The Secret Of The Chicago Bear's Success

“Beware the middle child she'll bring you to your knees
She's just a little child who's falling in between
Save the middle child she's never what she seems
You can't blame the middle child she's drowning……she’s drowning”

--Nina Gordon, “Black and Blonde” from Tonight and the Rest of My Life, 2000.

Sometimes we need an outside perspective to steer us into intellect. The Tapper Tuesday crowd gathered last Tuesday at Fat Jacks and one of our troupe, Mike, brought his son-in-law. The Son-in-law from Philadelphia is a confirmed Eagles fan and remarked how incredible the Bears were. He thought the Eagles, and any other NFC team, would be killed if that team played the Bears.

Normally at Tapper Tuesday, I have a few too much, but this time I remained sober and I listened with great interest to what our visitor was saying. He was truly impressed with the Bears and the interest generated by the team.

You see, outside of the Soldier Field faithful, the rest of the country is amazed by the Bears. Now I love the Boys in Orange and Blue, but seriously, these “outsiders” are a bit amazed. Why?

Well here is the secret—the USA is like a family and Chicago is the Middle Child. Everyone likes the middle child to a degree—as the middle child does not have the responsibility of being the oldest and the burden of being the youngest (I am the youngest and attention and lower expectations can be a bitch—although I loved the spoiled nature of it all). New York is the oldest kid. LA is the youngest brat. Chicago is the middle child. The oldest had too many restrictions, the youngest tries too many liberal and weird things and takes advantage of situations—but we can always rely on the Middle Child.

So Midwesterners, take heed. The rest of the country loves us for our kind attitudes and self-reliance. They love are unique food, our lack of hustle and bustle, and our sense of developing our own heroes. They love our broad shoulders, our tough immigrants (German, Polish, Slavic) and our sense of hard-work and honest pay.

They love our Sports Teams as well.

They love our Cubs (lovable losers), Our Sox (Win the pennant), Our Bulls (five is a magic number) and our Bears. Remember, when the Midwest does well--Sox, Cubs a couple years ago, The Hawks in 1993, The Bulls throughout the 1990s and The Bears in ’85--everyone follows the respective sport.

We are sick of the Yankees, The Lakers, and The Rangers (uh, the NFL has more watered-down teams). We want that Middle Child to win—we root for him, we feel sorry when he falls, and we cheer when he succeeds.

Go Bears—and remember, the secret to the Bears are that we can never be disappointed in the Midwest.