Last night, the Cubs invited Dan Katz, a.k.a. “Big Cat” of Barstool Sports—an often misogynist, retrograde, and undeniably popular entertainment site—to sing the seventh inning stretch. Though they ended up somewhat downplaying it and pairing Katz with radio announcer Ron Coomer (it was unclear if that had been the plan all along, or if they called […]
Tag: Fandom
Not Your Average Fans: The Curse of Caring
In the preseason optimism of early spring, I wrote an homage to Cubs fans and their legendary loyalty. I explored how psychologists define and explain such unwavering affiliation and how Cubs’ PR efforts have been carefully crafting this relationship for decades. It was lighthearted and positive (what else on the cusp of a new year […]
Cubs Convention 2016: The Promise of Resurgence and the Cult of Fandom
In the darkest depths of winter, once the excitement and distraction of the holidays has worn off, long after we’ve begun to forget the smell of ballpark franks, and when we (Chicagoans) remember mournfully the days when we’d mutter that “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” Fan Fests come along. Last month, over at […]