After becoming the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 40 wins the Chicago Cubs are beginning to put together the most impressive regular season in the franchise's history. While the Cubs are known for being the lovable losers, this season has been quite contrary. The Cubs are now among the MLB's elite teams, and with their youth, seems to be a team who can contend for years to come.
While the Cubs are Las Vegas' favorite to win the championship in 2016, they cannot change their underdog status. Until the Cubs finally break the trend of loss after loss they can never be seen as the team everyone expects to win it all.
It's fate that much of the Cubs faithful sees as their worst enemy. No matter how close they get, or how talented they seem to be, the Cubs find a way to miss out on the World Series. However, Cubs fans are the breed of fans who never lose faith, no matter the the team's record the bleachers in Wrigley field will be filled for a day game in July. So here's a thought for the rest of baseball's regular season and the playoffs: Chicago Cubs, America's Baseball team.
I'm not saying in any way that the Cubs are comparable to the Dallas Cowboys (many Cub's would probably scoff at that comparison), but the Cubs will likely be the most watched team for the remainder of the year. America loves a great underdog story, and it doesn't get more "underdog" than the Cubs.
A team that has had a century of losing and heartbreak is finally ready to take the next leap. The Chicago Cubs are not George Mason making it all the way to the final four, they aren't the 1980 Men's Olympic Hockey Team, they are a different type of underdog. One that was not a flash in the pan, but a long-term pain-fed franchise that has they pity of sports fans across the country.
The Chicago Cubs also have the personality to be a team that America can get behind. Their manager, Joe Maddon, is known for his tough leadership, but also his goofy side to managing. The Cubs keep it light, whether its karaoke or tacky suits, they find a way to have fun.
They did it the American way. Baseball is not the type of sport where the addition of one player can change the entire outlook of a team. There is not a LeBron James of the MLB. The Cubs have made it as far as they have by patiently suffering through many tough seasons. They developed the majority of the team that they have, they didn't buy it. The homegrown, gritty team the Cubs established is the type of team easy to get behind.
Why is it easy to see the Cubs as America's preferred team this post season? Well, because everyone wants to see the impossible happen. The circus that already follows the Cubs is something that can appeal to even the most casual of baseball fans. With the television attention and celebrity following that the Cubs receive, Chicago fans can expect some unfamiliar support to come this fall.
