Nah, I disagree with that. The Cubs have the fanbase they do due to the size of the city they play in, their longevity and, most of all, WGN TV and radio. Anyone who defines themselves as a Cubs fan by the team's futility is just the worst. It's not the futility, it's the desire to end the futility. If you were right, I would have been a fan of the Braves instead of the Cubs, because the Braves are on TV almost every day in the south, and have been for decades. Where are all the White Sox fans? Based on your criteria, wouldn't they have the 3rd or 4th largest fan base? I think they fall in the 20ish range? White Sox don't have national coverage and the Braves had national coverage for like a blip compared to what the Cubs have had between WGN TV and radio. Atlanta is also a much smaller market and city than Chicago and they've only had the Braves for 44 years. White Sox games on WGN are broadcast nationally just like Cubs game. They weren't on WGN for a long time, they were on closed-circuit, then Chicago only cable, which is why the Cubs are popular and the White Sox are not