There are people who find pleasure in their sports misery. We used to call them Cubs fans, but then the team won the 2016 World Series and a new, almost unrecognizable species emerged – one that was joyful, cocky and expectant of success.
The older generations, the ones that had been through decades of baseball hell with the franchise, wore that newfound success like a fur coat, glad for its warmth but still not quite sure who they were looking at when they caught sight of themselves in the mirror.
It’s why the pain the Cubs are doling out now to its fan base feels so familiar and, dare I say it, comfortable.