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The White Sox-Cubs Rivalry in Chicago, Illinois is a prime example of rivalry between major sport teams in a big city. Baseball fans in the city are mostly loyal either to the north (Cubs) side, or to the south (White Sox) side. It is very rare to find a baseball fan in Chicagoland that does not strongly back one team over the other.
Both teams have endured long streaks without winning championships. The Cubs last participated in the World Series in 1945 and last won it in 1908; the White Sox' last American League championship was in 1959, and their last World Series crown came in 1917.
The Cubs are closely associated with Chicago, in part because of their historic ballpark, Wrigley Field. Any such identification of Chicago baseball with the Cubs is much to the chagrin of White Sox fans, who may delight in the Cubs' misfortune as much as or more than in any good fortune of the White Sox. An example of such misfortune was Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series in which the Cubs came within five outs of defeating the Florida Marlins and advancing to the World Series.
Wrigley Field, built in 1914, continues to be a tourist destination, while the White Sox' home at Comiskey Park (1991), now known as U.S. Cellular Field, is consistently undersold. The difference may be attributed both to the ballparks themselves and to their neighborhoods. The Cubs are in a upscale neighborhood known as Wrigleyville, while the Sox are in Bridgeport, a working-class neighborhood. Many Sox fans are wary of spending any time in the Bridgeport neighborhood, while Cubs fans can soak up the ambience of Chicago's upscale (and perceived safer) north side.
(NOTE: The mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, is a Bridgeport native. To his credit, he has prevented Bridgeport from deteriorating to the degree of much of the South Side. Some South Siders go so far as to say that Cubs fans inaccurately perpetuate the perception of the South Side as run down; this may be one reason for Sox fans to resent the Cubs.)
Interleague play has added another dimension to the rivalry. While the clubs used to play a Memorial Day exhibition game, the advent of interleague play ensured that both teams are playing for real. The rivalry often features prominently in local sports talk radio and water cooler chat when the two teams meet.
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