Highs and Lows Only Chicago Sports Fans Would Understand
Chicago is a unique sports town, and as such, there are certain ups and downs that only sports fans from the Second City would understand.
Chicago is where Michael Jordan won his championships and solidified his immortality. Then again, the Cubs also haven’t won a World Series in over a century, and a lot of people actually blame that on a goat.
Ups and downs, highs and lows—it’s all par for the course in any great sports city. To all the Chicagoans out there, this is for you.
High: Home of the 7th-Inning Stretch
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The seventh-inning stretch, a beloved tradition in baseball, got its start in Chicago.
According to interviews conducted by Luis Gomez of the Chicago Tribune, famed broadcaster Harry Caray used to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” to himself in the broadcast booth at White Sox games. As the story goes, White Sox owner Bill Veeck set up a microphone one day so that Caray’s voice would echo throughout the stadium.
It became a tradition, one that Caray took with him to the north side when he started calling Cubs games in 1982. Eventually the practice spread across baseball nationwide.
Low: Celebrities Botching 7th-Inning Stretch at Wrigley Field
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When your town is the birthplace of a great tradition, it’s a real shame when out-of-towners come in and botch it up.
After Harry Caray passed away in 1998, the Cubs started bringing in celebrities to sing the stretch. There were some rather embarrassing moments—Jeff Gordon called Wrigley Field “Wrigley Stadium,” and Ozzy Osbourne subject poor fans to this.
High: Bears Make Grammy-Nominated Music Video, Win Super Bowl
3 of 12During the 1985 NFL season, Chicago Bears players—including Walter Payton and Jim McMahon—made a rap music video called “Super Bowl Shuffle.” The single exploded with popularity—no seriously. It became a gold record and platinum video, and it was even nominated for a Grammy.
At the time of the recording, the Bears had never won a Super Bowl, so this was a pretty cocky move. Good thing they followed through. The Bears finished the season 15-1 and won the Super Bowl behind legendary coach Mike Ditka.
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Low: Giving Apathetic QB $126 Million
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Sure, other cities have endured quarterback turmoil—that’s not unique to the Midwest. However, Chicagoans have endured a special brand of QB drama. Without being inside the mind of Jay Cutler, I can’t say for sure, but he has got to be one of the most apathetic-looking QBs in the history of the NFL.
When the Bears acquired Cutler from Denver in 2009, fans were hopeful. Since then, it’s been one disappointment after another with just one playoff appearance in six years. Both his toughness and motivation have come into question, and he’s been called a coach killer.
To make matters worse, in early 2014, the Bears extended Cutler through 2020 with a deal worth $126 million. Now, he would be very hard to get rid of via trade (if the Bears wanted to take that route).
High: Overreacting to Any Big Cubs Signing
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When your team hasn’t won a championship in over a century, you tend to get excited when big moves are made. Every time a big name comes to town, Chicago fans are forced into that hopeful (yet so far, fruitless) place, and they wonder, “Is this the guy? Is he the one that will break the curse?”
When Theo Epstein came over from Boston in 2011, fans rejoiced. The man who broke one curse can break another! When Chicago got two-time AL Manager of the Year Joe Maddon and ace Jon Lester this offseason, the city blew up with excitement.
For a fanbase who probably should’ve lost hope long ago, Cubs fans are eternally optimistic.
Low: Hometown Hero Plays 49 Games in 3 Seasons After MVP Year
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Derrick Rose is from Chicago, and he’s the best thing to happen to Bulls basketball since MJ. He won the MVP Award for the 2010-11 NBA season and led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Then, things took a turn. Rose missed much of the following season with injuries and then tore his ACL in the playoffs—he missed the entire 2012-13 season. Then, unbelievably, he only played 10 games in 2013-14 due to yet another knee injury.
High: Being in Wrigleyville for Baseball or Celebrating
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Wrigleyville is so unique in the world of sports—the neighborhood surrounding historic Wrigley Field is hands down one of the best places to be on a summer afternoon with baseball in full swing.
There are bars, restaurants and sports fans everywhere. Everyone is singing, “Go Cubs Go” or just basking in the delight that is our national pastime.
Wrigleyville also serves as the de facto celebration spot for all Chicago sports teams. When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and ’13, Wrigleyville was where many fans went to rejoice among their own.
Low: Being in Wrigleyville for Any Other Reason
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Wrigleyville is arguably the greatest sports neighborhood in America. However, when there is no baseball happening and no Blackhawks championships being celebrated, it’s not somewhere you want to be—at least, not if you’re over the age of 23.
Wrigleyville is like one big frat house/bro palace, and most Chicagoans realize quickly that baseball is one of the few reasons to venture into that jungle.
High: Blackhawks National Anthem
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If you have never been to a Chicago Blackhawks game, the national anthem is reason enough to make the trek. Instead of standing quietly or singing along, every fan in the place claps and cheers throughout the entirety of “The Star Spangled Banner.” It’ll give you chills.
Low: Home of Black Sox Scandal
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In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix the World Series. Though they were acquitted in a court of law, all eight players were banned from baseball for life, including the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.
Widely regarded as one of the worst scandals in sports history, the Black Sox Scandal has become a fixture in popular culture. References were made in The Great Gatsby and Field of Dreams, and the film Eight Men Out tells the story of the infamous Black Sox.
High: The G.O.A.T. Played in Chicago
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When the greatest basketball player of all time played for your team, that’s a high. Michael Jordan played for the Bulls for 13 years and won six championships. A statue of His Airness sits outside the United Center, immortalizing his greatness and reminding all who see it, the G.O.A.T. played in Chicago.
Low: Cubs Not Winning WS Since 1908 (Because of a Goat?)
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It’s one thing to be an expansion team that has never won a championship. It’s another for a franchise that has been around since the 19th century to have a 100-plus-year drought. Sure, the Tampa Bay Rays have never won a World Series, but the team came into existence 90 years after the Cubs last won one.
Also, anytime the Cubs have some bad luck or just a bad season (which is often), fans have to deal with this Billy goat curse business. Not only have the Cubs not won a World Series in over a century, but the fans face constant disappointment and unbelievable instances of bad luck (see: Steve Bartman)
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