Chicago sports fans

[MyTurn2Raise]

so, I put some thought into this last night, because I was asked to specifically state what is so bad about them. They are so bad, that I ended up supporting all of the St Louis teams instead of Chicago teams despite growing up and spending a large portion of my life in Chicagoland. While each respective group (Bears, Cubs, Sox, etc) have their unique idiosyncracies, there is a common theme running throughout.

Statement:
The fans suck because their desire for winners is truly a facade. They want losers. They really enjoy a self-pity party more than anything else and their support boils down to that.

They love being the 'lovable' losers or wallowing in their pathetic records year over year. The Sox love feeling that they are the scorned second team even when they have more success than the number one team. This belief structure fosters terrible teams as it makes the fans happy to say 'woe is me.' On the other hand, the fans get over-excited whenever a team is doing decent and exaggerate their chances for success to the extreme (16 and 0 is the chant around town these days). Why? It sets the fans up for a bigger letdown when the teams play to their natural level and fall short later in the year. They can get their joy and whatnot.

I'm sure it wasn't always like this, but I'm too young to remember it being otherwise. I'm sure the '69 cubs probably just solidified the overall feeling in the town. After all, I've never heard of such love for a team that choked and was beaten out by a team that was better anyway. Funny, if I had pursued a history PhD, I'm pretty sure I could've written a thesis on the development of such an old thought structure. There is definitely a real paper in there somewhere.


Simply, the fans desiring a winner is FAKE. All they want is something to make them miserable and this somehow makes them feel better. They love wallowing with the losing teams and setting themselves up for disappointment with the winning teams. It's quite perverse.

That is how I grew up in Chicagoland, but cannot stand their fans.

Unfortunately, some of the same people root for my beloved Illini. Unlike other states, like Ohio State, the state school doesn't have the huge support base of the whole state. People in Chicagoland are not generally Illinois fans. It is very much a professional sports town. The ones around Chicago that support the Illini are typically alums of the school or very close to someone who is. The Chicago influence that does exist is to the detrimate of the University. Illinois fans, by and large, believe they are going to get screwed at every corner. It fits because it's another way for the Chicago base to say 'woe is me' and because the programs have actually gotten screwed much more than luck would expect.

I posted this here so as to stay out of the Bears thread, where it seems I am not a welcome member. Rational minds are often ostracized when their truths are scary and difficult to face.

[MyTurn2Raise]

It's also somewhat sad, because, of all the places I've traveled around the US, I seem to enjoy the company of Midwesterners the most and Chicago is the big city in the Midwest. The people in the Western and Southwest suburbs kick ass. The northern suburbs suck IMO, but that is a diatribe for a different day.

[Sluss]

I've heard this all the time. Hell, I'm a Phillies and a Bears fan so I must really hate myself.

I never really understood it. It's not that I want to lose it's just that because when they do win you get happy when they start good or give any glimmer of hope. I guess I could just be a Yankees fan and whine about not winning a World Series every five years. Or a Cowboys fan who always thinks they are winning it all and loves Michael Irvin and Jimmy Johnson.

It was the greatest day ever when the Bears won the Super Bowl and I was 9. I only have some small memories of the Phillies winning the World Series in 1980 and I was at a 1983 and 1993 World Series game. That's all I have. I root and scream and live and die with both teams. More often than not I'm very disapointed.

FWIW, I could never and I mean never be a St Louis Cardinals fan. At least everyone I've ever met. They always think their team is the best and even when they suck cheer and root for them because they are trying hard! Bleh, that makes me puke.

[ThaSaltCracka]

Chicago seemed to LOVE MJ's Bulls. Also, everything I have ever heard about the Bears seems to be good as well.

[MikeyPatriot]

Chicago fans really turned on the Bulls when they won all those titles. Why wouldn't they just lose for us?

I have the feeling that if Chicago fans didn't support teams when they were losers, you would have a different reason to hate them (fairweather fans, etc.).

FWIW, my dad grew up in Rolla and moved to the Chicago area when he was a kid. I'm a Sox/Cardinals fan as a result.

[kyro]

[ QUOTE ]
I posted this here so as to stay out of the Bears thread, where it seems I am not a welcome member. Rational minds are often ostracized when their truths are scary and difficult to face.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen nothing from any of the Bears fans on this board that would suggest they are terrible fans. You on the other hand, have done nothing but twist that knife. Of course you're not welcome in their thread.

Seriously, you are like the Jekyll and Hyde of this forum.

[KDawg]

[ QUOTE ]
The northern suburbs suck IMO, but that is a diatribe for a different day.

[/ QUOTE ]


I'd love to hear your gross generalizations about us northies

[MyTurn2Raise]

[ QUOTE ]
Chicago seemed to LOVE MJ's Bulls. Also, everything I have ever heard about the Bears seems to be good as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

the Bulls are quite an interesting dynamic as they were introduced to the Chicago sports scene after the prevailing mindset was established. They were basically a nonexistent franchise until Jordan stepped onto the court. The stadium was truly a Blackhawks home and the Bulls were forever an afterthought of the Chicago sports scene. Of course, having arguably the greatest player of all time and winning 6 titles definitely changed the scene. The Bulls then joined the Chicago fan base. I could not imagine the Yankees fan base allowing the abortion of the dynasty that Bulls management did. Of course, Bulls fans did protest, but it was not nearly enough to grab the owners attention. In addition, there is an interesting dynamic of NBA fans compared to other major sports that I'm also sussing out in my head.

The Blackhawks represent my glimmer of hope for Chicago fans. Here is a case were the fans have finally demanded winning and are not comforted by cheering for a losing franchise. The Blackhawks might be the pivot point in time when Chicago fans regain their dignity in my eyes. The Blackhawks had an announced crowd of 8800 the other day!!!!! The Blackhawks had a huge fan base back in the 80s. The owner is one of the worst in sports and has nearly single-handedly killed off a very successful franchise, in terms of good fans and fan loyalty. This could be the turning point for Chicagoans.

I've noticed some change in the Cubs fans as well. After 2003, there is a little bit more of a bitter taste than relishing the disappointment than I expected.

With everything, their is evolution.


Man...I really see this thesis shaping up nicely. I could research the beginning, a solid middle, and a hollywood hopeful ending. Modern cultural histories are becoming more and more a place to make a stand as there is only so much more that can be written about the Civil War, the Crusades, the Roman Empire, etc. Plus, their would be popular appeal to sell such books. When I was a lackey at Borders, you could always count on sports books being very popular gifts in the holiday season as it seemed to be a concession between culturing the obsessive sports fan and acknowledging their interests (The 'at least he's reading' gift).

[MyTurn2Raise]

[ QUOTE ]

FWIW, I could never and I mean never be a St Louis Cardinals fan. At least everyone I've ever met. They always think their team is the best and even when they suck cheer and root for them because they are trying hard! Bleh, that makes me puke.

[/ QUOTE ]


I completely understand. There are some very arrogant Cards fans. Luckily, I don't interact with them too much.

As far as the cheer and root for playing hard, I think this is a myth by the media. They like to characterize the Cards as the Midwestern value team. Ask Torre and Jeff Brantley about all the cheering in the early 90s. Ask Isringhausen about it this year. Ask Tino Martinez how much support he got at the end. The Cards fans do stop showing up when the team sucks. Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often. The Cards fans do get on their players. The way Encarnacion was treated early this year was deplorable. Of course, a guy like Eckstein or Taguchi will never get booed, because you always respect someone who gives it their all like that. In all honesty, there is an interesting trade-off the Cards fans have made with highly supporting Jim Edmonds who, for all observable behavior, seems like a dick on the field.

I know I'm too obsessive about sports when I find all of these fan base characteristics to be so interesting.

[TheRover]

[ QUOTE ]
When I was a lackey at Borders, you could always count on sports books being very popular gifts in the holiday season as it seemed to be a concession between culturing the obsessive sports fan and acknowledging their interests (The 'at least he's reading' gift).


[/ QUOTE ]

rofl