I don't normally link to Deadspin because they really don't need site traffic hits from us (plus we typically post original content b/c we're awesome), but I had to point this out.ESPN has launched ESPNChicago, a Chicago-dedicated Web site that's basically just like ESPN.com, only focused on Chicago. Don't you think this already existed? Yeah, like in every other major city.
Is it because Chicago is just such a terrific sports town? I don't know. Is it maybe more because Obama is associated with Chicago and ESPN wants to wear Obama's letterman's jacket? Could be that, too.
Or we can let resident idiot Scoop Jackson explain:
In our minds, this site, one dedicated to all of Chicagoland sports at every level, is long overdue. Because when it comes to the games we all play, watch and love, no one — and I repeat no one — on any corner of any block in any city any place in the world got swagger like us.
It's always amusing how every big-time sports city thinks they're the end-all, be-all of sports fans. I grew up a NY sports fan so obviously I'm biased, too, but I would never claim there's no "corner of any block in any city" where there could be anybody better. Or with more "swagger," whatever the f-ck that means. Good writing, Scoop. You managed to sound like you have conviction about something that can't be defined. Super.
I know Boilerdowd detests Chicago fans, primarily those of the Cubbie variety, and all I can say about this is that the insecurities that the Second City has (hell, it's in their nickname to be second-best!) are kind of cute. You guys aren't very big winners at all and if not for Michael Jordan, you'd basically be Philadelphia.
28 comments:
Scoop Jackson is the most racist piece of shit writer I have ever read an article from. As a freshman in high school I wrote him a two page word document about how one sided he was and ignorent of facts on the firing of Tyrone Willingham.
How can you bitch one month about the east coast bias that college basketball is infected with (and for the most part, all sports in general)... and then bitch today about an afterthought espn subsidiary that happens to focus on chicago?
have you even glanced over the site? all it is is a focused area on the espn network that rehashes columns/articles/and video segments from other programming they already do. nothing is new or exclusive in any way. (btw... did you see the 'chicago sportscenter' video? they had a frickin LA dodgers video to close it out).
i'm more shocked to see this blind and generally uninformed hatred about chicago. and i challenge how you can then go on to talk about the 'insecurities of chicago fans'. how can you be a purdue fan, and then discredit a city and a fanbase for being loyal while not necessarily be perennial winners like the east coast?
lost a lot of respect for you guys today, and i normally love reading your pessimistic and generally cloudy view of the world.
i hate everything Scoop Jackson writes. He is clearly racist, clearly a bad writer and clearly knows nothing (about sports or anything else).
2nd i hate Chicago sports fans. i love the city, great city. Better than New York, Chicago style deep dish pizza is amazing!
But Chicago sports fans are idiots. The superfans skits on SNL was no exaggeration, that's how Chicago fans were. We're awesome at everything and if we ever lose it was because the refs were cheating or because we're cursed.
This is why i'm a White Sox fan- because people in Chicago don't care about them. They win the world series and Chicago fans are still talking about the cubs, bears or bulls.
They're all such homers. i grew up in Chicago and couldn't stand the fans - thus i hate the bulls, cubs and bears. Though after moving away from there i have forgotten how much i detest those teams and could even root for them... but i think if i spent any time back at home i'd probably hate them again.
@mookie...
nobody cares about the white sox BECAUSE of their fans. your fanbase is the most egomaniacal and self righteous pricks in all of sports (no surprise most sox fans are ND subway alums as well). you only fill the stadium on the home opener, elvis night, and for the three games that the cubs grace the Southside Cellout. It's white sox fans that are the reason there's no more southside irish parade... idiot jock drunks that do nothing but look to start fights with anyone not wearing a green sox hat or a konerko jersey.
ass.
Scoop Jackson is racist.
I don't know why you hate Chicago so much, it's a great city with a lot of history. I agree with an earlier poster that how can you rip Chicago fans for sticking through their teams in good and bad, yet still give the Boilers your full attention. I love this site, but sometimes I just don't get the hatred.
Plus, if you knew anything about why Chicago is called "The Second City", it's because some blowhard in New York (New Yorker Magazine), once called Chicago the Second City, and to show how much we could care less, we named our comedy clubs after that. How cute is that?
@anonymous mookie basher
Nationwide much more people hate cubs fans than white sox fans.I know you can say hawk harrelson is an annoying homer and I have no problem with that but at least him and steve stone didnt start a "band" together. You can bitch about how empty Celluar field is but at least the fans in there know about the team, or baseball in general for that matter. Its not that impressive to fill a stadium with people who know nothing about the sport but are only there to "experience the tradition of Wrigley Field" http://www.nbcchicago.com/sports/baseball/Will-The-Real-Cubs-Fans-Please-Stand-Up.html
I realize there are many faults of the southsiders but your northside insults are about as lame as Ron Santo's legs.
A lot of nasty stuff today. You know what would make this all better? Tuesday edition of SBF!!!!!
I live in Salt Lake City and this is the best sports town in Amer...
I can't even get that out without laughing. Chicago is okay, but their own EsPN site? Come on!
I'm with bioler38 - less hate and more sideboobies!
making fun of ron santo's legs? wow. really a stand-up class you white sox fans are.
and dont start claiming about fan intelligence until your bandwagoners from '05 are completely history. we had our idiots emerge in '03, but have mostly left or at least educated themselves by now.
and yes... without stoney, white sox television and radio is just about as biased and unwatchable as fox news.
Well, once again you guys have done it! tsk, tsk, tsk. You have pissed off another cowardly anonymous poster- this time posing as 2 posters agreeing with each other. Those posts are definitely evidence for why I hate the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls- their fans suck! I loved going to Wrigley with the fam last year and rooting against the Cubs! Sox are ok, even if they are in the AL. At least their fans are not obnoxious.
Hey mookie, please explain to me how describing a sports fan as a "homer" is supposed to be an insult? Isn't that the whole point, you root for your team? I grew up in a suburb of chicago and am a huge supporter of the Sox, Bulls, Bears and Blackhawks. I hate the cubs, their franchise and their idiot fans. They are a blight.
I find it laughable that you think Sox fans are the idiot drunk crowd. You couldn't be anymore wrong!! That's the definition of a Cubs fan! St Louis Cardinals fans are probably the most knowledgeable home fans in baseball, but White Sox fans (that aren't busy attacking base coaches :)) are pretty close to them.
I am totally used to seeing this coming from Justin, as he is a whiny baby from New Jersey that can't stand it when one second of coverage is taken away from NYC. The rest of us get it jammed down our throats everyday. Just take a look at all his articles and you will see a pattern of ill will towards most anything that can be seen as rivaling New York(Patriots, any AL East team, King Kong). So don't be shocked about this latest post. He is just jealous of a fun city that does NOT have more rats then people.
@ Boilergal
I am the anonymous poster after Purdue Matt who doesn't care if you know who I am. I don't have the time to sign up for an account and put some name up there. Like Boilergal is your real name.
I was just defending Chicago, as it is one of the best cities to live in period. I've lived in NY and I've lived down south and nothing compares to Chicago, sports, restaurants, etc.
What did I say to make you hate Cubs/Bulls/Bears fans even more, please tell?
The fact that the writer of this column thinks Chicago is called the 2nd city because were self concious was just ridiculous, and I wanted them to know that actually it's NY that's self concious if anything because they don't want anyone to take away their self annointed crown of best city in America. So they called us the 2nd city to try and knock us down a peg, unsuccesfully.
and i'm the other anon in this thread who is an avid cubs fan with a softball team full of sox fans. i know how to dish and take it like anyone else.
and also... i always thought we were called the second city because of the chicago fire, and basically the entire city had to be rebuilt a 'second' time from scratch.
i wanted to defend chicago first of all, but also the cubs as there was some definite cubby bashing in the OP and a few comments.
Guys, I don't hate Chicago. I never did. I just think it's weird that ESPN decided to create ESPNChicago. Why not ESPNPhilly? Or ESPNLA? And then Scoop goes and says something dumb like that.
Oh and Eric, I think I admitted I am biased. But go ahead and call me names. That's cool.
Is this the wrong time to admit that I am a Cubs fan and have been since birth practically? At least I don't go to Wrigley because it's the trendy thing to do.
I just went back and re-read the post, thinking, wow, I must have been a real ass.... (because, yes, I realize I generally am) but I look and I cannot see what all the vitriol is about.
1) I question ESPN creating ESPNChicago, when they already have a local affiliate site.
2) I mock the stupidity of Scoop Jackson, who we can all agree is worthless.
3) I poke some fun at Chicago. Yes, I know they didn't name THEMSELVES the second city -- sheesh, guys, calm the H down.
hey jealous bitter blogger the espn chicago site is just a natural progression of things. nothing more nothing less. The Huffington Post did the same thing a few months back. if you lived here you'd see that this isnt some ass kissing move like you suggest. Rather its a way to gain a foothold in a rabid market Have you seen Comcast SportsNet Chicago? The people here are hardcore man.
Nice job, J...love the post today.
I'm glad I don't live in Chicago...or NY.
Hmmn. I'm a Cubs fan since kindergarten. I remember coming home from school (in Hammond, IN) and watching WGN coverage of the games, at least as long as my mom would let me.
When I was in YMCA's Indian Guides we always went to Sox games but I never really wanted to go. Cubs games were all I cared about. I love that team, win or lose. I don't know how many Sox games I went to, but I'll never forget my first Cubs game. I ate so much damn hot dogs and other junk I puked. And I didn't care - I still loved that day. One of my best days with dad. Ever.
I got Dave Kingman's signature on a picture once - he was my hero - sadly I don't know where the hell that photo went.
I've lived all over the country - Manhattan, San Franciso, Baltimore, Annapolis, Indianapolis, Phoenix (presently), even W. Lafayette, to name a few - but I've never loved a city like Chicago. My time living in Lakeview (5 yrs) was precious. No city, in my experienced opinion, is more livable and balanced.
I don't care about E Spunk pee En, in my view they are trying to take a cut out of WGN's pie, but I don't argue with the business sense of it. My street in N. Phoenix is about 25% ex-Chicago people, and hey, that's an upscale market worth tapping. Good business for them if they can make it work. Don't denigrate the city or the fans just because the (smart businessmen/women) jackoffs at ESpN are cashing in on a national market.
As an Alum I barely know the names of the Purdue tackle football roster, but I wouldn't hesitate for a moment if the opportunity presented itself to jump a plane to W. Lafayette for a game, get wasted at Harry's and/or Yacht Club, and pass out on the couch in the sun room at Acacia. Substitute Cubs and Chicago for Purdue and W. Lafayette. Does that make me an obnoxious fan? Maybe, but I don't think so. I'd just be continuing the pattern set in place year ago. :-)
Boilergal, we cross swords once again. I think we would be fast friends if we ever met. :-)
As a side note, I'm happy to see other people reminding the maintainers that SBF is a vital part of your regular programming.
Also, I'm doing work (and regularly write my inane comments) outside of Philly (Wilmington, DE) and I can assure you that Philly is no Chicago. I know Chicago, and you, sir, are no Chicago. Nice people, though. Reminds me of Baltimore, but with bigger buildings. Nice baseball stadium too. I went there to see the Cubs play after it opened. ;-)
Chicago is a great place, evidenced by its corrupt politics.
Just to remind everybody, this is an opinion site... our opinions. You're free to disagree and we love the arguments and counterpoints. But let's lay off the amateur name-calling. It's not needed and it devalues your commentary.
Grassy-ass.
Hey J Money, we can still bash Ee Spunk pee En with all the vitriol we can muster, right? They beg for beatdowns with their bias and annoying habit of locking up half the content for paid subscribers. I fear I'll never be mature enough to rise above my dislike for them.
At least I don't call you guys jackoffs. :-)
"without Michael Jordan we'd be Philadelphia" WOW, but we did get MJ. So, you grew up in New York? Basically without some rich a%$hole owner named Steinbrenner you'd be Tampa Bay!! Bucs and Lightning that's two championships. Without little Hitler i.e. George S, NY has Rangers once and Giants once in the last 15 years! Nice...
hey bink, how long has the Steinbrenner family owned the Yanks?
The history of the Yankees goes back a touch further than 15 years.
If you get rid of Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio...really what do you have?
Oh, you have Gehrig, Mattingly, Maris, Ford, Rivera...and others still.
I'm no Yanks fan, but the Yankees history amazingly deep.
Nice, I guess.
What's funny (besides Scoop Jackson) is that it's not even a "site" per se ... it's just a combination skin/filter for espn.com. I mean, you still get your own teams highlighted on the scoreboard at the top and all that. They don't even use a different domain or anything.
Nice idea for the few cities they'll do it for, I guess ... I just hope they didn't pay some consultants $250K to do it.
I would have done it for $100K.
first of all i loved living near Chicago, great city, better than my experiences in New York or LA.
And i will grant most Sox fans are really just cubs haters. Eventually over time though we become real fans, but it is hatred for the cubs that gets us going...
And E, ok, it's ok to root for your team.
Admittedly i was probably an ignorant naive kid thinking people could be unbiased, but i got tired of how every foul on the bulls was a bad call. i still get annoyed by how the cubs are cursed.
i also hate UofM sports after living in Ann Arbor
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