Chicago Cubs: What’s it like to be a Cubs fan where you live?

The Chicago Cubs are one of the most popular teams in the MLB, owing in-part to their expansive fan base. In order to understand the team, you need to know who root-root-roots for the Cubbies, both in Chicago and elsewhere.

After winning the 2016 World Series, the Cubs became an international sensation. They were one of the first three teams represented in Vans’ MLB Collection, along with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and ranked 7th in the top-10 highest rated teams during prime time television hours, according to Forbes Magazine. Their viewership has increased a stunning 39 percent from the year before, and 225 percent overall since 2014.

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• Cubs might start to limit Justin Steele’s workload soon

As if 2016 wasn’t good enough for the Boys in Blue, Cubs fans were rated the number-1 fan base on FanSided’s Fandom 250 list. Their reasoning was simple:

The true sign of a die-hard fanbase is its willingness to stick with the team through good times and bad. And surely no fanbase has proven itself more adept at the latter than that of the Chicago Cubs.

108 years is more than a lifetime for many. Those who were lucky enough to endure the drought surely rest easier now knowing they have one less stressor in their life. That is both part of the mystique which follows this franchise, and the real story behind this article.

There is no geography quiz on the last slide. This no test of your loyalty. This is about you, the fans.

What is it like to be a Cubs fan where you live? How do people look at you when they see you wearing that beautiful Championship jersey, or carrying your Clark the Cub mug around town? Have you ever had a noise complaint filed against you for cheering too loud? Is there someone special you think about whenever you watch a Cubs game?

The answers to these questions are as varied as this historic franchise’s fan base is. But, it’s these answers which unite Cubs fans in a way that’s truly unique.

On the following slides, our analysts will take you on a tour of their cities to give you an introspective look how they’d answer the aforementioned questions. However, we don’t want the conversation to stop there. Let us know what it’s like where you live.  Your story might become the next big Cubbies Crib feature.

Chicago, Illinois

A tour of the Motherland
by: Ryan Tadych, Jacob Misener, Tim Stebbins and David Miniel

Living on the northwest side of the city is fun. It’s close to Wrigley so anyone can go to games with ease. Obviously, there are tons of Cubs fans and people donning Cubs gear. But, with that being said, there aren’t as many die-hard fans as one may think. Just because your a Cubs fan doesn’t make you a die-hard fan.

I’ve talked to people around town and overhear conversations at games where even the newest bandwagoner can tell that those people didn’t know about the Cubs or the sport. Sure, you don’t have to know every last detail to be a fan but watch or go to the game because you actually want to watch the game. I’m just asking for a little honesty, that’s all.

The good thing though is the Sox fans are few and far between especially on the north side. Most have kept quite since the World Series now. It’s fun being surrounded by so many Cubs fan, especially now when we have bragging rights. But again, there’s a lot of “fair weather fans” or fans that associate with one side or the other but don’t know much.  Being a fan is rooting for the team no matter what.

I have an example from yesterday where I tweeted about the Sox only have 18,000 paid attendance at last night game (a Friday night division rival game against the AL Champs). A Sox friend tweeted, “it’s 50 degrees and they are not that good”. If your a real fan, you’d go regardless of weather or success!

Support your team! As Jake Arrieta said, wearing a jersey or hat doesn’t mean much.

-R.T.

If it’s easy on the north side of town, then it’s easier than ever here in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago.

You can’t go to the grocery store or eat at a restaurant without seeing Cubs hats, shirts – even flags flying on cars driving down the highway. That being said, there are more fair-weather fans than ever, as well. As I’ve learned in the past six months, a shirt does not equate to substantive baseball knowledge. Or even any baseball knowledge.

Still, we’re reigning World Series champions. What’s not to like?

-J.M.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Frankly, being a Cubs fan in Chicago is spectacular and terrible all at once. One the one hand, the Cubs are defending champs and the entire city is buzzing over their success. On the other hand, many people have latched onto this success and act like they’ve been fans of the team through thick and thin.

It’s okay to become a fan of a team after they start winning. After all, the Cubs weren’t the most fun to watch during the 2009-2014 seasons. However, it is not okay to claim to be a die-hard fan when you just started watching the Cubs. Sadly, there are far too many fans that act like this now. I guess that’s the price to pay for winning a championship, however.

-T.S.

Even in Sterling/ Rock Falls, Illinois, two small towns divided by a only bridge and high school football teams, the Chicago Cubs are still the number one priority.

Yes, you have your typical out-of-state fans who pull for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals, etc. in the mix. While Green Bay Packers fans are up there with those (myself included) who pull for the Chicago Bears, Cubs fans dominate both towns. Of course, White Sox and Cardinals faithful are around and have made our lives miserable with the whole curse nonsense and still do from time-to-time.

There isn’t much to it, honestly. Growing up as a kid, I remember watching Cubs games with my Grandpa Miniel in Rock Falls. The amount of love he had for the sport itself was inspiring and eventually led to me falling in love with it as well. From watching games to actually coaching little league teams from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, baseball was life. Our little area has a lot of people who relocated from Chicago and a few people I know said it felt like home minus the traffic, giant buildings, Lake Michigan and the venues.

It was because of all the Cubs fans in the area. Truly amazing.             – D.M.

North Carolina

From home to away in North Carolina
by: Nicholas Blazek and Daniel Shepard

My family was from Chicago, and I grew up across the lake in Michigan in Three Oaks. On a clear day, you can see the skyline across the lake (true story). I went to more games than I can count, and I ‘ve been a Cubs fan since BEFORE I was born. Went to a game while still in my mother’s belly. I swear I could smell the Italian beef in there. Lol.

But life brought me to Charlotte, NC 13 years ago. I still get home to see a game each year, and I’ve created a Cubs’ fan out of my wife as well. But it’s different when you walk down the street and not EVERY person you see is a Cubs fan. I still see the occasional few and even more after last season. And Atlanta is close enough that I can go see a game there when the Cubs play.

Fun Fact: When I go see them there this summer, I will have watched the Cubs play the Braves at Fulton County Stadium, Turner Field and the new Sun Trust ballpark. All while the Cubs have called Wrigley home for all those years.

But I was born into this, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As they say, #ThatsCub.

-N.B.

Being a Cubs fan in a small town in Western North Carolina is difficult. First off, you have to deal with the people who know nothing about baseball, but sport a New York Yankees or Atlanta Braves hat because it looks cool.

Secondly, the only time you get to watch the Cubs play (outside of highlights on MLB Network or the ESPN app), are the ones televised on MLB Network. That means very rarely do I get to hear Len and JD call Cubs games.

While I am a proud Cubs fan, it is very hard to be a good fan when I can only watch one, maybe two games every week.

I will enjoy the games I can watch on television., and forever dream of a day when I can ditch this small town and live a few blocks from Wrigley.

-D.S.

Nebraska

From Cozad to Lincoln, Omaha, and Beyond
by: Adam McGinnis and Eric Mauro

Growing up in Cozad, Nebraska, there weren’t an awful lot of fellow Cubs fans. As a kid, I got a lot grief from my classmates and friends for loving the Cubs. The team was just so bad consistently that it was always fun to joke about.

FanSided

It wasn’t fun watching a perpetually losing franchise, but I look back fondly on those days bantering with people over the Cubs.  Generally speaking, the Kansas City Royals are the favorite team amongst most people in my hometown, with some Colorado Rockies fans sprinkled in as well.

Some say they’ve seen a lot more people wearing Cubs gear since the team started getting good a couple years ago, but that’s not really the case for me.  Husker football tends to trump everything here.

-A.M.

It’s not as odd as you might think. In fact, it’s pretty simple. Mainly, here, you see fans of the Cubs, Royals, and Cards. Of course, having the playful jab with Cardinals fans is always fun. Being a Cubs fan in Omaha is a good time. People are friendly, and Cubs/Cards isn’t nearly as heated here as it is in, say, St. Louis or Chicago, obviously.

-E.M.

Colorado

A Tour of Wrigleyville West
by: Robert Davis

Going west of the Mississippi River is dangerous for Cubs fans. There’s the Redbird Nation, Royals fans, and worse still…mountain lions. That is, until you reach Denver, Colorado.

Chicago Cubs

There are many baseball fans today that don’t remember when Colorado didn’t have a professional baseball team. Before the Rockies, many people in Colorado were (and still are) Cubs fans. Why? Because of WGN.

WGN was one of the biggest cable networks in Colorado until ROOTSports showed up in the 90’s. Back then, Cubs games were broadcasted as regularly in Denver as they were in Chicago. Now, Cubs fans are so numerous that there is a MeetUp page dedicated to Cubs fans in Denver. The biggest newspaper in the state, The Denver Post, even ran articles expressing the city’s congratulatory sentiments about the Cubs for the World Series Victory.

Not only are the people of Denver welcoming to Cubs fans, but the city itself is a great baseball town. There are bars and breweries popping up almost nightly in and around the city. On Blake Street, where Coors Field is located, there are over 15 bars and one major brewery, Great Divide. Up the road a little is the Blue Moon brewery, and on the other side of town is New Belgium and Stanahan’s Whiskey.

Next: Hendricks' missing piece? Fastball velocity

Plus, when the Rockies are bad, Cubs tickets are cheap. That means more beer for the game. What’s not to like about that?