CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago baseball fans are more likely to be over the moon or down in the dumps when it comes to rooting for their favorite franchise, according to a new survey.
Sports platform Wetten.com polled 3,500 fans from the United States and Canada to find out which fanbases from all five major sports — MLB, NBA, NFL, MLS, and NHL — have sobbed the hardest. San Diego Padres fans scored the highest among all MLB teams, with 81% admitting to crying over their team.
Regarding mixed feelings about their beloved ball clubs, Chicago didn’t fall too far behind.
Among the ‘Most Tearful’ franchises, the Cubs ranked eighth overall across all sports.
Regarding baseball, the Cubs (74%) and Sox (65%) finished fifth and eighth, respectively, for the most emotional MLB fanbases. Both fanbases watched their teams miss the playoffs for another year, which could be reason enough to let out a few tears.
The North Siders have not secured a playoff berth since the 2020 COVID-shortened MLB season. Under first-year head coach Craig Counsell, the team ended the year four games over .500 (83-79) for a third-place finish in the National League Conference (NLC).
Since 2018, the Cubs have missed the postseason in five of the last six seasons.
As for the Sox, we all know how that story ended.
The South Siders bookended a horrendous season by making history—just not the kind any sports team wants to make. They lost 121 games, setting a modern-era record for most losses in a single season by an MLB franchise, surpassing the 1962 New York Mets, who lost 120 games.
The season was so bad that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf apologized to the fans, ensuring Sox faithful that they “all deserved better.” The second-longest active owner in MLB, only behind the Steinbrenners, who own the Yankees, Reinsdorf is reportedly open to selling the team, per The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli.
Another sad fact that may make even the toughest of Sox fans cry: The club has decreased their win total by 20 games each of the last three seasons (81 in 2022; 61 in 2023; 41 in 2024) after making the playoffs in 2021 with a 93-69 record.
But it’s not all bad as both Chicago baseball fanbases have let our tears of joy this 21st Century, witnessing both teams be crowned World Series champions — Cubs in 2016 and the Sox in 2005.
Hey, at least the Bears are pouncing on the competition at 4-2, heading into a nationally televised late window game that will likely pit the top two rookies taken in this year’s NFL draft — Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels — against one another. But when it comes to football, a Bears’ NFC North division rival ranks the most emotional.
The Minnesota Vikings topped the list of NFL fanbases most likely to shed a tear.
As for the NHL, the survey concluded that Tampa Bay Lightning supporters are among the most emotionally impacted, while sobbing basketball fans rank the San Antonio Spurs as the No. 1 overall team in the NBA.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF led professional soccer clubs in eliciting the most emotions from their fans, scoring 88% overall.
A complete ‘scoreboard’ of sports franchises ranked by their emotions is available by clicking here.
Sometimes, you can’t help who you love (or let out a good cry over). It’s a motto any sports fan can relate to.