, this is more than just a stroll around the ballpark. It’s a mission to get in shape for his upcoming wedding ceremony. Goldsmith doesn’t plan to stop once he says “I do.”
“I’m not getting married until next May so I’ve got plenty of time. I would love to go through the football season and pick up where we left off next baseball season.”
