Chicago Cubs Fans: The Resilience of the Team's Backers

I once read somewhere that Chicago Cubs fans are a lot like Christians. At first I couldn't figure out where the writer was going, but then I understood. Christians believe in God despite no actual proof of his existence in their lifetime; Cubs fans believe their team can win a World Series despite it not having been done in their lifetime.

I admit it's a very loose simile, but there it is. The last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series was 1908, against the Detroit Tigers. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of their last win.

Yet the Cubs remain one of the most popular teams in Major League baseball. Wrigley Field is one of the most consistently packed ballparks in the United States. Despite having their hearts broken year after year, Cubs fans always come back, always asserting their belief that this year will be different. In the minds of non-believers, this makes Cubs fans either delusional or masochistic - possibly both.

With this year being such an important anniversary for the Cubs, faith in the team has reached a fever pitch. Also adding to the fervor is the impending sale of not only the Chicago Cubs, but Wrigley Field as well - not to mention the uproar that was caused when the possibility of selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field came up.

This year more than ever, Chicago Cubs fans need their team to go all the way, because there is a very real fear amongst them that this will be the last year the Cubs play for Chicago, and the last year that they play at Wrigley Field.

It's likely that the Cubs and Wrigley will be sold together, and that whoever buys them would have the good sense to not change the name of Wrigley Field (an institution in baseball), but the possibility remains that not only could they be sold separately, but that the buyer of the Cubs will move them. It would not be the first time such a thing had happened, although admittedly it is no longer a common practice.

Whether the fear is reasonable or not, in the minds of the fans this could be the last year for the Chicago Cubs to win a series. And that makes them even hungrier for the win. How wonderful would it be if the last victory song sung for baseball this year was the much loved "Go Cubs Go", written by Steve Goodman, which every true Cubs fan knows the lyrics to?

The fans need the Cubs to prevail this year. We've been waiting for a long time, a hundred years, and we've been faithful for the duration, ignoring the naysayers and scoffing at non-believers. We deserve, come October, as the final note in the Major League Baseball season, to finally hear, "Hey Chicago, what do ya say? The Cubs are gonna win today!"