Creative Commons
The other night I was watching the Chicago Blackhawks drop a third period lead and go on to lose to the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3–2. It was so typical of the Blackhawks. I thought, “What a bunch of losers!” Not just the Blackhawks, Chicago pro sports franchises as a whole. Let’s analyze that a bit.
A little fan history
I’ve been rooting for Chicago sports teams since 1963. That was a good year to start. The Bears won a championship, and the Loyola of Chicago Ramblers won the NCAA basketball championship. Not a bad time for Chicago sports fans.
Then came the drought.
Chicago didn’t see another sports championship until the 1985 Bears. But relief was on the way.
The Michael Jordan-led Bulls won three championships in the 90s. The White Sox broke an 88-year drought and won the world series in 2005. The Bears even made it into the 2006 Super Bowl, though they lost with “Rex is our QB” Grossman at the helm.
The 2010s saw the Blackhawks set up a semi dynasty with three Stanley Cups. And to top it all off, the Cubs won their first world series in 108 years. But since then, it’s been downhill. Here’s a closer look at each franchise.
The Blackhawks need to do more than win the draft lottery
After a dismal 2022–23 season, the Blackhawks won the draft lottery and were able to pick Connor Bedard. And surround with mediocrity and less than mediocrity. Why?
Last season Bedard scored 22 goals. This season he’s scored three. Why? Is he over the hill? Probably not. No doubt having some skill around him would help. I’m not sure why the Blackhawks are content to sit on salary cap money while their best player is swimming in a pool of mediocrity.
Maybe the Hawks plan on winning the draft lottery again. They really need to flesh that plan out.
For Bears’ ownership, a simple question
What are you guys doing? Why can you never get it right? Okay, actually that’s two questions. The family patriarch, George Halas, was a founder of the NFL. Would somebody please learn the family business? Or failing that, at least find somebody who knows what he’s doing to run the show?
Watching Matt Eberflus figuratively drown is a painful experience. The man is clearly in over his head. Prolonging his and Bears’ fans’ misery isn’t helping anybody.
How bad is the Bears’ organization? It could potentially ruin what was thought to be a near generational talent in rookie QB, Caleb Williams. Why is there so much toleration of incompetence?
Does the McCaskey family have a share in a pharmaceutical company that sells antidepressants in Chicago? That’s the only answer I can come up with.
With Jerry Reisndorf it’s a two for one situation
Of course, Jerry owns the Bulls and White Sox. While the Bulls are bad, the White Sox are historically bad. The Bulls have been in NBA purgatory for a number of years now. They’ve been on the cusp of the NBA playoffs for years, with no hope of a championship. However, it looks like they will break that cycle.
They probably won’t make the playoffs this year and will trade off their best talent in the process. They can be the NBA’s version of the White Sox.
While the Bulls may be in NBA purgatory, the White Sox seem to be in the lowest level of Dante’s Inferno. I believe it’s level ten and it’s cheap and incompetent pro sports franchise ownership.
Actually, there is an even lower level of Dante’s Inferno. It’s reserved for fans of Jerry Reinsdorf owned sports teams. Oh, the misery.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man, aka the Cubs are king
The Cubs are competent, but seemingly not motivated to win. They constantly harp on their farm system, but haven’t used it to any particular advantage, outside of using it to peddle hope to a frustrated fan base.
Maybe Jed Hoyer being on the hot seat will stir his creativity.
