15 Things Nobody Told You About Being a Chicago Cubs Fan

By Jacob Kornhauser

15 Things Nobody Told You About Being a Chicago Cubs Fan

New York Mets v Chicago Cubs — Despite their century-plus long World Series drought, the Chicago Cubs have one of the strongest fan bases in baseball. For fans born into fan hood, there are several things they quickly learn. Whether they've realized it yet or not, these 15 things are true of being a Cubs fan.

15. They Become a Staple of Your Summer

Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers

15. They Become a Staple of Your Summer

Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers — Even though the baseball season spans across spring, summer and some of fall, it seems like summer is the biggest season for the baseball year. During the months of June, July and August, baseball just seems that much more exciting. Especially at Wrigley Field, the Cubs really are best watched during the summer.

14. You Will Have a Moment You Truly Become a Cubs Fan

Chicago Cubs fans dejected

14. You Will Have a Moment You Truly Become a Cubs Fan

Chicago Cubs fans dejected — For the most recent generation, the Bartman game was their defining moment. The generation before that had the 1984 NLCS collapse and the generation before that had the 1969 blown division to the Miracle Mets. The point is, every group of Cubs fans has a story about how they knew they were truly Cubs fans since they stuck with the team after total heartbreak.

13. They Become a Religion

Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds

13. They Become a Religion

Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds — You won't know what's happening first, but slowly you will start doing some crazy things as a Cubs fan. You will get very superstitious and your life will begin to revolved around the start time of Cubs games for half the year.

12. They Will Become Your Favorite TV Show April Through September

Chicago Cubs Introduce Jon Lester

12. They Will Become Your Favorite TV Show April Through September

Chicago Cubs Introduce Jon Lester — Sure, there is "Game of Thrones", "House of Cards" and "The Blacklist", but the Cubs' regular season is better than all of those. Even when they're bad, the narratives that develop throughout the Cubs season become must-watch television. When they're good, they're better than any hit show ever released.

11. It's a Futile Effort Sometimes

Chicago Cubs v St. Louis Cardinals

11. It's a Futile Effort Sometimes

Chicago Cubs v St. Louis Cardinals — While most Cubs fans have their best interest in mind, sometimes they can torture themselves. Since the Cubs are rarely actually competitive, they can get their hopes up for a team that won't amount to anything. On some level, that might be what's so thrilling about being a Cubs fan. When will that hope finally be rewarded?

10. You Can Find a Cubs Fan Anywhere You Go

Chicago Cubs v Boston Red Sox

10. You Can Find a Cubs Fan Anywhere You Go

Chicago Cubs v Boston Red Sox — Since the Cubs are such a popular team and since all of their games used to be aired on national television on WGN, they have a great fan following around the country. The thrill of being a Cubs fan is that wherever you go, to a baseball game or otherwise, you'll find fellow Cubs fans.

9. They Will Break Your Heart

Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers

9. They Will Break Your Heart

Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers — Any Cubs fan who has been a fan for over a season is going to feel some measure of heartbreak at some point. Most teams will deal these unkind blows to their fans, but the Cubs have turned it into an art form. Just when the team seems ready to break through, that's when they will play the worst and shatter your hopes.

8. You Will Develop a Love-Hate Relationship

Chicago Cubs Introduce Joe Maddon

8. You Will Develop a Love-Hate Relationship

Chicago Cubs Introduce Joe Maddon — Since the Cubs will break your heart and make your day on alternating days, you will naturally develop a love-hate relationship with the team. That love for the team will always be stronger, but sometimes they will break your heart so badly that you have to reconsider your feelings for the franchise.

7. You Will Get Made Fun of Consistently

Washington Nationals v Chicago Cubs

7. You Will Get Made Fun of Consistently

Washington Nationals v Chicago Cubs — As a Cubs fan, you're going to get made fun of by other baseball fans. No matter the other baseball fan base, people feel better about their own team by making fun of the Cubs. After all, the Cubs haven't won a World Series in 107 years and counting, so they're an easy target for ridicule.

6. You Will Become an Optimist

Arizona Diamondbacks v Chicago Cubs

6. You Will Become an Optimist

Arizona Diamondbacks v Chicago Cubs — However hard it is to believe, being a Cubs fan brings out the optimist in all of us. It's a defense mechanism because without being optimistic, being a Cubs fan would actually be impossible. Since the team is constantly letting down, optimism is what keeps people hoping that one day the Cubs may end their long World Series drought.

5. Each Generation Has Their Own Heartbreak Story

MLB Photos Archive

5. Each Generation Has Their Own Heartbreak Story

MLB Photos Archive — Like mentioned before, every generation has a story of heartbreak that defines them. These heartbreak stories live on in infamy, but they also make the fan base's desire for a World Series title even stronger since the team always reminds their fan base how close they've gotten.

4. Expectations Are Better Left Low

SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game - World Team v United States

4. Expectations Are Better Left Low

SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game - World Team v United States — It's easier said than done, but the lower the expectations on any single Cubs team, the better. With high expectation, usually comes a lot of heartbreak. Even though this is the best course of action, it is very rare that Cubs fans have low expectations, even when the team seems like they shouldn't be any good.

3. Other Fans Just Don't Understand

Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox

3. Other Fans Just Don't Understand

Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox — From the outside, being a Cubs fan seems like something really foolish. It's a bunch of people rooting for a team that hasn't won a title in over 100 years and always believing they're going to win even when it doesn't seem like they will. However, they just can't begin to understand the complex process of being a Cubs fan.

2. Their Pursuit of a World Series Title is Most Thrilling Thing in Sports

2014 World Series Game 7: San Francisco Giants v. Kansas City Royals

2. Their Pursuit of a World Series Title is Most Thrilling Thing in Sports

2014 World Series Game 7: San Francisco Giants v. Kansas City Royals — At this point, a lot of the allure of being a Cubs fan is wanting to watch the team win their first World Series title in 107 years. If and when that happens, it could create the greatest moment in sports history (and that's not an understatement). Being a fan that stuck with the team through thick and thin and then being rewarded with a World Series title is an idea that is beyond exciting.

1. There's Always Next Year

Philadelphia Phillies v Chicago Cubs

1. There's Always Next Year

Philadelphia Phillies v Chicago Cubs — For the times Cubs fans are disappointed, which is how every season has ended for over a century, the term "there's always next year" has become a popular saying. It says that even though another year has passed without a World Series title, the fan base is still looking ahead to the following season. One can only hope this loyal fan base can finally get to see "this year" in the near future.

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