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The Agony and the Ecstasy
Bear fans have been extremely lucky. As tough as it sometimes seems, at least recently we've had a team that's relatively easy to root for. Oh, I know. Winning seasons have been at a premium over the last ten years. It's not to say that being a Bear fan is easy. It's just that it could be a lot worse. There's more to being a fan than that and there are many more obstacles to overcome than having to stand by a team that stinks.
Very few times in my life have I ever gotten so fed up that I've actually quit on a team enitrely. The most prominent was after the infamous playoff game when Scotty Pippen quit on Bulls fans when he refused to go in with 1.8 seconds left on the clock. Even then, it wasn't Pippen that put the nail in the coffin. That happened before the next game when tens of thousands of Bulls fans stood and cheered for him. They didn't do this because they forgave him - he didn't ask for that from the fans for another three full months and even then the apology was insincere and had more to do with money. They did it because they wanted to see the team win and if standing up and sacrificing their self-respect would do it, no problem. I was so sickened that I had to turn the television off. Ever since I've never been able to watch the Bulls for more than a few minutes without getting an uneasy feeling that makes me switch the channel. It's one thing to see a spoiled player with too much pride make a mistake. Its another thing all together for an incident to shake one's faith in humanity.
But even given that incidents like this are rare in Chicago, being a fan can be tough. Its a roller coaster ride, the rare big climb followed by downhill falls that go on forever. Cub fans are among the most loyal you'll find. From the most knowledgable husband to the most "fiery" wife they stick with their team, body and soul. And when you talk to them they're always, always angry. The team stinks. It always stinks. The Tribune Company stinks, the manager stinks, the position players stink, the pitchers stink. Until, that is, they go somewhere else and throw near perfect games. Does one year like 2003 really make all those other years of disappointment before and since worthwhile? Why do we do it? Why do we all cheer for teams that, overall, almost always have more downs than ups, rarely meeting expectations that only go up as team accomplishments do. It's like a malicious joke which cruely takes advantage of our nature as man. It sometimes seems like an affliction more often than it seems a blessing.
But Bear fans usually at least have decent human beings to root for. Many team members are well known for their work in the community. Yes, there's the occasional gun charge but, lets be honest, it isn't like we're frequently dealing with shootings and robberies (or worse). Imagine being in Baltmiore and trying to stand by Ray Lewis while he was being tried for murder.
In this respect, I've always had a great deal of compassion for Vikings fans. Generally nice people, Minneapolis fans tend to have an urban outlook without so much of the hardness that often comes with it. I've always liked them in spite of, or perhaps partly because of, my low opinion of the Viking organization, itself. Never have I seen a group of fans have to find a way to root for so much human garbage. From Randy "there's no team in I" Moss to the "Whiz kid" Ontario Smith to the Love Boat scandal, it a neverending series of embarrassments. It was while browsing a Vikings board on the Internet that I came across the following post by a vociferous poet after a particularly tough loss to the Bears in 2001. It has been reposted every year since during Viking week. It is with an admiration almost as strong as that of the first year that I do so again:
I've had it! I can't take this shit no more! I'm done! THIS TEAM IS A GODDAMN EMBARASSMENT AND I HAVE HAD IT! I BURNED MY VIKINGS FLAG YESTERDAY, CHUCK FOREMAN GAVE IT TO ME WHEN I WAS A KID! I BURNED THE FUCKING THING AND MY WIFE FREAKED OUT SO I ENDED UP FORKING THE FIERY RAG AND THROWING'ER IN THE WEBER GRILL. GODDAMN RACCOONS! AND GODDAMN THE HEARTLESS VIKINGS AND ALL THEIR GODDAMN EXCUSES! I WANT MY DEVOTION BACK! AND ALL THOSE GODDAMN GAMES, AND ALL THOSE GODDAMN HEARTBREAKS!.
I QUIT. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!.
ARE WE CURSED? ARE WE CURSED?!!
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