The main source of the Cubs' curse was the fans themselves. They are too loyal.
--Jerry Useem, The Atlantic, July/August 2016
I've heard lots of reasons over the years why the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, though the one to which I gave the most credence was that since the Cubs played during the day the players should have treated it like a day job and they did not, carousing all night and showing up with hangovers. Now. according to a recent study by University of Chicago economist Tobias Moskowitz, the Cubs fans are too loyal, they show up whether the team wins or not. Owner Phil Wrigley in the mid-1930's started emphasizing "the sunshine and the relaxation" of a day at the ballpark, planting ivy on the Wrigley Field outfield wall and constructing the hand-operated scoreboard. To me it is strange that Useem seems to think this is a bad thing! A day at Wrigley field is a delight; after all, even the best teams lose a third of the time or more.
Now the Cubs have a new owner, Tom Ricketts, who is trying to win, having hired Theo Epstein to run things after Epstein changed things for the Red Sox. The Cubs are leading their division, hiring new players and playing more night games. But is this a good thing? I enjoy going to Yankee and Mets games, as well as to the Staten Island and Brooklyn minor league teams and it is generally irrelevant to me where these teams are in the standings. Of course I like a good, well-played game, but the importance of "winning" has already ruined the Tour de France and the Olympics and has done plenty of harm to other sports, including baseball, with its steroid scandals. Is it too much to ask at this point that one just enjoy the beauty of the game?
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