January 14, 2021: Between a Rock and a…

What as fans are we supposed to do when the people in charge of our teams aren’t doing a good job? That’s the million dollar question… It’s not like we’re “allowing” or “accepting” it; what control do we have? You’re going to try to tell me to stop supporting my teams? And take the enjoyment, some years more than others, that they provide away from me? You think I’m going to bandwagon hop to another team, like all the assholes walking around with Packer gear in this city? Never that. So then what? It’s not easy being a die hard fan of any team; this is the type of shit you have to put up with. It’s like being stuck between a rock and a…

OK, obviously I’m referring to the Bears here, but we’ve lived through some other rough stuff. The Blackhawks under Bill Wirtz where we couldn’t even watch them on TV? The Cubs with a lot of folks pre-Theo, and Ricketts for that matter, who seemed to embrace the loveable loser image? The Bulls post 6 titles with a guy more concerned about the White Sox then winning another ring with the Bulls, along with the two headed Gar Pax monster? The Sox with just enough interest in winning to keep folks headed to the park? Yeah, I’m sure Chicago is not alone here. I’m sure there are teams, many teams in all sports across the country that have ran into this issue over the years; I can’t imagine more than a few that can say they haven’t. This is our life as a fan. Rooting for something so hard that we really have little control over improving. Empty seats? I guess… I was at Soldier Field late in, what was it, 2017, where the stadium was half full; did that prompt the improvement in 2018? Shit, the UC used to be empty for the Blackhawks pre the recently ended dynasty; did that do the trick? Were we as fans doing our due diligence? Sox park is empty most of the time; how’s that working out? Wrigley before 84 wasn’t hopping like it is today; was it the empty seats that forced ownership and general management to make the team better? I call BS.

Fact is, I will NEVER root for another team… no matter what; I don’t regret it. Sure, it sucks when MY teams aren’t winning, but let me tell you… we’ve been in WAY worse spots than we are today as Bears fans. I called for Pace’s departure; that didn’t happen. I was OK with Nagy staying; that’s happening. I called for Pagano’s departure; he’s retiring… small wins man. I don’t want Trubisky back; that’s most likely going to happen. I want to sign a QB and draft a QB; it’d be hard to imagine at least not one of them happening. So…

Winning isn’t easy; winning it all only happens to about 3% of teams each year. What about the other 97%? What about teams that make the playoffs but don’t win it all? We want a title every year, duh… but 1 in my lifetime for the Bears is NOT acceptable, any way you cut it; similarly most of us have seen only 1 Cubs and 1 Sox title. At least the Hawks gave us the recent 3, and the Bulls 6… yet we still complain. What CAN we do to help make our teams better? I don’t know… you tell me. Yeah, I’ll bitch about my teams, but I’ll always support them. Times get rough, things get better, then worse, then better… this isn’t for the faint of heart. You pissed off about the Bears? Let it out man… then make sure your jerseys are cleaned and ready for next year. If not, there’s always room on some other team’s bandwagon. Things aren’t great, but they aren’t that horrible, right? I mean, we’re not the only team without a franchise QB in my lifetime are we? Bear Down??? Heck yes, Bear Down!