The Worm, The Fridge, His Airness, Sweetness, Ditka, Shoeless Joe, Da Bears, Da Bulls.  Let’s face it.  Love it or hate it, Chicago is hands down the best sports city in America.  You won’t find teams popping up like Starbucks here in Chicago.  This isn’t a city of McFranchises.  Teams in Chi-town practically drip tradition.  The Bears have been around since 1920, and this year Wrigley will host the Cubs for its 90th year.  

Everybody knows, you just can’t be the best sports city in America without a curse.  And Chicago has the king of curses.  The curse of the Billy Goat has haunted Cubs players and fans alike for decades.  The last time the Cubs won a World Series was 1908.  Let that sink in for a moment.  There have been 17 Presidents since the last time the Cubs have worn that championship jewelry.  Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Nirvana have come and gone.  Two World Wars have been fought, communism has toppled, and Michael Jackson has changed noses, twice, since the Cubs last won the big game.  Cue 2003: With the Cubs only 1 game away from the World Series, the newest goat in town, Steve Bartman, snags a foul ball away from Moises Alou and with it, snags any hopes for a World Series appearance.  Being a Cubs fan is a lot like making a New Years resolution.  Every year you think big.  For the first few weeks, maybe even a month, everything is going according to plan.  But in the back of your mind, you know it’s never going to work out.  And, sure enough, when you least expect it, it all falls apart.  It’s funny though because no matter how many years in a row the Cubs play games with our hearts, we always come back.  And that’s what being a Chicago fan is all about.
 
However, the Cubs Curse might not even be the best in the city.  The Black Sox curse is the best curse no one is talking about.  However, that’s just because all the whining from the East Coast (read: Boston) has overshadowed it.  The curse has haunted the city since Shoeless Joe and Co., and the last time they won a title was 1917.  C’mon, the White Sox have actually thrown a World Series since the last time they won one! Say it ain’t so. 

But, Chicago fans take their curses in stride.  The best thing about the Red Sox winning the World Series is maybe they’ll finally shut up about that Bambino guy.    The Cubs averaged over 39,000 people at each game while over 24,000 saw the White Sox each night.  Yeah, LA might have a higher attendance for Dodger games, but does it really count when half the fans don’t show up till the fourth inning?  Chicago is a city of real people.  Chicago is a city of real fans.  You won’t find Denzel, Jack, or Spike sitting front row at a Cubs game.  That’s not what Chicago sports are all about.  In Chicago, sports aren’t viewed as an opportunity to up social standing or make the cover of a magazine.  Sports are a way of life, no, they are life.  From the hundreds of fans tailgating before Bears games to the diehard soccer fans suffering through pouring spring nights, Chicago fans are as real as they get.

With every great sports city comes a great sports dynasty, well, Chicago has two.  Never have two teams changed the landscape of professional sports like Da Bears and Da Bulls.  The Bears under the czar of Chicago, Mike Ditka, took the football world by storm in the 80’s.  Constantly innovating, including introducing the “46” defense, Ditka and his team shuffled all the way to the Super Bowl in 1985.  Led by quarterback Jim McMahon and Walter Payton the team won the world title and produced the always entertaining “Super Bowl Shuffle.”  William “The Fridge” Perry’s touchdown in Super Bowl XX endeared him to the hearts of the obese fan worldwide.  Payton will go down in history as one of the best running backs ever to lace up a pair of cleats and.   

The Bulls won 6 titles during the 1990’s, which, coincidentally, is only 15 points below the average Philly fans IQ.  With the most electrifying man ever to play the game, the Bulls established themselves as the greatest dynasty in the history of sports.  His Airness, Michael Jordan, defied the rules of gravity, and parity.  His Bulls were the face of the sport for an entire decade, and his empire reigns supreme even today.  The sky-walking, tongue wagging, trash talking, king of all things basketball that is Jordan shined brighter than any Chicago skyline ever could.  Yankee stadium is called the House that Ruth Built, well, Chicago is the city Jordan made.  Think about it. Without sports and MJ, Chicago would still be known for its wind and pizza.  How many other cities in the country can say that a sporting team completely transformed the image of their city? 

Plus we got the MLS.  Yes New York, America has a soccer league.  If you weren’t so busy driving cabs and finding people to whack, maybe you’d notice.  The Chicago Fire draws over 17,000 people each game, and the city is constructing a $70 million new stadium.

Now, you might ask about the Blackhawks, and I have a very simple answer for you.  As long as there is no NHL season, there is no Blackhawks.  So let’s move on…

After a brief lull, the Bulls are finally back on track.  Fans no longer go to the games just to gawk at the Jordan statue/Mecca outside of the United Center.  Ben Gordon (it rhymes with Jordan) has been leading the Baby Bulls back to contention.  And with the Great White Hope Kirk Heinrich running the point, the Bulls are finally back in the playoff hunt.  A dynasty in the making?  Stay tuned.

Speaking of newborn dynasties, don’t forget about the Fighting Illini.  No sports city is complete without a dominant college program, and the basketball team at Illinois is just that.  The magical run through the regular season and beyond took the city by storm.  A sea of orange flooded the Final Four, as Coach of the Year Bruce Weber led this team deep into the postseason.  The triple threats of Dee, Deron, and Luther had opponent’s heads spinning all season long.  I hope you didn’t blink while they were on the court during the championship game.  Only a performance of epic proportions (think Sean May’s appetite) by the Tar Heels kept the Illini from cutting down the nets in St. Louis.  The emergence of this team has vaulted Chicago to the throne of sports cities here in this great country.  

    After all Chicago fans have been through over the years, it’s a good thing there a virtual city of bars across from Wrigley Field.  Coincidence?  I think not.  If your looking for a cold beer, hot wings, and some great sports head over to this stretch of town.  Wrigleyville is located right across from Wrigley Field and hosts the best sports bars in the country.  A trip to Chicago isn’t complete without a trip to one, or all, of the sports bars in town.  The Cubby Bar, is a monstrous building which quenches the thirst of the Cubs bleacher bums.  Although the atmosphere might be different whether the Cubs win or lose, one thing is for sure:  cold beer.  What sports city is complete without an ESPN Zone?  Chicago’s features a 14 foot tall TV.  If you’re looking to get buzzed up after a Cubs win, or blacked out after another playoff loss, head over to Murphey’s Bleachers.  It features an outdoor patio and a little known upstairs bar (a perfect place to hide when those New Yorkers come into town).  After Murphey’s, head over to Hi-Tops.  The two-story bar has almost 70 TV’s spread out throughout the bar, and you can bet MTV will be on exactly 0 of them.  Hi-Tops has an upbeat mix of everyone from college aged kids to 40-something businessmen.  You practically expect to see Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and the rest of the Old School frat at the bar.  The diverse mix of young and old makes this one of the best sports bars in the city.

Chicago has everything that the best sports city should have:  curses, dynasties, larger than life players, and a bar scene that would satisfy even Darryl Strawberry.   The city has the best fans in the country.  They have suffered through decades of disappointment through the Cubs, Sox, and Bears, yet are still the most loyal, supportive fans around.  I mean they even draw over 17,000 people for soccer games!  No other city in America can boast the sheer variety that Chicago has.  From soccer to basketball, baseball to football Chicago offers a little something for every sports fan.  So if you got a car, take a cue from the Blues Brothers, “It's a 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes; it's dark and we're wearing sun glasses. Hit it!”