Criticism of Cubs fans

[Hacking Out Machine]

One thing that's always bothered me is the regularity in which CUBS FANS are criticized and characterized. I heard Aaron Rowand on the radio the other day. He was asked about the difference between Cubs and Sox fans. He mentioned that Sox fans won't go to games if the team stinks, they are paying more attention to the game, they care more, Cubs fans are more interested in getting drunk, etc. This is an accurate characteriztion of the people who generally attend games at Wrigley and Comiskey, but not CUBS FANS and SOX FANS.

 

People need to realize that there is a difference between Cubs fans and people that go to Wrigley Field. The vast majority of people at a given game are at Wrigley more for the Wrigley experience than the game(obviously). I work for a company based out of California, and we had corporate visitors at our Chicago office almost every week. Since I lived in the neighborhood, had season tickets, and knew people who had more, I was the ticket guy. Every week in the summer, I was getting tickets for people because they wanted to go to Cubs games to see Wrigley. Are these people Cubs fans? No.

 

I'd say that the Cubs are about the only team in baseball which you can't assume that patrons of the ballpark are actual serious fans of the team. Unfortunately, the general public looks at these people as the accurate characteriztion of Cubs fans rather than the droves of people who fill up parks across the country to watch the Cubs on the road, or the people who pay attention and really give a crap, like the people on this board.

 

As a true Cubs fan, I just wish there was a distinction made, that's all. This might be a useless, time wasting post, but I wanted to get it off my chest.

[AllStarMe]

http://images.43things.com/profile/00/01/27/75768s160.jpg

The Dude to Rowand: "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."

 

 

 

From Rowand's limited perspective, he played for the Sox for all that time and probably took a lot of guff from the bleacher bums. And at a ballgame, who's the more visible fan? One drunk guy shouting will attract more attention and leave more of an impression than 10 enthusiastic, attentive but quieter fans. Yes, Wrigley has a lot of people just there for the party. But to say that the majority of people there aren't interested in the game is as off base as JJ on a fly ball.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

One thing that's always bothered me is the regularity in which CUBS FANS are criticized and characterized. I heard Aaron Rowand on the radio the other day. He was asked about the difference between Cubs and Sox fans. He mentioned that Sox fans won't go to games if the team stinks, they are paying more attention to the game, they care more, Cubs fans are more interested in getting drunk, etc. This is an accurate characteriztion of the people who generally attend games at Wrigley and Comiskey, but not CUBS FANS and SOX FANS.

 

 

I happen to like Rowand, but I think he is bit off in his assessment. Here's a guy who is a huge Bears fan and is asked about his devotion for them considering he is from California. In his reasoning he always brings up the devotion of Bears fans and the atmosphere at Soldier Field. Well, the Bears have had some pretty dismal teams within the last ten years but people still came out and Soldier Field is far from the most sober place to be.

 

I know that football is only once a week, but why applaud the devotion of Bear fans and their drunkenness, but criticize the Cub fans for it? This is on the assumption you're calling all the bleacher patrons Cub fans.

[UMFan83]

That's ok. All White Sox fans are mullet wearing meth addicts who are poor and don't support their team. Did I mention that they consider father-son bonding attacking a defenseless first base coach during a game?

 

It works both ways.

[danonwaveland]

Well, all I know is that when I go to Wrigley, there's a lot of cheering and reaction to what' happening on the field. When I go to the ball mall near the Ryan -- the last time I went was May of last year, before it attendance improved -- the fans sit on their hands until the "fan-o-meter" tells them to "make some noise." When that sign sturns off, they shut up again. I have noticed that they're noisier now, after the championship. I also notice a lot more clean black hats -- can you say 'bandwagon jumper?' -- around town.

 

I have always chafed at the beergarden tag that the press applies to Wrigley. Geez, it's the difference between a bunch of fans at a ballpark and a bunch of bandwagon jumpers at a baseball stadium.

[Laura]

I'd say that the Cubs are about the only team in baseball which you can't assume that patrons of the ballpark are actual serious fans of the team. Unfortunately, the general public looks at these people as the accurate characteriztion of Cubs fans rather than the droves of people who fill up parks across the country to watch the Cubs on the road, or the people who pay attention and really give a crap, like the people on this board.

 

As a true Cubs fan, I just wish there was a distinction made, that's all. This might be a useless, time wasting post, but I wanted to get it off my chest.

 

So people who go to Cubs road games are true Cubs fans but people who go see them at Wrigley are not? :?

[sonicdethmonkey0]

That's ok. All White Sox fans are mullet wearing meth addicts who are poor and don't support their team. Did I mention that they consider father-son bonding attacking a defenseless first base coach during a game?

 

SEE! that's what i've been saying all along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh wait sarcasm nm

[rynefan]

Most "real" Cub fans are very knowledgeable. They know the game, they read about their team and they are hopeful but realistic. The key is TRUE CUB fan. A lot of people call themselves Cubs fans but they're really not. The real deal ones bleed Cubbie blue, no doubt. And boy are we bleeding this year!

[cubs121]

Most "real" Cub fans are very knowledgeable. They know the game, they read about their team and they are hopeful but realistic. The key is TRUE CUB fan. A lot of people call themselves Cubs fans but they're really not. The real deal ones bleed Cubbie blue, no doubt. And boy are we bleeding this year!

sure thing!!

[Andy]

I just hope I become a national sportswriter so I can dispel the ludicrous myth that Wrigley faithful aren't real fans. From what I've seen the Wrigley fans are among the most knowledgeable and intelligent in baseball. Yeah, a few go to get drunk or "enjoy the Wrigley atmosphere". That's true of most ballparks.

[Neuby]

Right field bullpen bar?

Jose Cuvero fan deck?

How come the Cubs always draw so well on the road? Is that because peolpe are hoping we bring the Beer garden with us? Sell outs during spring training? Wrigley North? Wrigley South? I think the this long standing junk that Cubs fans are all drunks is a more than offbase.

[Fro]

There's so many Cubs fans nationally because WGN is available across the country, and the Trib did a brilliant job of marketing the team 20 years ago.

 

So people who didn't have a team of their own they could watch regularly and liked baseball latched onto the Cubs.

[CubbieRich]

Most fans from other cities are so jealous of being a Chicago sports fan they have to lash out. It's been 20 years since the Bears won the Super Bowl but the team still has international fame and everyone knows Ditka, Sweetness, Jimmy Mac, etc... The Bulls won 6 titles in 8 years with the greatest NBA player of all-time. The White Sox are the reigning WS champs(gasp). OK, the BlackHawks stink and old man Wirtz should sell the team. That brings us to the Cubs.

 

The marketing of the Cubs on WGN and the mystique of Wrigley has been dynamite. The national broadcasts can't get enough of the bleachers, the neighborhood, the shots of the city and the Lake. What's not to love. Wrigley Field is a destination 365 days a year. We may not have won in 98 years, but what team has more devoted fans than us?

 

Look at the other cities-Ever see shots of the neighborhood around Shea or Yankee Stadium? It's a war zone. LA-They don't even have an NFL team? Boston-The Pats play closer to Rhode Island. St. Louis-No NBA team, one newspaper and a Cards flagship station that has a range of 15 miles. No wonder people are jealous of Chicago.

[Sosa21MVP]

I've grown up in Northeast Indiana and for me, every trip to Wrigley is like a trip to Mecca. And I don't go there to admire the bricks and vines, I go there to see the Cubs kick the other team in the teeth. :twisted:

 

Wrigley Field is a great venue but if the Cubs are losing, I could give a poop about the stadium. I recall a game against Montreal during Ryno's final season. A big part of my attending that game was to see Ryno one last time. He did come up with a double. But at the end of the game, the Expos hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to win going away. The bleacher bums threw garbage on the field which delayed the game.

 

So I left Wrigley feeling rather empty that day.

 

Better times: my first ever trip to Wrigley was June 8th, 1987 which was my dad's birthday. Cubs vs Mets. Game was tied 3-3 heading into the 9th inning. Dave Martinez hit a 2 out single between 1st and 2nd. Then Manny Trillo hit a homerun to leftfield for a 5-3 win. Great game. Keith Hernandez got injured in that game BTW.

 

More winning moments than losses. Driving the 3 hours to Chicago for a loss pretty much sucked.

[Hacking Out Machine]

I'd say that the Cubs are about the only team in baseball which you can't assume that patrons of the ballpark are actual serious fans of the team. Unfortunately, the general public looks at these people as the accurate characteriztion of Cubs fans rather than the droves of people who fill up parks across the country to watch the Cubs on the road, or the people who pay attention and really give a crap, like the people on this board.

 

As a true Cubs fan, I just wish there was a distinction made, that's all. This might be a useless, time wasting post, but I wanted to get it off my chest.

 

So people who go to Cubs road games are true Cubs fans but people who go see them at Wrigley are not? :?

 

 

I'd say a larger percentage of the "road" fans are true Cub fans compared to the average home crowd, yeah. There is a plethora of tourists, neighborhood trixies and drunk-by-5 buffoons in your average night game crowd for example. How many of those people are showing up at a Cubs game in, say, Colorado?

 

I'm not saying there aren't any knowledgeable fans at Wrigley, because there are. The growing smattering of boos you hear ever time Pierre hits a two hopper to the first baseman will tell you that. I'm saying that there are a lot of non-Cub fans at Wrigley that perpetuate the stereotype.

[Laura]

 

I'd say a larger percentage of the "road" fans are true Cub fans compared to the average home crowd, yeah. There is a plethora of tourists, neighborhood trixies and drunk-by-5 buffoons in your average night game crowd for example. How many of those people are showing up at a Cubs game in, say, Colorado?

 

Uh, actually, I go to a number of Cubs games -- I usually sit in the bleachers :shock: -- and am planning to catch the series in CO this year.

 

Wrong example.

 

I just hope I become a national sportswriter so I can dispel the ludicrous myth that Wrigley faithful aren't real fans. From what I've seen the Wrigley fans are among the most knowledgeable and intelligent in baseball. Yeah, a few go to get drunk or "enjoy the Wrigley atmosphere". That's true of most ballparks.

 

I guess the Cubs need to play in a dump so we can get street cred.

[goonys evil twin]

I'm saying that there are a lot of non-Cub fans at Wrigley that perpetuate the stereotype.

 

There are a lot of uninformed people filling up Yankee Stadium too, for the I was there factor. There are probably a lot in superficial southern california as well. I go to a Phillies Cubs game every year with a group of between 8 and 20 people, of which only a couple of us are actually fans of one of the teams.

 

I think your bashing of people at Cubs games is misguided and just as bad, if not worse, as the bashing by the national media.

[danonwaveland]

Hacking Out Machine wrote:

 

"I'd say a larger percentage of the "road" fans are true Cub fans compared to the average home crowd, yeah. There is a plethora of tourists, neighborhood trixies and drunk-by-5 buffoons in your average night game crowd for example. How many of those people are showing up at a Cubs game in, say, Colorado? "

 

A couple years ago, I went to see the Cubs at Coors Field. Actually, it's quite a nice park -- I sat a couple rows below the purple row of seats that span the entire upper deck and mark the "mile high" measurement. That was a 3-HR game by Sammy and there were many other Cubs fans there, although a lot may have been transplants from Chicago.

[Hacking Out Machine]

 

I'd say a larger percentage of the "road" fans are true Cub fans compared to the average home crowd, yeah. There is a plethora of tourists, neighborhood trixies and drunk-by-5 buffoons in your average night game crowd for example. How many of those people are showing up at a Cubs game in, say, Colorado?

 

Uh, actually, I go to a number of Cubs games -- I usually sit in the bleachers :shock: -- and am planning to catch the series in CO this year.

 

Wrong example.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How is this a wrong example? I said that of the people making the trip to Colorado(or wheever else for that matter) to see the Cubs on the road, the percentage of people IN THAT GROUP who are tue Cubs fans is probably higher than your average crowd on a Wrigley night game. You are a moderator on a Cubs website... a true Cubs fan for sure. You'll be in Colorado. The other Cubs fans there that day will probably be a lot like you. The fact that you'll be there actually illustrates the point.

 

Look, I'm not trying to say that there aren't any knowledgeable fans at Wrigley because there are plenty. It's just that the national view of Cubs fans is that of a drunk 23 year old who doesn't care who wins, which isn't accurate. Maybe it shouldn't bother me, but it does.

[Andy]

I just hope I become a national sportswriter so I can dispel the ludicrous myth that Wrigley faithful aren't real fans. From what I've seen the Wrigley fans are among the most knowledgeable and intelligent in baseball. Yeah, a few go to get drunk or "enjoy the Wrigley atmosphere". That's true of most ballparks.

 

I guess the Cubs need to play in a dump so we can get street cred.

If the Sox and the Cubs switched ballparks, maybe the Sox fans could get their due for being drunk at ballgames.

[Laura]

How is this a wrong example? I said that of the people making the trip to Colorado(or wheever else for that matter) to see the Cubs on the road, the percentage of people IN THAT GROUP who are tue Cubs fans is probably higher than your average crowd on a Wrigley night game. You are a moderator on a Cubs website... a true Cubs fan for sure. You'll be in Colorado. The other Cubs fans there that day will probably be a lot like you. The fact that you'll be there actually illustrates the point.

 

Look, I'm not trying to say that there aren't any knowledgeable fans at Wrigley because there are plenty. It's just that the national view of Cubs fans is that of a drunk 23 year old who doesn't care who wins, which isn't accurate. Maybe it shouldn't bother me, but it does.

 

It seems that you're complaining about the negative bashing of Cubs fans ... by bashing Cubs fans. The ones at Wrigley, anyway. If I'm being bashed, I don't really care whether I'm being bashed by a fellow "true Cubs fan" or Joe Shmoe in Schenectady.

 

Since I lived in the neighborhood, had season tickets, and knew people who had more, I was the ticket guy. Every week in the summer, I was getting tickets for people because they wanted to go to Cubs games to see Wrigley. Are these people Cubs fans? No.

 

I'm sure they appreciated you helping them out. I hope I'm not crucified when I dare go to Coors Field despite not being a Rockies fan. 8-[ Sometimes I like seeing parks I haven't been to and I didn't realize that I was contributing to the national downfall of the home team's fanbase every time I set foot in one.

[Shilzzz]

i thought all white sox fans were of the tattoo'd, white trash, run onto the field and beat up the opposing teams first base coach persuasion.

 

who knew they were so knowledgable?

[soccer10k]

I'm sure there are stereotypes out there for every type of fanbase. I live in Northern California so here are a couple local stereotypes. Note: these are NOT stereotypes that I have come up with.

 

SF 49ers fans are all fat white men.

 

Oakland Raiders fans are all either Hispanic or Black that have served time in prison.

 

As people have proved in this thread, there are all kinds of stereotypes out there for the fans of sports teams. It doesn't make them right.

[stitchface]

hahaha Serena - the crowd composition at an average cubs rockies game at coors is about 60 percent cub fans, 20 percent rockies fans, 10 percent cardinals fans, and 10 percent astros fans. may be different this year though.

[Laura]

Last time I went to a Cubs - Rockies game, it was at Mile High!