Technology is aiding displaced Chicago Cubs fans like myself

Living outside of the Chicagoland area during the Chicago Cubs’ recent run has been challenging – but eased by the integration of technology into the game.

As a Chicago Cubs fan who now lives in Pennsylvania, I often find myself wondering about other Cubs fans from around the country. With the team appearing on WGN and then WGN America (with access to the entire country), the Cubs developed quite the following the past 67 years.

When you’re televising games for free, you’re bound to gain some fans in your own city and even outside of said area if kids and adult sports fans are able to watch the games easily.

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Add in the fact that for over 100 years, the Cubs didn’t win and became considered the “lovable losers,” and you have the perfect recipe for growing legions of displaced fans across the country. Not to mention, people move for work, family and college, and they will almost always remain loyal to their team and the players they grew up loving.

Fast forward to today, and you have people like me. I grew up in Chicago and have family in Chicago, but I don’t live in Chicago. While it’s always possible to head back and visit for a little while (and I am doing just that this weekend), it’s not so easy to head to games all summer in Wrigleyville when you have two little kids and a family in Pennsylvania.

So, what are fans like me supposed to do when faced with the prospects of not being able to see the Cubs live and in color whenever we want?

This is where the beauty of modern technology comes in. While I can’t see the Cubs whenever I want at Wrigley, I can watch them whenever I want through MLB At Bat, ESPN, FOX or TBS. If they’re playing the Phillies, I do have to listen to Tom McCarthy (Ben Davis and John Kruk are alright most of the time), but that’s a small price to pay for being able to see the Cubs in action.

In addition to being able to watch all the Cubs games from the comfort of my home without being blacked out (because I’m out-of-market, unlike many frustrated fans in-market), I can also follow the team on their website, interact with fans on Twitter, and visit blogs to discuss what’s going on 24/7.

I get most of my news and Cubs’ fix from beat writers, bloggers and fans of the team and it’s really good stuff, all things considered. Most fans are informed, competent and level-headed, even in the midst of rough patches (although you’ll always have the crazed loonies jumping off the cliff).

It’s really something that wasn’t possible even just 10 years ago, although you could have subscribed to certain cable networks, or DISH/DirecTV out-of-market to get WGN America even before that. So, while it stinks to be a Cubs’ fan living outside of the Chicagoland area, it could be a lot worse.

It also could be a lot worse if I were unable to go to games at all, but I’m visiting Chicago this weekend and I’ll have an update next week on what the experience was like as a displaced fan getting to see the Cubs live and in color at the Friendly Confines.