Could the 2016 Cubs Dethrone the 1985 Chicago Bears?

The 1985 Chicago Bears have been the darling of the city for decades. However, if the 2016 Chicago Cubs win the World Series, the city may have a new favorite.

Let’s face it. In Chicago, it’s all about the Cubs right now. We all know the history—no World Series win since 1908, no World Series appearance since 1945, and a curse that is tied to a billy goat. The Cubs are currently Chicago’s “it” team, and rightfully so. The Cubs have a young, likable roster, a manager who provides some of the most interesting soundbites (unlike Chicago Bears head coach John Fox, who just mutters the same clichés over and over again), and are poised to have a championship run that only the Blackhawks have had in recent Chicago sports history.

The 108-year championship drought that the Cubs have endured is the longest (obviously) in any of the four major sports. If they win it all this year, can you imagine the city? The World Series parade could draw millions, the party would continue over the entire winter…and the 1985 Bears would become the city’s second-favorite team ever? It’s quite possible.

Since they won, the 85 Bears have been the darling of the city. The team was full of players with cool personalities, was the subject of numerous Saturday Night Live skits, and head coach Mike Ditka all of a sudden became a star. To this day, you can’t go to a Bears game without seeing a Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, or Mike Singletary jersey. And you can bet that someone in the stands will have a fake mustache on and be wearing a blue and orange sweater!

The 85 Bears are Chicago’s Team.” But that could change if the Cubs (finally) win the World Series. Even Ditka himself said this in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times:

"There’s no question that if they win it all that it would eclipse what we did in ’85. I really believe that, no question. You gotta understand, the Bears hadn’t won for a while, but this has been 100 years! Are you kidding me? Every 100 years the Cubs win it? This would be unbelievable. It’s time. No more waiting ’til next year. They’re good enough, they got the players, they got the manager, they got the ownership. Everything is in place right now."

Ditka continues:

"I’m a Cubs fan. I think it’s great to see the Cubs where they are. [Joe Maddon] had me up there at Wrigley and I got to meet the players. They’re great kids, they just go out there and play baseball and they got the perfect guy managing them. It’s fun to watch. He’s the father and they’re the kids and he’s taking care of them. I hope the people really appreciate what the Cubs have brought to this city this year. The interest. The enthusiasm. The hope. There’s been a lot of things involved and it’s been a helluva run."

Indeed it has. Cubs’ fans have been waiting for this for years, and if they do win it all this year, history will be made. I sincerely doubt that anyone reading this was alive for the last Cubs championship, so a Cubs World Series win would be something that the whole world will be seeing for the first time.

It’s an incredible thought—the 85 Bears being knocked-off the pedestal by the 16 Cubs—but it is not out if the realm of possibility. So, 85 Bears, enjoy your view from up top while you can, because within the next few weeks, you might be looking at a new Chicago’s Team.

Home/Chicago Bears