Fandom
A good weekend for Chicago sports fans — the Sox up 2-0 in the World Series and the Bears 10-6 over the Ravens. (The Baltimore Ravens, of course, named not after any actual ravens in Maryland, but after the “Nevermore”-spouting raven of the Edgar Allen Poe poem. I think there should be more literary-inspired sports teams. We could have the Big Shoulders and The Jungle and the Golden Arms.)
I’m a terrible sports fan. I’ve been a Cubs fan in name for years, but that was only because I enjoyed the idea of a team with loyal fans despite years of losing — it appealed to my sense of the futility of life (yes, I was a Tortured Youth™) — I could never tell you anything about the actual team. I’ll watch a game if it’s on (I watched both of the games today), and once it’s on, I get into it — it just never sticks.
Since it’s so hard for me to muster up the enthusiasm to actually care about supporting a sports team, I really have a hard time understanding people who manage to hate an opposing team. My roommate was rooting for the Astros tonight, just because they’re not the White Sox.
Me, I’m a fan of the city of Chicago, and so I’m happy that a team from here is doing well. Go us. Whee!
I am fiercely proud to be from Chicago and that may be why I have my current stance. I used to root for both teams, but after a series of events, I feel otherwise.
First, I went to the All-Star game at the Cell and the White Sox fans around me booed every player that trotted out who where not White Sox. They booed even their own manager. These are players that have earned the right to be cheered for their accomplishments. It was an embarrassment to Chicago that the fans were doing this.
Second was the series of violent events at the Cell. The two incidents where people ran out on the field to beat someone up, then the one where two punks beat up a mother and father in front of their kids. Another embarrassment.
Lastly, I have met more fans recently who get cheap and nasty about members of other teams. Silly stuff like calling them wife beaters. This is not a big deal, but it adds to the two above.
So it is not the players that I am rooting against, but the fans that are giving Chicago a bad name.
And how about the fan who pulled the hair of Astros player Craig Biggio’s wife? Who was the genius behind that move? He was arrested, but they should have put him on the Astros’ team bus. Now there’s justice for ya.
And another thing….who let Liz Phair sing God Bless America during Saturday’s game? I used to love LP, but she didn’t do anything to further her career that night.
FYI, Sox fans might want to check out the remix of the unofficial theme song, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” by Chicago-based remixer The Hitmaker: http://www.tierecords.com/thehitmaker