10 Teams Having Way Too Much Fun Winning

Is there a more fun team in sports right now than the Chicago Cubs? Not only is the team having its most successful season in years, but everyone involved is also having a blast along the way. As they should be. 

Of Cubs manager Joe Maddon, second baseman Tommy La Stella told Curtis Zupke of the Chicago Tribune, "He's awesome. He does a great job of keeping it light and keeping it loose. And he knows guys are going to go out and perform their best when they're relaxed and comfortable. He does a great job of setting that atmosphere in the clubhouse."

Maybe that's the key. Keeping things light and remembering that playing sports should be fun—maybe that's the key to winning. In fact, the following 10 teams provide (un)scientific proof that fun and winning are related in sports. These teams are having entirely too much fun, and by "too much fun," I mean "exactly the right amount of fun."

As Van Wilder said: "You shouldn't take life to seriously. You'll never get out alive."

Carolina Panthers

When a team is expected to win, the fun can be sucked out of it a little. Consider the contrast between a team like the New England Patriots starting undefeated and the Carolina Panthers accomplishing the same feat. When a historically mediocre team does well, the feeling can lean more toward "joyous" than "expected."

The Panthers' great start has provided some hilarious moments for fan enjoyment. Quarterback Cam Newton executed an instant-classic flip touchdown in September and recently made a hilarious appearance on Cooper Manning's The Manning Hour.

Perhaps the best part of Carolina's season thus far, however, has been the Spanish radio announcers who call the team's heroic plays. Jaime Moreno and Luis Moreno Jr. make every play sound like that Michigan-Michigan State ending.

U.S. Presidents Cup Team

Look no further than the 2015 Presidents Cup to find evidence that golf is really fun, and it's even more fun when you're winning. See below for a list of antics provided by the victorious U.S. team:

• Bubba Smith spooned the trophy.
• Players rubbed Phil Mickelson's tum-tum for good luck. 
• Jordan Spieth referred to partner Patrick Reed as his "ex-girlfriend," per USA Today.
• Best of all, the U.S. joined up with the International team for an epic after party. 

Houston Astros

This year, the Houston Astros made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Though they eventually lost in the American League Division Series, it was a fun season indeed. 

First, the Stros took everyone by surprise when they ran out to an early lead in the American League West. And they kept things light the whole way. Carlos Gomez and Evan Gattis clowned around before the Wild Card Game against the New York Yankees. Backup catcher Hank Conger hilariously did the robot dance from Chappelle's Show every time an Astros player hit a home run in the postseason. 

Of the ALDS opponent Kansas City Royals, Astros pitcher Collin McHugh told Dave Skretta of the Associated Press (via the Augusta Chronicle), "You can tell they have a fun clubhouse. I think that's probably the closest similarity I can see with our team."

New England Patriots

OK, "keeping things light" probably isn't the first phrase that comes to mind when you think of the New England Patriots. Still, how much fun is that team having right now? The Pats are sticking it to the Deflategate haters with a 5-0 record, achieved in mostly dominating fashion. 

Beyond that, they just dispatched of the Indianapolis Colts—the very team that reported those infamous deflated footballs—and saw the Horse embarrass itself with one of the worst trick-play attempts ever.

Besides the in-your-face winning the team is doing, some of the players are actually extremely funny in that charming, lighthearted sort of way. Everyone knows about party boy Rob Gronkowski, but wide receiver Julian Edelman is hilarious too. He is responsible for some pretty hysterical YouTube videos, and he recently hosted a Reddit AMA, answering a plethora of ridiculous questions such as "What's [Bill] Belichick's spirit animal?"

Clemson Football

The Clemson Tigers are 6-0 and, through October 19, ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll.

In Death Valley, the fun starts with the best stadium entrance in football. And beyond winning games, much of the joy this team exudes comes as a direct result of its head coach, Dabo Swinney. Thanks to many inspired locker-room celebrations, Swinney's dance moves have become legendary. He even pulled out the Whip and Nae Nae in September.

After the Tigers' recent victory over Boston College, Clemson Football tweeted, "You'll never find a better party than our locker room celebration after a win!"

That might very well be true.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a publicly owned franchise in a small market, and guess what? They're good. Regularly. The Pack are out to a 6-0 start and haven't lost a regular-season home game when Aaron Rodgers was healthy since 2012, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.   

The reigning NFL MVP is, after all, the ringleader of this lighthearted bunch. Last season, Rodgers famously told everyone to "relax" after a 1-2 start. A notorious jokester, he even ribbed Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson after a Packers victory in September avenged last season's NFC Championship Game loss.   

And it's not just Rodgers. Linebacker Clay Matthews and a few teammates made a cameo in Pitch Perfect 2, singing "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child. Talk about must-see footage.

FC Barcelona

Winning pretty much always looks fun in soccer because of the epic goal celebrations. Still, FC Barcelona takes it a step further.

The team boasts three of the world's best players in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. In fact, Neymar just scored four goals in a victory over Rayo Vallecano. Barca's Champions League victory parade in June was raucous, and as of October 19, the team sits near the top of the La Liga standings.

Besides on-field magic, Messi and Suarez also bring a lot of laughs to the table with their endearing friendship. When Messi went down with an injury in September, as shared by 101 Great Goals, Suarez jovially drove his fallen teammate to the training facility. Just recently, Suarez gifted Messi a set of Grumpy pajamas, as in Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

New York Mets

The New York Mets won 90 games en route to their first postseason appearance since 2006, and it's safe to say they are loving it in New York.  

After taking Game 1 of the National League Division Series against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitcher Jacob deGrom pranked teammate Daniel Murphy at the postgame presser. The team went on to beat the Dodgers in five games and celebrate with a beer slip 'n' slide, reported by Fox Sports.

Oh, and a fan kissed manager Terry Collins. 

Golden State Warriors

During their championship run, the Golden State Warriors were often talked about as one of the most likeable teams in the NBA. After all, they have the NBA MVP in Steph Curry, a popular and gifted coach in Steve Kerr and a host of unselfish team players, including Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, a perennial starter who agreed to come off the bench for the entire regular season in 2014-15.

And really, they just seem like a fun group of guys. Curry jabbed Kerr when the team hired Steve Nash to a coaching position in the offseason. He posted to Instagram, "Finally we get a decent coach around here." And as shown on Larry Brown Sports, Draymond Green went out of his way to make sure teammate Festus Ezili was mentioned in a press conference in May.

Plus, how fun did their victory parade look?

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs won 97 regular-season games this year, good for third best in the majors and 24 more than in 2014. A combination of young talent, seasoned veterans and a right-man-for-the-job manager make the Cubs pretty hard not to like.

In August, Joe Maddon planned a postgame pajama party, which fortuitously coincided with a Jake Arrieta no-hitter. Infielder Jonathan Herrera started a thing where players rub their batting helmets every time they reach base, and now he has a special helmet to commemorate the tradition. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo put their bromance on display with regular Dubsmashes on Instagram. Slugging rookie Kyle Schwarber used to be in his high school's show choir.

Seriously. Setting any bias aside, it is almost impossible not to like this Cubs team.