The Cubs Brand

Many of you have surely noticed that some Cubs fans believe there is something special about being a Cubs fan. You’ve read these sentiments in articles and blog posts many times. Al Yellon believes there is something so special about being a Cubs fan that only a Cubs fan should own the team. BCB is filled with people who think that being a fan of this team is so very special. You’ve read fans talking about what it’s like to be a Cubs fan, or the pain and suffering that Cubs fans have endured. This, they believe, makes them special. They think they’re doing something with their time that is more meaningful than it really is. Watching baseball or any sport or much of television for that matter is mostly a meaningless endeavor. In an attempt to justify this waste of time, many Cubs fans think they’re a part of something special. They think that being a Cubs fan is different than being a fan of any other team in any sport. People will justify almost anything. People need to feel important. These Cubs fans make themselves feel important by the very fact that they are actually Cubs fans. Being a Cubs fan, they say, is different than being a fan of another team. Ask them why and you’ll get something that has to do with the Cubs not winning a championship since 1908. They believe there is something special about rooting for the Cubs because of that and they believe they are doing what they do for a greater purpose. Let’s ignore for a moment than many of these Cubs fans are probably in their 20s. What exactly is special about being a Cubs fan? What is there that would cause one more pain and suffering than if they were a fan of another team? To answer this question I think it’s best to switch sports for a moment. After all, most of us aren’t just baseball fans. Let’s pick football. There’s some football discussion on here in the winter. A few of you are fans of the 49ers and talk about that. Many of you are Bears fans. I used to be a Raiders fan, but gave up on the NFL several years ago so I’m going to include college football as well. Many of us here are Iowa Hawkeyes fans. And some of you root for other teams. Is there anything special about being a Bears fan? Is there anything special about being an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, other than it’s the best school in the country? Is there anything special about being a 49ers fan? I’m guessing the answer here is that there isn’t anything special. Ask these same questions to the ones who claim there’s something about being a Cubs fan and you’ll probably get the same answers, which makes this even stranger. Most of us are willing to admit that there is nothing particularly special about our favorite team in another sport. Most Cubs fans would admit this, I think. So why is being a Cubs fan so different? I can’t think of a single reason. I became a Cubs fan around 1981. What the Cubs did prior to that has had no impact on my life. I don’t remember the 1945 season because I wasn’t alive so I suffered none because they lost that series. Few Cubs fans who comment on the interweb were around for the 1945 World Series. Anyway, since I became a Cubs fan the following teams have not won a World Series: Pirates, Giants, Indians, Cubs, Padres, Astros, Rockies, Brewers, Rangers, Rays, Nationals and Mariners. The Rockies and Rays weren’t around in 1981, but each of those team’s fans have gone through what every single Cubs fan has in that same span. Of those 12 teams, only the Pirates, Giants and Indians have won a World Series since 1908. Once again removing the Rays and Rockies, 7 fan bases have gone through the same amount of pain and suffering that the Cubs fans have. Do you ever hear anybody talk about what it’s like to be an Astros fan? A Rangers fan? A Brewers fan? Well, that’s not fair, there many Brewers fans, but you get the point. There is nothing special about being a Cubs fan. What you have gone through is no different than many, many other fans. I’d guess most of the people who say this crazy nonsense are in their 20s, which would mean they probably became a fan in the late 90s. For those youngster, their pain and suffering is no different than the following teams: Braves, Blue Jays, Twins, Reds, A’s, Dodgers, Mets, Royals, Tigers, Orioles, Pirates, Giants, Indians, Cubs, Padres, Astros, Rockies, Brewers, Rangers, Rays, Nationals and Mariners. Yeah, no different than 22 other team’s fans. It would be easier to list the team’s fans in which they might differ: Phillies, Red Sox, Cardinals, White Sox, Marlins, Angels, Diamondbacks, and Yankees. There is nothing whatsoever special about being a Cubs fan. There is no Cubs Brand. There is no special points awarded for pain and suffering, and frankly the idea of a team causing pain and suffering is an issue we should discuss separately. The claims to the contrary are nothing but a need for your identity to be tied to the Cubs, which is kind of pathetic in my opinion. The whole idea is kind of pathetic. Baseball fans are excited when their team wins and upset when they lose. It’s been that way since the first game they played and it will be that way until they stop playing it. There’s nothing more special about the Cubs winning than there is the Yankees winning. The Cubs fans who whine about this shit make me want to root for the Astros who know a little something about complaining, but at least they aren’t going on and on about what it’s like to be a fucking Astros fan.