5 Chicago Cubs arguments that need to be debunked immediately

Sports can unite people. As beautiful as it can be to see the celebrations in the streets between multiple generations of Cubs fans after the 2016 World Series, it’s almost equally upsetting to see the divisiveness that comes from the Cubs’ current willingness to spend money.

While everyone can agree when a team is winning, the disagreements can come in bunches when the team has room to improve and one thing that a lot of baseball fans have in common is an air of superiority and condescension. It can be hard to disagree with your friends when they’re using advanced sabermetrics that you’ve never heard of, or dismissing you’re willingness to spend money (that’s not yours) to improve the team that you’re paying to watch. 

That’s why we’re here!

Below, you’ll find some statements that your friends may make about why it’s ok, a good thing even, that the Cubs aren’t going to “overspend” on free agents. You’ll also find some responses that we’ve cooked up so that you’re never left defenseless in these verbal altercations. 

The Cubs are doing the smart thing. We should be focused on sustained success and not just winning this season.

Sure. This is something a lot of people do in arguments; they say something that is clearly good and then because they’ve said it they imply that the only way to reach that goal is through their side of the argument. 

All Cubs fans want to have sustained success, that’s not unique to the fans who have drunk the Kool-Aid of fiscal responsibility. However, paying for a winner in 2024 and winning for an extended period of time are not mutually exclusive.

Beyond that, in order to have sustained success you have to first… experience success.

The last time the Cubs won the division in a full season was in 2017. Before you can have a dynasty you have to actually win the first one and the Cubs refusing to negotiate beyond their comfort zone has prevented that window from actually opening to begin with.

Response: We should always be focused on winning this season first, and then focus on sustained success.