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Why Does the Casual Baseball Fan LOVE the Cubbies?


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Have you noticed all the casual baseball fans across the country seem to love the Cubs? I called a relative in DC yesterday, who I hadn't talked to in a couple years, and first thing he said was "How about the Cubbies; I bet Chicago's buzzing".. :o I can't tell you how many times something like this has happened.

 

I also went to a party yesterday, and all these people were watching the Cubs game. I was literally the only one in the room not yelling and cheering. 3 of these guys were actually "Sox fans" in 2005 and did the same thing when the Sox would win, but not nearly as wild. It seems like no one has anything negative to say about the Cubs, unlike like the Sox, when it comes to folks outside of Illinois.

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I think the casual fan is drawn to several things:

the party atmosphere of Wrigley and the surrounding neighborhood

the underdog aspect of the Cubs not having won in almost 100 years

the less stressful approach of "hey, go get 'em tomorrow" that casual Cubs fans always seem to have

 

That said, the increased booing, garbage tossing and field trespassing at Wrigley seems to indicate a shift in the mindset of more and more Cubs fans. Or, maybe they'll follow any trend and they're just aping the true Cubs fans who actually want to see their team win something.

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I agree with you Critic but also....

 

The atmosphere at or around Wrigley feels sort of like your in college.

Carefree, nobody really cares about the team whether they win or lose.

The field itself is historic and everyone wants to see it.

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QUOTE(SouthSidePride05 @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 09:19 AM)
Have you noticed all the casual baseball fans across the country seem to love the Cubs?

 

 

They root for the Cubs because they're fools.

 

 

I think you answered your quesiton in your question. They're casual baseball fans. The Cubs are marketed well, and most people like a party atmosphere. What's not too like about the Cubs if you don't know jack about baseball???

 

 

 

Bob

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Now I'll start by saying i'm not much the liked figure on this board. HOWEVER I do admit this board obviously represents Sox fans well because like in real life, most Sox fans on this board are pretty damn smart. The reason most casual fans love the Cubbies is simple. In the world of sports fandom, like in life, casual means common and common means stupid. The average person, sports fan, whatever....is stupid. Only the extraordinary in life are smart, and thus a team that appeals to the common (stupid) like the Cubs always has been and always will be very popular. Your not stupid if your a Cubs fan, but you ARE a stupid BASEBALL fan if your a Cubs fan.

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QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 12:24 PM)
Now I'll start by saying i'm not much the liked figure on this board. HOWEVER I do admit this board obviously represents Sox fans well because like in real life, most Sox fans on this board are pretty damn smart. The reason most casual fans love the Cubbies is simple. In the world of sports fandom, like in life, casual means common and common means stupid. The average person, sports fan, whatever....is stupid. Only the extraordinary in life are smart, and thus a team that appeals to the common (stupid) like the Cubs always has been and always will be very popular. Your not stupid if your a Cubs fan, but you ARE a stupid BASEBALL fan if your a Cubs fan.

good point. anytime i go to a sox game and stand on the concourse i always end up talking baseball with other sox fans. i think like me a lot of sox fans get so pissed at these cub "fans" that dont know the first thing about baseball. i remember a specific conversation last year where these group of cub fans didnt even know who ryan howard or papelbon were. are you kidding me? so then yesterday i get i bunch of texts because they pulled another game out of their ass. your team isnt that good and i least we admit our team has issues that need to be adressed

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QUOTE(lord chas @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 01:38 PM)
good point. anytime i go to a sox game and stand on the concourse i always end up talking baseball with other sox fans. i think like me a lot of sox fans get so pissed at these cub "fans" that dont know the first thing about baseball. i remember a specific conversation last year where these group of cub fans didnt even know who ryan howard or papelbon were. are you kidding me? so then yesterday i get i bunch of texts because they pulled another game out of their ass. your team isnt that good and i least we admit our team has issues that need to be adressed

 

They still have a shot - and probably a good shot too - at making the playoffs. The Sox are about as done as you can get on June 30th.

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The really annoying thing is that 98 times out of 100, when I mention I grew up in Chicago, people will say, "Hey, how about those Cubbies!" When I inform them that I'm a Sox fan, the response is usually, "Why?"

 

That's when I drop the hammer. "Because I like baseball."

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QUOTE(Jimbo @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 10:07 PM)
dont call them cubbies, no sox fan should ever refer to them as that.

I disagree. There's certainly worse things that I like to call them, but calling them the Cubbies is poking fun at them. One thing I won't call them is the Cubs. That would be to honor them.

:fthecubs

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Most importantly, the Cubs have been on WGN, which means anyone anywhere could watch them while the White Sox have been plagued with retarded broadcasting decisions fueled by greed.

 

Contrast that to the 1960s, where after a resurgence in popularity provided by the Go-Go Sox, the White Sox went to UHF broadcasts when less than a third of the TV sets in America could view UHF.

 

And then in the 1980s, the Winning Ugly '83 season was a pay-per-view affair on SportsVision. Eventually the White Sox would be on cable, but at a time when not many people had cable TV. And the games in Oakland, Seattle, and Anaheim weren't airing in the Midwest until 9-ish, putting it past the bedtime of its most important demographic in creating a new generation of fans. Kids. Kids need mommy and daddy to take them to the games, to buy them the caps and jerseys. While no other team played all their home games by day, only Texas was saddled with the time zone differential for their road broadcasts.

 

But the Cubs were always on WGN, where anyone could watch, and after school. I watched loads of Cub games because I loved baseball.

 

In the early 1990s, the Sox picked up some momentum. A new park, Michael Jordan's minor league stunt, Frank Thomas, and those cool new silver and black jerseys reignited some fervor for the South Siders, but they could never keep up the momentum.

 

If the White Sox continue to put a good team on the field, keep things affordable, and court families in their marketing efforts, they can turn it around but it is a change that will take a generation or so.

 

I think that the White Sox would be a better team if they ran their franchise the way Arte Moreno runs the Angels. The guy puts a competitive product on the field but somehow finds a way to keep ticket prices down and parking is only $8.

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QUOTE(SouthSidePride05 @ Jun 30, 2007 -> 10:19 AM)
Have you noticed all the casual baseball fans across the country seem to love the Cubs?

 

Have you noticed how many people across the country seem to be interested in stupid crap like Paris Hilton?

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It bugs me because these same people don't get it why I wouldn't cheer for the Cubs if they're in the hunt and the Sox aren't. When I was at that party the other day, they thought I was the strange one for sitting back and not joining in the celebration. They thought I had a bad attitute, and that I was too uptight for not cheering for a Chicago baseball team. It blew me away that so many people didn't get it.

 

Thanks for that post, Drew. I guess it makes sense why they have such a national following. I came here with my family in the late 80's when I was a little kid, and I vaguely remember my family watching all the Cubs games on tv. I might've even been a fan back then and worn a Cubs hat/shirt. But then my parents starting getting into the Sox in the early 90's, went to the brand new ballpark, and I remember thinking the new logo was pretty cool. We'd watch all the games on cable and attend a few games throughout the year.. but still I wasn't that big of a fan because at the time I was a diehard Bulls fan, and baseball was a far 2nd. As the years went by, I became a bigger Sox fan, and then I was lucky enough to go to the '93 clincher, and from that moment on, I was hooked and became a HUGE Sox fan.. and hated everything Cubs. :cheers

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