Do Chicago Sports Franchises Feed off the Ineptitude of Each Other?

My first real memories of Chicago sports go back to 1963. That year the Loyola Ramblers won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, and the Bears won the NFL championship. Times were good for Chicago sports fans. The White Sox had gone to the World Series in 1959 and even the Cubs had been to a World Series less than 20 years previously. It’s already been seven years since the Cubs have been to the World Series, and it looks like it will be a while before either Chicago baseball team makes it back.

But why does a great sports town like Chicago have such a poor record in sports? Does general ineptitude of other Chicago sports teams lead to apathy on the part of all of them? Have Chicago sports fans lowered their expectations to the point that the slop presented to them is deemed acceptable?

Thank you, Portland Trailblazers for the greatest Chicago sport run in my lifetime

You might recall that the Bulls drafted Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. This was with the third overall pick. The Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon, then the Trailblazers drafted Sam Bowie, leaving Michael Jordan to fall to the Bulls. Thank you, Portland Trailblazers. The Chicago sports landscape and history would look so much different if the Blazers had drafted Jordan. And the franchise is still feeding off that era. Did I mention the Bulls are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf?

Here come the Hawks

The Blackhawks won a Stanley Cup in 1961. Their next Cup came in 2010. During that time the franchise saw some really lean seasons. Things changed a bit when the head of the Hawks, Bill Wirtz died, and his son, Rocky took over. In fairness the team did have a nice five year run during the 2010s. But it took a change at the head of the organization to produce a change on the ice. Last season the Blackhawks won the draft lottery and were able to draft generational talent, Connor Bedard. With tons of cap space, I’m not sure why the Hawks didn’t surround him with more talent. There was talk about not taking on bad contracts, but in terms of winning, why not use the cap space available? Unless you’re not concerned about the product on ice.

The Bears seem to be committed to winning

Out of all the major Chicago pro sports franchises, the Bears seem the most committed to winning. Maybe the franchise got tired of constantly being pantsed by Aaron Rodgers. Maybe they realize 1985 was a long time ago. Regardless, the organization hired Ryan Poles to be their GM. Ryan Poles has made some bold movies. Not all have worked, but on balance, he has been a refreshing change on the Chicago sports scene. His ability and transparency have been a refreshing change from what Bears’ fans are used to seeing.

And then there are the Cubs and White Sox

The Cubs famously went 108 years between championships. The Sox went a mere 88. It reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? When faced with the prospects of going to prison for decades, Pete states he will be 84 when he gets out. Ever the optimist, Delmar says, “I’ll only be 82.”Only in Chicago would an 88-year championship drought be overshadowed. The White Sox are currently trying to feed off the carcass of their 2005 World Series championship while the Cubs try to styme fans expectations with their 2016 win. As things stand now, head of Cubs’ baseball operations, Jed Hoyer is preaching patience. Meanwhile, the White Sox owner is Jerry Reinsdorf. Need I say more?