Now, I won’t try to pretend that I’m a sports fan at all. While I enjoy watching sports, a game is still never my first pick to watch on TV. In fact, the reason why I support teams is usually because it’s my hometown or my school. Naturally, as someone born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, I have and will always root for the Bears, the Bulls, and (more recently) the Blackhawks. However, Chicago is blessed and cursed with having two baseball teams, and this is where the rivalry between the Cubs and the White Sox begins. Even though I am from the south suburbs, my family has always rooted for the Cubs, and therefore, I root for them as well. And even though the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908, I will always be a Cubs fan. Here are my reasons why.
1. The History of the Cubs
What many people don’t know is that the Chicago Cubs were once the Chicago Sox. The team began as the Chicago White Stockings in 1870. In fact, this team is the earliest formed active professional sports club in North America (pretty cool, right?). The team’s name had been changed multiple time in it’s early years, before the Cubs became its final name, and the team that we fans love so much was officially born.
2. The Uniform
The Yankees are known for their pinstripes. The Dodgers feature a cleaner white. The Cardinals boast the best on-jersey logo. The Cubs, however, combine all three design elements flawlessly for one of the best looks in baseball. Their home uniform is another iconic thing, and the colors of red, white, and blue look just as good on our boys as they do on our country. The Cubs uniforms even still have old time touches to it, which just shows how long the team has been around, and how they deserve to be around for so much longer.
3. We don’t bad mouth other teams
As I said before, I support Chicago teams over anyone else. While I will always pick the Cubs over the Sox, I still want the White Sox to do well. I want them to win, because that still reflects well on the city that I love so much. But what bugs me is that so many White Sox fans that I have talked to have a deep hatred for the Cubbies. They literally want them to burn. Which makes no sense to me. They are Chicago. They are home. Why not support them as well? Yeah, when rooting for your team, you are bound to bad mouth others. Everyone does it, thats just sports. However, I haven’t met a Cubs fan yet who hates the Sox so much that they want them to do terribly, so why do Sox fans wish this on the Cubs? (RUDE MUCH?!?!?) We’re all from the same beautiful city, why not just root for Chicago?
4. Wrigleyville
Okay come on, Wrigleyville has got to be the coolest place in the city. It’s part of such a huge and busy city, but it has such a neighborhood feel to it. There are so many cool bars and restaurants and hangouts in every nook and cranny. Even the buildings give an old time vibe, where it feels like you’re lost in another world for a bit. Whether the Cubs are doing really well, or really terrible, there is always a party going on in Wrigleyville. Cubs fans really know how to have fun. Spend some time in this part of the city, and you’re guaranteed to have a great time.
5. Kris Bryant
Need I say more? I mean, just looooooooooook at him.
6. The Experience
Cubs tickets are expensive. Even for seats that aren’t even considered good, you still have to pay a high price to attend a game. Yet still, whenever you watch a game played at Wrigley, the stands are filled. This is slightly shocking, but at the same time it really isn’t. The Cubs are one of the oldest teams in baseball. Wrigley field is one of the prettiest ball parks in baseball. When you go to a Cubs game, you don’t just pay for the game, you pay for the experience.
7. The Curse of the Billy Goat
Whether you’re a fan of the Cubs or not, you’ve had to have heard of this one. The “curse” was put on the Cubs in 1945 when Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, was asked to leave Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley because of the odor of Murphy, his pet goat. Sianis was outraged, and as he left he declared “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” The Cubs lost the World Series that year, and have not played in another since. The funny thing about this is that it is taken very seriously. Many attempts have been made to reverse the curse, including bringing Sam Sianis, the nephew of Billy Sianis, onto Wrigley Field with a goat multiple times. Whether the curse really exists or not, it’s a (somewhat) funny joke between fans, and at least it gives us an excuse...
8. 1:20
The 1:20 starting time for Cubs home day games is an icon. You can even buy a T-shirt with that time on it! Even though 1:20 hasn't always been the starting time for afternoon games at Wrigley Field, it has been almost consistent in recent years. With a set starting time, you can never forget when to turn on the Cubbies and go enjoy an amazing ballgame. Every Cubs fan has this time engraved into their memory.
9. The Theme Song
Hey Chicago, whatddya say? No one else in baseball has a song quite like the Cubbies do. When the Cubs win and this song is played in victory, everyone sings along. The tune is catchy, fun, and timeless. I even find myself humming along to the song even when baseball is not in season! Go Cubs Go is an iconic song that bonds all Cubs fans, wherever they are.
10. Loyalty
107 years. Yeah we get it, we know. You don’t have to constantly remind us how long it has been since we won. However, after 107 years we are still here and still fighting. A lot of fans gave up, and are no longer fans of the Cubbies. But for the fans that are still here, you will never find any other group of people more loyal than us.
So, come on Cubbies, let’s Fly that W! This is our year! And yeah, I know we say this every year. And we’ll keep saying it too. Imagine how good it’ll feel when it finally comes true(:
