If you’re a sports fan, frustration and disappointment are just part of the deal. When we commit to a team, we emotionally invest in their wins and losses, hirings and firings, and everything in between. We also accept that our team of choice is probably going to lose sometimes.
But for Chicago White Sox fans, the agony of defeat has happened far too often the last few years and to some, hope seems like a laughable idea.
On Tuesday, the Sox avoided making the worst kind of history after ending a record-tying 21-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Oakland A’s. But the relief was short-lived, as they dropped the series finale the next day. On Thursday, the team announced a number of staffing changes, most notably, that manager Pedro Grifol had been fired.
“I don’t think anybody was surprised about that. Your team’s only won 27 games,” Sox fan David Varger told me before Friday’s City Series game against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field. “Somebody’s gotta go.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing Chris Getz go. I think he’s a terrible general manager. I think he’s done a terrible job. We’re just here tonight for Sox-Cubs. That’s about it. I wouldn’t normally spend the money you’ve got to spend here to watch a terrible team.”
As I walked around the ballpark talking to fans, many expressed the same sentiments as Varger. They’re not angry, but the disappointment over multiple seasons has led to them completely check out on the team.
“They couldn’t even lose properly!” one fan quipped, referring to the Sox not breaking the consecutive loss record.
It’s been pretty dark at 35th and Shields since the 2021 American League Division Series when the Sox lost the series 3-1 to the Houston Astros. I remember attending the final game in Chicago and remarking that it felt like a funeral — it was a blackout game, plus they lost. I had no idea how right I would end up being.
Fans had their hopes up then with a different team and different manager, but the wind was taken out of their sails and the ship has been wrecked ever since.
“I’m very disappointed and very upset, and I’m not looking forward to the next few years because I know nothing good is going to happen,” Oak Lawn’s Alisha Thompson said. “This is my first game of the last two years because there’s no reason to be here and I don’t want to give them any of my money because they’re not going to do anything good with it.”
Even casual fans from out of town wince and grimace at the Sox’s misfortune.
I came across father and son Dan and Ethan Zimmerli, decked out in new Sox caps, on a baseball road trip from Minnesota. They had attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field earlier in the week and were checking the South Side ballpark off their list too.
“I think it’s really sad to see how far this franchise has gone,” Ethan said. “As a Guardians fan, I know last year we had some rough patches with the Sox, but it’s really sad to see even a regional rival fall this far.”
“When I was a kid, the White Sox were kind of dominating the Central Division. I mean, they were great,” Dan said. “So I’m really kind of surprised to see how far down they’ve come this season. Hopefully, with new management and coaching, maybe they can turn it around. But yeah, it’s pretty bad right now.”
As I continued my journey through the concourse, speaking to fans and trying to get their perspective, I noticed pretty much everyone had quietly moved from disappointment to apathy. Sox fans have resigned themselves to the idea that the team won’t be any better any time soon, but they also refuse to quit their fandom altogether. Instead, they’re choosing to spend their time doing things outside of the ballpark instead of normally attending multiple games a season.
As the seats began to fill in, there seemed to be far more Cubs fans than White Sox in attendance — unsurprising, but a sad reality. Even the ushers were displeased with the blue and red to black and white ratio.
The Cubs took a 7-0 lead in the third inning, but the White Sox fought back, bringing the game within one run in the 7th inning and giving fans hope they could maybe beat their crosstown rivals in a season of futility.
But the battle of the “Monsters of Mid” came down to the final out and like all three runners on base, Sox fans were left stranded once again.
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