Paul Sassone

Loyalty is reciprocal, it must go both ways.

Except for those bitter and envious folks known as White Sox fans almost everyone in Illinois loves the Cubs.

We are now in a period of mourning after the Cub collapse against the Dodgers. So, this may not seem to be the appropriate time to discuss team-fan loyalty.

But, if not now, when?

As I said, we love the Cubs. We jam Wrigley Field at exorbitant prices, we adorn ourselves in costly Cubs garb.

We have proven our love over and over again for many a dismal season.

And we rejoiced in our millions when the Cubs won the World Series.

So, is there anything so sad as unrequited love?

What do I mean by that crack?

Hasn’t Cubs management built a great team, a team at long last worthy of its fans?

Yes, it has.

Doesn’t that prove the Cubs reciprocate its fans’ devotion, its loyalty?

Yes, it does.

But …

I can’t help but feel a huge component of Cubs loyalty to its fans is to make its games accessible to all Cubs fans. Increasingly this is not the case.

Too often, Cubs games are available only by fee or subscription.

Even nastier, when the Cubs do make the playoffs fans can’t watch them without paying extra.

Believe it or not, there are people who can’t afford to pay for television. Those who are Cubs fans are frozen out of watching the playoffs.

I know it is vain of me to hope the Cubs and Major League Baseball will ever make sure Cubs games are available again to all.

Baseball is a business. It’s about time for the baseball business to stop calling itself America’s pastime.

There, I’ve had my say.

We can go back into mourning, now.

—Baseball should stop calling itself America’s pastime–