I grew up in a divided house. My mother is a Chicago White Sox fan and my father is a Chicago Cubs fan. Naturally, my brother and I sided with our mom and grew up White Sox fans, while my dad had no one.
While growing up, the baseball games we attended were 99% White Sox, and I spent a lot of time at U.S. Cellular Field. In my many years of attending baseball, I attended one Cubs game at Wrigley Field. We were behind home plate, but pushed way under the balcony and almost behind a pole. Needless to say, I didn't have a great experience and was extremely bored.
This single experience created the opinion in my head that Cubs games were all boring and not worth going to. A trip to Wrigley Field this past week changed everything.
On a trip with my teammates and on a classroom mission, I purchased bleacher tickets for this past Wednesday's Cubs game against the Cincinnati Reds. Things were already looking up because outfield seats, in my opinion, are one of the best places to sit during a baseball game. The atmosphere was completely different than it was during my prior visit. But, of course the last time I watched the Cubs play, they were absolutely horrible. The crowd was more engaged than I'd seen it before and it felt more welcoming than some of the White Sox games I'd attended in the past.
However, this is something I've seen in a few places before. The White Sox games used to very engaged and rowdy back in the early 2000's when they were hot and playoff bound. This also happened in the hockey world with the Chicago Blackhawks. Fans know that the Blackhawks used to be an absolutely horrible team and the attendance was extremely low. But, when the team gained some fresh faces, the quality of the game picked up and so did the fan attendance percentage.
Since the Cubs have gained new faces such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell, attendance has increased along with jersey sales and popularity.
From a White Sox fan perspective, this is what I see. A once horrible baseball team that had little to no hope for so many years has made a complete U-turn and got their asses into gear. The new Cub team under the management of Joe Madden has changed the reputation of Chicago baseball. The Cubs are on an amazing run and from a South Side fan, I have full faith in the Cubs, and it soon being "Their Year." Don't get me wrong, us Sox fans are devastated that our team had a great start to the season and then tanked, and the Cubs took the lead as the best baseball team in Chicago and the league. However, my pride in Chicago baseball does not stop with the White Sox. When the Cubs enter the playoffs, they will not only have the support of loyal fans all over the city and state, but they will have the support of the White Sox fans that are disappointed it's not them, but are proud that another Chicago team is being represented.
The trip to Wrigley changed my perspective on the Cubs. I am by no means a Chicago Cubs fan. I am under no circumstances changing my loyalty. I am, however, showing my utmost respect for a baseball team that changed their route and brought meaning to the game. If the Cubs manage to pull it off, I'm not going to steal fans' glory, I'm not going to rain on their parade. I'm going to clap and watch from the sidelines because you've all been waiting over a century for this and you deserve it. Go Cubs Go.
