This post is an experiment.
It's a question that's been on my mind for a while, and with still more than 24 hours until the Cubs' next game, I thought I'd pose it here and see if fans of other teams will give me thoughtful answers. What I do NOT want here is more taunts of "Flubbies", or yells of "Cubs suck", or profanity. If the comments on this post degenerate into that, it will be deleted.
I simply can't figure out what I have seen increasingly in recent years: real hatred of the Cubs, not just wanting to beat the team on the field, but genuine, deep-down, emotional hate. Why is that? All we've done for the last 101 years is let the other teams win every single championship, not taking even one for ourselves. You'd think something like that would provoke, at the very least, gratitude, if not a bit of sympathy. Note: I'm not looking for sympathy here. I'm a Cubs fan, wear it proudly, and when the Cubs do finally win that elusive World Series title, the celebration amongst us will dwarf anything you've ever seen.
So why is it? I've noted in particular the hatred I've seen from Reds and Brewers fans, who seem to resent the fact that we fill up their ballparks when the Cubs are visiting. All I can say to that is -- hey, if you don't want us to buy all the tickets, buy them yourselves. Why is it that Marty Brennaman, a respected team broadcaster, taunts Cubs fans on the air? We understand having "1908" yelled at us by fans of other clubs -- but why are team marketing departments putting goats on their video boards when the Cubs are in town?
Cardinals and White Sox fans are exempt from this exercise, although you can chime in if you have something to say along the lines I outlined above. We already know how much you hate us. For the record, I don't "hate" either the Cardinals or White Sox. Both teams have devoted, knowledgeable and passionate fans and I have had many good baseball discussions with those fans at games involving their teams; sure, I tweak the White Sox from time to time, but isn't that all part of being a fan of a heated rival? Yes, I want the Cubs to win every single game they play against them (and all the other teams too), but I don't "hate" them, nor do I refuse to go to games at the South Side ballpark. There are friends of mine, Cubs fans, who not only do that but refuse to root for any former Cardinal or White Sox who becomes a Cub unless those players have been on another team "in between". That's just ridiculous. When Jim Edmonds put on Cub pinstripes, after first saying "he's done" (and happy I was wrong), I always wanted him to do well. Now he's a Brewer -- so I hope he strikes out every time he comes up against the Cubs. But I don't "hate" him.
So what say you, fans of other teams? Why is it this way? Why the hate? And for regular readers of this site who are Cubs fans, you can participate too -- why do you think this is so?