Scott Simon believes that being a Cubs fan "defies metaphor." On page 58 of his book Home and Away he writes: It's like rooting for the Italian army. It's like campaigning for Harold Stassen. It's like raving about your Edsel. If rooting for the New York Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel, then rooting for the Cubs is like... well, you see the point? No metaphor improves on, it's like rooting for the Cubs. They are the devotion that defines despair. They are the love that evinces triumph of hope over experience.
Scott is accurate in that being a Cubbie fan represents a "love that evinces triumph of hope over experience," but I disagree with much of his assessment. Cubbie love does not defy metaphor. Cubbie love is certainly not like first love or puppy love. It doesn't leave you discombobulated or smitten. It is not ephemeral. It is an enduring, strong, bland brand of love that we all have or hope to have. Cubbie love is unconditional love.
Being a Cubs fan is similar to being a part of any functional (or in my case dysfunctional) family. People tend to love their families unconditionally. Cubbie love is familial love--you love them when they're great and you love them when they suck!
For me, being a Cubbie fan is also very much about believing in that which is sometimes hard to believe in. Being a Cubbie fan is about believing in love, devotion, appreciation, tolerance, hope, vision, and that which is beyond the vision of the naked eye and the perceptions of the other physical senses--the supernatural. It is about believing in, trying to understand, accepting, and shaping the things that have the power to shape us.
This site is dedicated to the reflections, perceptions, and connections that I associate with Cubbie Love. I am a Cubs fan because I value devotion and loyalty. I am a Cubs fan because I root for the perpetual underdog. I am a Cubs fan because, in so many ways, I am the perpetual underdog. I am a Cubs fan because I love unconditionally and I'm unconditionally loved.
If you would like to explore Cubbie love, simply use the internal links and the image map on the home page by clicking on the various field positions (and other areas). By clicking on the icon at the bottom of the page, you can return to the home page and choose a different position to explore.