After the riot last weekend in Mankato, Minn., and following riots here and at other Big Ten campuses and cities, it is nice to see one city do it right.
The Cubs’ victory against Atlanta on Sunday night puts them one step closer to the World Series, in which they haven’t played since 1945. It was their first postseason series win since 1908. So what I saw on the WGN newscast blew my mind – no fires, no riots, altogether no violence. From the tens of thousands of fans in an Atlanta park to the thousands who poured onto Clark and Addison streets where Wrigley Field is, not one violent act.
There were mounted police, along with police on Chicago streets and rooftops surrounding the mostly 20-something neighborhood, yet the young Cubs fans knew how a celebration should be conducted – with class. Long after beer ceased to flow, both Chicago and Atlanta were still peaceful.
It has been 95 years since the Cubs won a World Series, and 13 years since they won a postseason game (before their series with Atlanta), so you might think with all the disappointments, all the years of being “loveable losers” that the chance to finally flip over cars and burn buildings would outweigh the urge to keep civil. Well, it did not.
Maybe we Chicagoans do not know how to celebrate in the new millennium. Maybe all the years of losses left us out of touch with today’s celebrations. If this is the case, I’m glad we are out of touch. Those of us who have lived in or visited Chicago respect the history of the “Second City” too much to ruin it in such a disgraceful manner.
I have been proud to live around Chicago a good portion of my life, but have never been more proud to see fellow Chicagoans feed off the adrenaline of other fans around them, instead of the rush of tearing apart a city.
Now, I can only speak of the two recent celebrations (the night the Cubs clinched their spot in the playoffs being the other), so there is a chance I could be wrong, depending on the duration of the playoffs; however, the greatest thing about Chicago is its people, and they know how to conduct themselves.
When the Gophers win a third straight national championship in hockey, I hope their fans will have as much respect for their city and campus.
Stephen Sochor is a sports management junior. Send comments to [email protected]
