SouthSidePride05 Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Cubs fans have no problem cheering for White Sox Dan Bickley The Arizona Republic Oct. 13, 2005 12:00 AM In Arizona, Cubs fans are like crickets. You'll find one around every corner. Contrary to popular belief, they are not cringing at the sight of the White Sox, a cross-town rival, playing for a berth in the World Series. "A Cubs fan can cheer for the White Sox," said transplant Joe McIntyre, now a Phoenix resident. "It's Sox fans that have a rabid hatred of the Cubs, and I believe it is jealousy. They've never been the No. 1 team." advertisement It's true. I grew up on the south side of Chicago, where the air was courtesy of the Sherwin-Williams paint factory, where freight trains bellowed in the middle of the night, where illicit trips to Wrigley Field remained a guarded family secret. Unlike the Red Sox, the White Sox don't have a nation. They have a small, blue-collar mob. Sadly, they are best known for blowing up disco records and running after umpires. But most of all, they carry a massive inferiority complex, and oh, how it must hurt to have all these Cubs fans openly cheering for them in the American League Championship Series. "We get this older couple in here from Chicago - Gene and Sandy - and they wear their Cubs gear all the time," said Anthony Garcia, manager at R.T. O'Sullivan's in Mesa. "The other day we asked them if they were rooting against the White Sox. They said, 'No. We're from Chicago. We're still going to cheer for them.' " It's a zany idea to those weaned on the hate biscuits of Arizona-Arizona State, but the dynamics of this relationship are more dysfunctional than any other rivalry in professional sports. The Cubs are massively popular. Their brand is universal. They are the Yankees without the championships, and their fans stretch the corners of the globe. They are posers, poets, elitists, purists, politicians and actors. In most cases, they wouldn't be caught dead even thinking about the White Sox. It's basically a class thing. As in, they don't think White Sox fans have any. Thus, the White Sox and their fans go largely ignored in a major city. "Remember, Sox fans detest Cubs fans," said Glendale's Joe Hutchinson, a native Chicagoan. "Most Cubs fans are ambivalent." It's the way it goes, the way it's been, and you know what? White Sox fans should hate Cubs fans, for the Cubs are the ones who ended up with the great ballpark, the great neighborhood and the megawatt superstation (WGN). The other day, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (lifelong White Sox fan) complained how the Cubs had their newspaper (Chicago Tribune), and how does one compete with that kind of home-press advantage? What the Cubs didn't have - Harry Caray - they simply stole from the South Siders. So, yes, it's been hard getting through this postseason without a little taunting. "I think the majority of Cubs fans are apathetic," said Brad Zibung, editor in chief of The Heckler, a publication dedicated to baseball fans on the north side of Chicago. "Well, they're as apathetic as they can be when drunk Sox fans stumble through Wrigleyville slurring things like, 'Hey, how'd the Cubs do tonight?' " That said, even Zibung thinks the White Sox's remarkable season is great for the city. "If the Sox actually brought Chicago its first World Series title since 1917, it will change the way Chicagoans view their baseball team," he said. Of course, Cubs fans believe that is impossible. They are not threatened by the White Sox's run at a title, even if it would put the Cubs' misfortunes on center stage, alone. They believe they will forever be the kings of the Second City, and they're probably right. "The Cubs had a bad year. They finished behind Milwaukee," said former Cy Young Award winner Steve Stone, who played for both teams. "But that would seem like a pretty bad reason not to cheer for the White Sox, and I think what most Cubs fans want is what's good for Chicago. And if they're cheering for anyone during the playoffs, they're probably cheering for the Astros to beat the Cardinals." But they're not against cheering for the White Sox. After all, they represent different worlds, but they share the same boundaries. And if the White Sox can end their own little curse, surely the Cubs will be next. Reach Bickley at [email protected] or (602) 444-8253. I just sent this guy an email.. He couldn't be further from the truth, and the whole point of the article was to demean the Sox and their fans. Completely naive and narrow-minded, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Generalizations suck....ALL OF 'EM. There are just as many obsessive Sox-haters as their are Cubsessed Sox fans. To try to spin it otherwise is flat-out wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox It To Em Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 QUOTE(The Critic @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 11:35 AM) Generalizations suck....ALL OF 'EM. There are just as many obsessive Sox-haters as their are Cubsessed Sox fans. To try to spin it otherwise is flat-out wrong. Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I wonder what bugs them worse, the White Sox, the Astros, or the Cardinals in it... OR ALL 3!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 10:57 AM) I wonder what bugs them worse, the White Sox, the Astros, or the Cardinals in it... OR ALL 3!!! I know the trolls here are REALLY dreading a possible Sox/Cards World Series. Cheering HARD for the Angels, cuz they lose either way in the NLCS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 This guy must not remember the days that the Sox were conistently the bigger draw in town. If the Sox can manage a few post-season apperances in a row and the Cubs manage to stay under .500 there could be a large shift in popularity... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I do believe there are more Cub fans that root for the Sox than vice versa. It comes down to casual fans. They are not the hard core fans that frequent this site or a similar Cub site, but the 500,000 extra tickets that are sold at Wrigley every year. They enjoy a baseball game on a warm weekend. They choose the game more on their schedule or the Cub opponent, than the pitching matchups or playoff implications. Wrigley is the place to be, they are surrounded by 25,000 fans like themselves, a great neighborhood for before and after the game. They don't bleed Cubbie blue, and probably know less Cub history than the average Soxtalk poster. This makes cheering for the Sox because of a Chicago connection easier than cheering for the Angels without a connection. Another factor is the out of town pressure. Most people here did not believe that I loved Steve Bartman. They could not understand me rooting against a Chicago team. They assumed it was a losers limp. That I was pretending to enjoy the Cub's losing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S720 Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Go and tell them to talk to my Cubs-fan brothers and friends. They would want nothing more than for the Angels to put the White Sox away in a sweep! And that's the fact! Have you all noticed the people on the baseball message boards who complained the most and really intensify their criticism about the call last night were either those who hate the White Sox AND the Cubs fans? My brother who has moved away from Chicago since 1989 still hates the White Sox in his gut. I respect his feelings as well as he has for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 QUOTE(S720 @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 12:15 PM) Go and tell them to talk to my Cubs-fan brothers and friends. They would want nothing more than for the Angels to put the White Sox away in a sweep! And that's the fact! Have you all noticed the people on the baseball message boards who complained the most and really intensify their criticism about the call last night were either those who hate the White Sox AND the Cubs fans? My brother who has moved away from Chicago since 1989 still hates the White Sox in his gut. I respect his feelings as well as he has for me. You are right for the hard core fan. The Cub fan base is not all hard core. They have legions of casual fans who really don't care. We've made fun of their fans for years, talking on a cell phone, showing up late, not knowing players, not knowing the rules, standings, etc. Those people do not care and are the very people we are trying to attract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S720 Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 13, 2005 -> 12:17 PM) You are right for the hard core fan. The Cub fan base is not all hard core. They have legions of casual fans who really don't care. We've made fun of their fans for years, talking on a cell phone, showing up late, not knowing players, not knowing the rules, standings, etc. Those people do not care and are the very people we are trying to attract. Good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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