Chicago Cubs
Wrigley Field
Illinois, United States
The Chicago Cubs are one of the two remaining National League teams that debuted in 1876. Originally founded in 1870 as the White Stockings, the team went through several name changes before finally adopting the Cubs in 1903. The Cubs are also known as the "North Siders," a reference to their home field located on the northern side of Chicago, while the White Sox reside on the southern side of the city.
In the early years, the Chicago Cubs were a dominant baseball force, winning 116 games in a single season with a 116-36 record and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of .763. However, the Cubs would later endure one of the longest championship droughts in professional sports, famously known as the "Curse of the Billy Goat." The curse began after the Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers, with a superstition claiming the team was cursed from that point on. For 108 years, the Cubs fell short of a championship—until 2016, when they made history by defeating the Cleveland Guardians in a dramatic seven-game series, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to clinch their long-awaited title.
Over the years, the Cubs became home to baseball legends such as Ernie Banks, known as "Mr. Cub," Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and Fergie Jenkins. More recently, stars like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Báez played pivotal roles in the 2016 championship run, securing their place in Cubs history.
The Cubs play their home games at Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark in MLB history, which opened in 1914. The ballpark is iconic for its ivy-covered outfield walls, hand-turned scoreboard, neighborhood atmosphere, and a tradition of day games. The day-game tradition remains a holdover from the era before Wrigley installed lights in 1988, making it the last MLB park to add lights for night games. Wrigley Field continues to be a bucket-list destination for baseball fans worldwide.
Rivalries run deep in Chicago, with the Chicago White Sox being the Cubs' most intense rival in the Crosstown Classic, a battle for city bragging rights. Additionally, the Cubs share a historic and heated rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals, considered one of the oldest and most passionate matchups in baseball.