Cubs fans, unite!

**psychlone99** · 07-23-2009, 08:12 PM

Is it just me, or are other Cubs fans fed up with the unjustified Cub bashing that seems to run rampant among almost anyone who doesn’t cheer for the Cubs- rival or not? It's something you hear almost every day, but the fill-in for Matt and Miller (some dull Hawk fan) set me off today. He somehow managed to turn a discussion about Buehrle’s perfect game into a discussion about how the Cubs don’t have anyone on the staff capable of matching this feat. Never mind the fact that Carlos Zambrano pitched a no-hitter (with just 1 BB) less than a year ago. It was simply a desperate, pathetic, uninformed attempt to find a way to pick on the Cubs.

And it’s not just the team that people like to pick on. They also enjoy ripping on Cubs fans, as if our fandom is somehow contrived or less credible because we follow a team with a large nationwide following and excellent television coverage. Sometimes we’re ridiculed simply for cheering for a team with such a tragic history (something that boggles this Cyclone fan’s mind). I don’t get it. What drives people to rail on the Cubs so vehemently?

Is it the team’s large following? Is it our undying loyalty through thick and thin? Is it the full ballpark even when the team isn’t performing very well? Is it the fans’ love affair with Wrigley Field, the atmosphere, and the city? Is it the fun times in the bleachers? Is it the pretty girls and the frat boys who make gameday a social outing (as if this is a Wrigley Field phenomenon)? Is it the loyal fans outside of Chicago who fill empty seats and make noise in visitor’s parks? Is it the brotherhood that exists between fans?

WHAT IS IT? To me that sounds like the recipe for a fan following that any athletic organization would kill for. It’s as if people look down on Cubs fans as an inferior form of fan who doesn’t desire winning. I think a commonly held misconception is that we are somehow united through our agony. In my opinion, what unites us is our undying hope that the Cubs will win it all again someday, and when that day comes it will be one of the happiest days we've ever experienced. The parallels to Cyclone fandom are too obvious to ignore.

So in response to the bashing that we take from our fellow baseball fans on a daily basis, I want to hear from my Cub brethren. Let's unite and share our stories about how we all became loyal Cubs fans. GO CUBS!

**Bobber** · 07-23-2009, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by psychlone99

Is it the team’s large following? Is it our undying loyalty through thick and thin? Is it the full ballpark even when the team isn’t performing very well? Is it the fans’ love affair with Wrigley Field, the atmosphere, and the city? Is it the fun times in the bleachers? Is it the pretty girls and the frat boys who make gameday a social outing (as if this is a Wrigley Field phenomenon)? Is it the loyal fans outside of Chicago who fill empty seats and make noise in visitor’s parks? Is it the brotherhood that exists between fans?

.

Yes Yes Yes...

It's a great fanchise that hasn't won the big one in a 100 years yet has a huge fan following.

I say who cares what everybody else thinks...Or maybe we should do what Kurt Schilling said when he went to the Bo Sox..Screw the curse!

**psychlone99** · 07-23-2009, 08:15 PM

I became a die-hard after attending my first game in Wrigley in ‘89 or ‘90 against the Phillies. I went with my dad and my cousin. I had always followed the Cubs sporadically on the radio, but this game sealed the deal for me.

My favorite memory is my dad’s now infamous pre-game prediction. As we were walking the concourse before the game he turned to me and said, “I’ll betcha the Cubs win 14 to 1.” It was a ridiculous prediction no matter the circumstances as those scores are rare in baseball. We both knew that, and chuckled at the idea.

That day the Cubs would defeat the Phillies 15-2. Shawon Dunston hit a grand slam early in the game to break it open, and the rout was on. I believe Sandberg hit a homerun that day as well. It was an awesome introduction to Wrigley Field on a beautiful sunny day.

Oddly enough, my Cub fandom reached a new level when I moved into my dorm as a freshman at Iowa State. Growing up on the farm we didn’t have cable, so good ol’ Helser Hall provided me with WGN and an opportunity to see my favorite team almost everyday during the summer.

Thousands of games later, the love affair continues…

**CrossCyed** · 07-23-2009, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by psychlone99

Is it the team’s large following? Is it our undying loyalty through thick and thin? Is it the full ballpark even when the team isn’t performing very well? Is it the fans’ love affair with Wrigley Field, the atmosphere, and the city? Is it the fun times in the bleachers? Is it the pretty girls and the frat boys who make gameday a social outing (as if this is a Wrigley Field phenomenon)? Is it the loyal fans outside of Chicago who fill empty seats and make noise in visitor’s parks? Is it the brotherhood that exists between fans?

It's the fanbase - people that call themselves Cubs fans because it's the "cool" thing to do.

I do have a natural reason to hate them - but I hate their fans much more than I hate members of their team. I like Lou Pinella. Dempster is one of my favorite non Sox. It's the fans...

**psychlone99** · 07-23-2009, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by Bobber

Or maybe we should do what Kurt Schilling said when he went to the Bo Sox..Screw the curse!

For the record, I don't believe in curses, nor do 90% of the Cubs fans I know. Curses are for the media.

**hiwhatis** · 07-23-2009, 08:20 PM

Wow great post, i definitely feel this too. Haha, my dad has always been a Cubs fan so when i was like 5 in 1998 during the home run race i really got into the Cubs and Sammy. Ever since then i've lived and died with every Cub pitch. I can definitely remember the "Bartman" night like nothing else. I will say that the past two years and 2003 were pure agony come playoff time but the regular seasons were a blast to watch. Hope this years club turns it around because they definitely have the roster to compete for a series title. When "It's Gonna Happen" turns into "I Can't Believe It Actually Happened" the city of Chicago and lots of other places in the world are going to EXPLODE. haha, GO CUBS GO Baby!!!!!

**superdorf** · 07-23-2009, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by CrossCyed

It's the fanbase - people that call themselves Cubs fans because it's the "cool" thing to do.

I do have a natural reason to hate them - but I hate their fans much more than I hate members of their team. I like Lou Pinella. Dempster is one of my favorite non Sox. It's the fans...

Don't paint with such a broad brush.

I love the Cubs. Plain and simple. Will I cry if they win it all? Probably. Will I quit being a fan because they haven't won it all? No.

**CrossCyed** · 07-23-2009, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by superdorf

Don't paint with such a broad brush.

I love the Cubs. Plain and simple. Will I cry if they win it all? Probably. Will I quit being a fan because they haven't won it all? No.

I'm just saying that's where a lot of the dislike comes from. For me, it's a combo of that, and the whole being a White Sox fan thing.

**Bobber** · 07-23-2009, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by superdorf

Don't paint with such a broad brush.

I love the Cubs. Plain and simple. Will I cry if they win it all? Probably. Will I quit being a fan because they haven't won it all? No.

He's a White Sox fan...Can't expect much more...

**TarHeelHawk** · 07-23-2009, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by CrossCyed

It's the fanbase - people that call themselves Cubs fans because it's the "cool" thing to do.

I do have a natural reason to hate them - but I hate their fans much more than I hate members of their team. I like Lou Pinella. Dempster is one of my favorite non Sox. It's the fans...

Who would that be. You could easily call people that fit that description front-runners, and no Cub fan could ever be accused of being a front-runner.

What is your "natural" reason? Because Ozzie says so?

**ajk4st8** · 07-23-2009, 08:30 PM

Some of us were just born Cubs fans and love the Cubs for just that. When you are 6 you dont pick a team because it is the trendy thing to do. You pick it because your dad watches Cub games as he had for years.

I dont really have as much hate for the Sox. They are pretty much irrelevant to me.

**CrossCyed** · 07-23-2009, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by TarHeelHawk

Who would that be. You could easily call people that fit that description front-runners, and no Cub fan could ever be accused of being a front-runner.

What is your "natural" reason? Because Ozzie says so?

They're rivals from the same city?...

Part of it is how its portrayed in the media, when a Cubs lose oftentimes gets the lead story on a channel like CSN ahead of a Sox win, it's little **** like that.

**TarHeelHawk** · 07-23-2009, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by ajk4st8

Some of us were just born Cubs fans and love the Cubs for just that. When you are 6 you dont pick a team because it is the trendy thing to do. You pick it because your dad watches Cub games as he had for years.

I dont really have as much hate for the Sox. They are pretty much irrelevant to me.

The Sox are irrelevant in Chicago, what are you talking about? There is a reason there games aren't on WGN - it would be a ratings disaster.

**TarHeelHawk** · 07-23-2009, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by CrossCyed

They're rivals from the same city?...

Part of it is how its portrayed in the media, when a Cubs lose oftentimes gets the lead story on a channel like CSN ahead of a Sox win, it's little **** like that.

The Cubs are the lead dog in Chicago, and everywhere in the country. It's been that way for a long time now, and it's always going to be that way.

They're not rivals, either, at least not in the sense that Boston and New York or rivals. They're rivals because Bud Selig says they are. I took "natural" to mean that it was something you were born with, and it was natural for you to hate the Cubs prior to 1997.