Chicago Cubs: What qualities make up a ‘true’ fan?

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 13: A detailed view of the shirt of a Chicago Cubs fan prior to game four of the National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on October 13, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 13: A detailed view of the shirt of a Chicago Cubs fan prior to game four of the National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on October 13, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs fans are hungry for another championship win but so is every fan of every other team in MLB? What makes a true Cubs fan?

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago was not easy for baseball fans. There were literal fights between the Chicago White Sox fans and the Chicago Cubs Northside fans, and this continues today. Imagine being a Northside fan and living in the south or vice versa. You always thought a mob was going to come in and drum you out of your side of town.

As I watched the cross-town classic between these two neighbors and viewed the Sox fans in Wrigley, I have to admit, I was impressed.

You and I both know that the Chicago Cubs have a much cleaner, neater history than the boys from the Southside. Butt as I watched the crowds gathered in Wrigley and saw how passionate the Sox fans were about their team? I admired something that I think is important, if not the most important part of being a fan – loyalty.

Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

Chicago Cubs: Fans lived through lean decades

Most of those south-siders are loyal Sox fans, and that’s okay – I respect that. I respect that win or lose (and the Sox have lost a lot since their World Series Championship in 2005) those fans don’t shed their black. They sometimes get a little goofy, like the guy who wrote an article to Cubs fans saying we are welcome in the south if we don’t want to put up with a “Right-Wing Cubs Team.”  That guy must have been off his rocker, cause I haven’t seen any “Make the Chicago Cubs Great Again” hats in the stands. And I would wear one of those!

The problem that newbie or let’s say, ‘new-found’ Chicago Cubs fans have, is loyalty. We have just landed a celebrity closer, and these fair-weather fans were ready to roast him the other night for a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What they don’t understand, is you can’t make the Cubs great again, because they never were that – great.  It’s hard to put into words how it felt in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s watching the Cubs; knowing they weren’t even going to make the postseason. Back then, we rooted for daily wins (victories), and that kept us loyal and appeased our need to win. That’s why the cross-town classic is so cool to us and means nothing to newer fans. We could be in last place in the division, but if we could sweep the South Siders all would be forgiven! For the entire season!

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Chicago Cubs: The Victory drug

We never expected to be in the World Series, so winning a few series matchups between the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals or even the New York Mets were like mini-championships themselves. I mean we were hyped for every game and truth be told, we lost a lot. Not just a little, I mean, a LOT. In 30 years (the ’70s–’90s) the Cubs only had seven seasons that they were over 500. Can you imagine?

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I graduated high school in 1987 and almost my entire time in school the Cubs were under 500 every season. In 1984, under Manager Dallas Green, the Cubs finished 1st in the National League East but lost the Championship Series to the San Diego Padres (3-2).

It’s very much the same feeling Chicago Bears fans have these days after not winning since 1985; almost 35 years without a Championship. That feeling of loss in the pit of your stomach every season when the Bears fail to make it to the postseason or beat the Green Bay Packers ( same pain actually) is where Cubs fans have lived for decades.

We are so gosh darn spoiled and lucky, all in one, with the victories we’ve collected in the last few years. And I want them too, I feel like a gambler in Vegas that scored the big one and wants one more taste of victory.

Then like an addict, I start thinking, “We still have the team… Epstein needs just to add a few pieces and give me my fix so we can win again…I need it; I NEED IT!”  You see it’s so much worse for old fans who never knew what this feeling of victory was like, and now we WANT IT AGAIN! NEED IT!

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So when the Cubs are slumping, as they have been recently, remember those 30 years of only seven winning seasons and be a loyal Cubs fan. Losses hurt, but they make our wins that much sweeter.

And for those losers across town that are named after laundry, get ready for a butt-kickin’ from Blue.

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