Chicago Cubs: What if this team can’t win it all again?

Winning is everything. And every time you win it feels great. So entering the 2017 spring training, the Chicago Cubs feel better than any other team out there. Fans and Vegas insiders agree that the Cubs possess the tools needed to repeat.

It’s a feat not completed since the late nineties and capped off by the 2000 Yankees. With that in mind, it presents an interesting question. As a Cubs fan, how would you feel if this core group didn’t win again?

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has gone on the record saying that the Cubs will never be hated no matter how much they win. Confident, yes. But any wrestling fan would tell you this is the first step to becoming a great heel.

Chicago Cubs

Perhaps we have entered the earliest stages of the Cubs villainous run. The antagonist for the next chapter in baseball lore. But before you can compare yourself to the despised before you, a pattern of winning much be established. Organizations like the New York Yankees and New England Patriots are prime examples.

Build a culture of winning and be envied by all mankind.

Chicago fans became spoiled by the dynasty of the Chicago Blackhawks. It seemed they were winning each year. And when they didn’t win, they were on the doorstep knocking. But there are examples of teams poised to win that could never replicate their success beyond one year.

The run that the Atlanta Braves put together in the nineties is almost unmatched in baseball. The Braves featured three future hall-or-famers on their pitching staff. Despite the divisional dominance, this core only claimed one Commissioner’s Trophy in that time.

The 1985 Chicago Bears are considered one of the greatest teams of all time. The foundation of that roster was still in place for a few years following, but the Bears dissipated into mediocrity.

Level of contentment

The Cubs have an unusual amount of talent on one roster, with many of the critical pieces locked up for years to come. There is no doubt that this team could contend every year for quite some time.

So what if they didn’t win another championship? Cub fans pleaded their whole lives for “just one title”. After finally winning and with the hype that surrounds them, would it be a difficult pill to swallow if they can’t do it again?

It’s a fair question and kind of an interesting one given the positional pivot Cub fans find themselves in. As a lifelong Cub fan, I find it difficult to come to a consensus. I think it’s impossible for sports fans to be content with their team. We want to be on top every chance we get. The feeling of winning only makes you greedy for more.

But on the other hand, the World Series title that the Cubs achieved meant so much to so many people. It marked the culminating event in their lives. Perhaps for some, they could really die happy.

Next: Ricketts delivers State of the Cubs address

This article is meant to prepare yourself mentally as we enter uncharted territory as Cub fans. Take a second and ask yourself where you would fall in this conundrum. For all the talent, and youth, and hype of the Cubs, would it bother you if this team didn’t win it all again?