Chicago Sports Teams Have Had The Worst Year Ever
Chicago, Illinois is the third biggest city in the United States, based on population. Based on this statistic, one could assume that Chicago's professional sports organizations would be a dominating force for generations. In the 80's, the Chicago Bears reigned supreme within the city. The 90's included the greatest modern NBA dynasty with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The White Sox won the World Series in '05. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. And the last championship brought to Chicago was by the Cubs in 2016, breaking their 108 year championship drought in the process.
I saw this screenshot yesterday and it truly put in perspective how much the professional sports teams in Chicago have been disappointing over the last calendar year.
A combined .379 win percentage between 5 teams? Seems impossible. We were supposedly headed to the Golden Era of Chicago sports, but we have ended up with the opposite result with massive disappointment. Chicago has a rich sports tradition, but it's becoming less and less apparent that the organizations within the city are able to be consistently competitive within their respective leagues.
The Bulls
The Bulls haven't been good since the Derrick Rose era ended. The trio of Demar Derozen, Lonzo Ball, and Zach Lavine gave us the greatest nickname for a trio ever, DeBallZach, as well as hope for the 2021-2022 season. The Bulls were the 1 seed in the East when Lonzo got hurt in early 2022, and then fell to the 6th seed after the 82-game season. The Bulls have been a fringe play-in team since that point in time.
Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of both the Bulls and White Sox, is considered to be one of the worst owners in professional sports. The front office of the Bulls continues to fail to structure a competitive team, even though the Bulls are an international brand with tons of resources to use. Jerry lucked into getting Michael Jordan in the 80's, and the front office still somehow mismanaged his time with the Bulls. Watch "The Last Dance" and you will understand the incompetence that is the Chicago Bulls organization.
The Bears
The Bears have made the playoffs three times since 2010, with one playoff win since that time. It seems the team is headed in a positive direction, with Bears GM Ryan Poles at the helm trying to rebuild the mess that former Bears GM Ryan Pace left him. The rebuild started right after the 2021 season, and since that point in time, not a lot of positives have came in 2022 or 2023 (other than receiving the 1st overall pick, thank you Carolina). With the Bears drafting Caleb Williams to be the savior and now being this year's featured team on HBO's "Hard Knocks", there is a lot of excitement for the Bears entering the 2024 NFL season.
Chicago is a Bears town. The city of Chicago wants the Bears to be good more than they want air. The Bears being good would also be very good for the NFL. Everyone wins if the Bears are competitive. This is the first time in a few years it's exciting to be a Bears fan. I'm hoping that they can make the playoffs this year and then 2025 go for the whole thing. Make the playoffs this year and then we can build off that for the coming years.
The Cubs
The Chicago Cubs season is officially over. I held on for numerous games, only to be let down for another season. At least last year the team was supposed to be bad, ended up gaining momentum towards the end of the season, and almost made the playoffs last year as a surprise team. At worst, this was supposed to be a wild card team. A team filled with young potential, a top farm system in baseball, and a supposed massive improvement at the managerial position.
They have failed this year and I cannot justify watching this team much longer. The Cubs, can't seem to get out of their own way and continue to try and find the magic that was 2016. This season is officially in full-on panic mode and they need to make a run before the trade deadline.
The White Sox
White Sox twitter might be the best subsection of twitter ever. They also can't do a rebuild correctly. Pure entertainment and major distain for Jerry Reinsdorf (from above), considered to be the worst owner in baseball. The White Sox did win the World Series in 2005, but besides that special year, the Southsiders have not won a single playoff series since 1917. They are always considered to be the little brother of the Cubs, so it's understandable that they get less attention than the Cubs. Regardless, they need to get it together and keep the team in Chicago.
The Blackhawks
I don't know much about the Blackhawks or hockey in general, but it seems the Blackhawks are in a major rebuild. After the departure of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, they have struggled to be competitive. The savior Connor Bedard seems promising and extremely talented, so hopefully they can build around their young star. Hoping in the next few years they can make a deep playoff run, playing Chelsea Dagger on a loop.
I am just holding out for football season at this point. The Bears won't be much better but they should be more enjoyable to watch than the Cubs. The Cubs are in last place in the NL Central, and somehow still in the Wild Card race. The National League is very bad this year but that is besides the point. Hope can be held for only so long before acceptance is reached. And accepting that this team is bad and not a playoff team is best for being let down softly. Truly holding out hope the Bears can be good, that would make all this suffering worth it. Caleb Williams Offensive ROY 2024 (hopefully).
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