Chicago Cubs or Minnesota Vikings: Whose Fans Suffer More?

Sports bring out the best and worst in all people. Whether you’re a fan or athlete doesn't matter. Competition fuels all types of emotions.

Fans bring the atmosphere to sports. Through the highs and lows of any season, true fans bring passion and intensity through it all. In sports history, there have been teams that have dominated eras and brought their fans pure joy—while there have been others that have simply ripped their fans' hearts out over and over.

In the NFL, there have been plenty of dynasties: The Green Bay Packers of the '60s, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the '70s, the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins of the '80s, the Dallas Cowboys of the '90s, and most recently, the New England Patriots.

In MLB, it has mainly been the New York Yankees from the '30s to the '60s (21 AL pennants and 15 World Series championships during those 30 years) and the Yankees from the mid-'90s to the present (11 division titles, seven AL pennants, and five World Series championships in about 15 years).

In the NBA, there have been dynasties by the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers (multiple times), Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.

While in the NHL, the Montreal Canadians (multiple times), New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and even the Detroit Red Wings have all dominated eras.

Fans of these teams know what it's like to be on top and what winning it all truly feels like. Being a Chicago Bulls fan, the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen years were a thing of beauty. Winning it all was the only goal and only acceptable outcome.

However, in all sports, there can only be one winner at the end of the year. Fans of some franchises have never felt that ultimate high of winning a championship (or just haven't done so in a long time); instead, they drown in utter disappointment and lose in spectacular fashion.

Franchises such as the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland teams (Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers), the San Francisco Giants, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the New York Jets experience consistent heartbreak year after year.

The Red Sox used to fit this mold, but winning two World Series this decade has eased the pain.

It's easy for a fan following these teams to lose hope and wonder if it's worth all the sorrow. However, there are two teams that I have the luxury of being a huge fan of that always find a way to completely and utterly rip my heart out.

You couldn't write a better script because no one could predict the events that would unravel year after year in the most important games at the most crucial times. If you looked up the definition of choking, you would find these teams' logos.  

Yes, these two teams are the Chicago Cubs and the Minnesota Vikings.

In order to truly understand the pain and sorrow these fans have felt, let's break down the two franchises that never seem to win.

The Chicago Cubs

Where do you start? The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908. That is 101 years of being a "lovable loser". Then, to add fuel to the fire, the Cubs were officially cursed by Billy Sianis and his goat. After being ejected from Game 4 of the 1945 World Series, the Curse of the Billy Goat was born, when upon his ejection with his goat, Mr. Sianis said, "The Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more."   

The Cubs have not returned to a World Series since then. In 1969, a black cat ran across the field right in front of Ron Santo, who was warming up in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium. Wilting under the pressure and feeling the "curse", the Cubs went from up nine-and-a-half games that season on the New York Mets to falling behind by eight and failing to make the playoffs yet again.

Years went by before complete despair would creep back into Cubs Nation. In 1984, the Cubs had all the talent, with Rick Sutcliffe, Dennis Eckersley, Lee Smith, and NL MVP Ryne Sandberg. In the NCLS, the Cubs took the first two games and needed to win only one of the remaining three against the San Diego Padres. However, they would collapse in jaw-dropping fashion.

In Game 4, Leon Durham added another chapter to the "curse", as a routine grounder went through his legs and kept Chicago out of the 1984 World Series.

Most recently, the Cubs have had resurgence in the past decade, but nothing could prepare them for what has become known as the Bartman Game. We don't need to get into too much detail with this one, because everyone knows what happened.

Needing only five outs to advance to the 2003 World Series, the Cubs' demise began when Steve Bartman reached out and interfered with Moises Alou's attempt to make a play on a catchable foul ball. However, the biggest play of the inning would follow when Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez botched a tailor-made double play that would have ended the inning. Thanks to both idiotic plays, the Cubs would lose Game 6 and 7, showing the "curse" was alive and well.

The 101 years of misery, the Curse of the Billy Goat, and countless gut-wrenching losses give Cubs fans a chance to wonder, "Why us?" every year.

However, being that I am only 25 years old, my history of the Cubs isn't as personal or heartbreaking as it is with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings  

Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl since the team's inception in 1961. The Vikings have lost all four Super Bowls they've appeared in, including Super Bowl IV, when they were heavy favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. They would get clobbered by 16, 23-7. In four Super Bowl appearances, the Vikings have totaled 34 points.

Devastating losses are simply a part of being a Vikings fan.

In 1975, led by Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys in what has become known as the Hail Mary Game. As time expired, Roger Staubach threw a Hail Mary to wide receiver Drew Pearson, who pushed off Minnesota defensive back Nate Wright to make the touchdown catch and win the game.

To this day, Vikings fans are still waiting for the referees to throw a flag for offensive pass interference.

Then in 1988, trailing 17-10 to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game, Minnesota managed to drive down the field for a potential game-tying touchdown in the final seconds. However, this time, Darrin Nelson would drop the game-tying touchdown at the goal line, ending the Vikings' season.

Ten years later, the best team in franchise history fell victim to more Minnesota misery. Finishing the season 15-1 and setting the NFL record for most points scored in a season at 556 (later broken by 2007 New England Patriots), this team was destined for the Super Bowl—at least that is what fans and experts thought.

The Vikings would fall again in the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons. Gary Anderson would miss his first kick all year that would have sealed the game. Anderson was perfect on field goals and extra points all year, only to miss the most important kick of his life and possibly the Vikings' franchise history from 38 yards away. Atlanta would go on to win the game in overtime, 30-27.

If that score and script sound too familiar, look no further than the most recent disappointment. This past Sunday, the Vikings, led by Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, had the perfect recipe to take down the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

However, five turnovers later, questionable officiating calls (noncall on low hit on Favre and Ben Leber's phantom pass interference penalty in OT), and bad decisions by Head Coach Brad Childress and Favre led to yet another punch in the collective stomach of Vikings Nation. 

This one is still being digested by the Vikings organization and its fans. The Vikings would go on to lose a game they should have won by 14 plus, 31-28 in overtime.

During 49 years, Minnesota rips the hearts out of their fans about every 10 years. A team that should have won a Super Bowl by now has failed to reach one since 1977. Instead, they collapse in epic fashion in the NFC Championship Game over and over. And let's not forget, the Vikings helped give berth to the Cowboys dynasty of the '90s by trading for Herschel Walker in 1989.

The history is rich and disheartening for both franchises. In the grand scheme of things, it's virtually impossible to go against the Cubs and their 101 years of dormancy. But how do you ignore the consistency in which the Vikings demoralize their fanbase?

Which franchise is "cursed" more is anyone's guess. But if you’re going to be a fan of the Vikings or Cubs, be sure to bring a brown paper bag and some tissues, because history finds a way of repeating itself.

However, the heartbreak the Vikings gave me in 1998 and this past Sunday is something I may never be able to accept. The best team on the field did not win either game.

Being only 25, one thing is for sure: I've felt purple and sick to my stomach more times as a Vikings fan than blue and sad as a Cubs fan.