Beyond the Ivy Walls: The Enduring Passion of Chicago Cubs Supporters

The North Siders know how to get it done. Chicago Cubs baseball fans have withstood the longest championship drought in North American professional sports to witness an unforgettable World Series run in 2016. Despite years of MLB postseason shortcomings, the Cubs have still developed a winning team culture, proving that their home at Wrigley Field continues to earn its nickname as the Friendly Confines because of the people inside it.

Learn more about the history and highlights of Chicago Cubs fandom below.

What it Means to be a Chicago Cubs Super Fan

Chicago Cubs fans are a resilient and dedicated bunch. After all, fans were expected to keep their daytime schedules open to catch the Cubbies at home until Wrigley Field installed lights for night games in 1988. Adding to the team pride is the club’s lineage, which dates back to the 1870s and includes two World Series titles, in 1907 and 1908, before the 108-year championship drought. Above all, spectators are given a constant reminder of the team’s rich history surrounding them at Wrigley Field, the oldest active stadium in the National League.

Fans of The Blue Bears have plenty of lore to dig through, whether it’s debating the Curse of the Billy Goat that allegedly caused the team’s extended postseason misfortunes, reciting the entire “Tinker to Evers to Chance” poem or learning the words to Steve Goodman’s 1984 ode “Go, Cubs, Go.” Meanwhile, superfans in the stands such as Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers and Jerry “The Bleacher Preacher” Pritikin have developed followings of their own.

Within the local community, Cubs fans stay engaged through non-profit organizations like Cubs Charities and Club 400, the latter of which hosts events and coordinates fan travel to away games.

Chicago Cubs Fans on Game Day

Enter Wrigleyville, the Cubs’ home in the northern Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood. Based in a residential area on the northern edge of the city, hence the team’s nickname The North Siders, Wrigley Field offers fans a close community connection with its ivy-covered outfield walls standing at many locals’ doorsteps.

During home games, Cubs fans cover the Friendly Confines in blue, red and white. Head to the bleachers to find yourself among the club’s most boisterous fans, the Bleacher Bums, and be sure to carry your Cubs Win flag, a fan tradition dating back to the 1930s in which waving a white and blue “W” flag represented victory. Finally, have those vocal chords warmed up for staple stadium songs like “Go, Cubs, Go” and the seventh-inning stretch standard “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Also, if you catch an opponent’s home run ball, it’s customary at the Friendly Confines to throw it back onto the field.

As for the can’t-miss games on any Cubs fans’ calendar, the annual Crosstown Classic series against the Chicago White Sox and the I-94 Rivalry games against the Milwaukee Brewers are at the top of the list. Fans can also claim exclusive and limited edition team accessories and apparel by attending select home games on the Cubs’ 2024 promotional schedule.

Memorable Moments in Chicago Cubs Fandom

The most knowledgeable Cubs fans can regale stories of Gabby Hartnett’s 1938 The Homer in the Gloamin’ or Ernie Banks hitting his 500th career home run at Wrigley in 1970, but luckily, the team’s supporters don’t have to look far for the team’s crowning achievement. In 2016, the Cubs claimed their first World Series title in 108 years after an exciting and unpredictable postseason run.

Cubs fans waited with anticipation as the team entered the 2016 playoffs as NL Central champs, and the team delivered with the NLDS series against the San Francisco Giants, which they clinched after a thrilling, four-run, ninth inning comeback in Game 4. In the subsequent NLCS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs captured their first NL pennant since 1945 at Wrigley Field following a Game 6 grand slam by Addison Russell. Finally, the Cubs won the World Series 4–3 against the Cleveland Guardians in a contentious matchup that has since been described as one of “the greatest World Series Game 7 ever played.”

Famous Chicago Cubs Fans

When it comes to famous fans, the Chicago Cubs couldn’t ask for better than Bill Murray, who popped champagne in the clubhouse with the team immediately following their 2016 World Series victory.

Unsurprisingly, Murray is also one of many Cubs celebrity fans to lead Wrigley Field in singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch, also including Eddie Vedder, Billy Corgan, Michael J. Fox, John Cusack, Jeremy Piven and Jeff Garlin. Star Cubbies include actors Vince Vaughn, Nick Offerman, Elisabeth Moss and Jake Johnson, guitarist Tom Morello, singer, dancer and actress JoJo Siwa and comedian John Mulaney.