Lyla Lindsey
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team that plays its home games at Chicago's Wrigley Field. The team was originally known as the Chicago White Stockings and was founded in 1870 to advertise the city. They joined the National League in 1876 and were known by several names before adopting the name Cubs in 1903. The Cubs have had a rich history in baseball, winning several championships and World Series titles. They experienced a period of disappointment after 1945, with a notable drought of 108 years without a World Series win, which ended in 2016.
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What You'll Learn
The Chicago White Stockings
The White Stockings were founded in 1876, and their iconic nickname has a fascinating history. In the early days of baseball, teams were often named after their home city or state – hence names like the 'New York Mets' or 'Boston Red Sox'. However, when naming themselves in 1876, the founders of the Chicago team decided to go with something different: they chose to call themselves "White Stockings" after their white uniforms with long-sleeved stockings. This name quickly caught on with fans, and soon everyone was referring to them as simply "the White Stockings".
The team began playing in 1870, with their home games at West Side Grounds. Six years later, they joined the National League (NL) as a charter member. In the lead-up to their NL debut, owner William Hulbert signed various star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, and Adrian "Cap" Anson. The White Stockings quickly established themselves as one of the top teams in the new league. Spalding won 47 games, and Barnes led the league in hitting at .429 as Chicago won the first National League Pennant, which was the game's top prize at the time.
In 1886, the White Stockings began spring training in Hot Springs, Arkansas. President Albert Spalding (founder of Spalding Sporting Goods) and player/manager Cap Anson brought their players to Hot Springs, where they played at the Hot Springs Baseball Grounds. The concept was for the players to undergo training and improve their fitness before the start of the regular season, taking advantage of the bathhouses in Hot Springs after practices. After a successful season in 1886, in which they won the National League Pennant, other teams began bringing their players to Hot Springs for "spring training".
The White Stockings were a highly successful team, winning six of the NL's first 11 championships under the leadership of Cap Anson. They also achieved back-to-back pennants in 1880 and 1881. However, the team name eventually evolved, and by 1903, they had adopted the name "Cubs", though they were still sometimes referred to as the White Stockings.
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The White Stockings' spring training
The Chicago Cubs were known as the Chicago White Stockings when they began spring training in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1886. The team was owned by Albert (or A.G.) Spalding of Spalding Sporting Goods, and their player/manager was Cap Anson. The White Stockings' spring training was focused on player training and fitness, with the bathhouses of Hot Springs providing post-practice recovery. The team also benefitted from the warmer weather in Arkansas, which allowed them to more easily play baseball during the late winter months.
The White Stockings' choice of location was influenced by the town's spa-like thermal waters, which Spalding and Anson believed would help players recuperate and get in shape for the upcoming season. This proved to be a successful strategy, as the White Stockings went on to win the National League Pennant in 1886. As a result, other teams began to follow suit, bringing their players to Hot Springs for spring training and turning the town into what is known as the "original birthplace of baseball spring training".
The Chicago White Stockings were not the first team to hold an organized spring training camp, as sources indicate that in 1870, the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Chicago White Stockings held camps in New Orleans to prepare for the upcoming season. However, the White Stockings' decision to utilize the natural resources of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the subsequent success of the team, made their 1886 spring training a significant moment in the history of baseball.
It is worth noting that the Chicago Cubs were also referred to as the White Stockings during their early years, and this name was used interchangeably with "Cubs" until the team was officially named the Cubs in 1907. The Cubs were owned by various individuals and groups throughout their history, including Albert Spalding, Albert Lasker and Charles Weeghman, the Wrigley family, and the Tribune Company.
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The name 'Cubs'
The name Cubs was first used in reference to the Chicago Cubs baseball team in 1902. The Chicago Daily News used the name to refer to the youth of the team's roster. Five years later, in 1907, the team officially adopted the name. During this period, which became known as baseball's dead-ball era, Cub infielders Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance rose to fame as a double-play combination in Franklin P. Adams' poem "Baseball's Sad Lexicon". The poem was first published in the New York Evening Mail on July 18, 1910.
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The Billy Goat curse
The Chicago Cubs, originally known as the Chicago White Stockings, began in 1870. The team was renamed the Cubs in 1903.
The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series and did not win another National League pennant or World Series championship until 2016, 71 years later. During this period, the Cubs became known as "the Lovable Losers", and "wait ’til next year" became the team’s motto.
There were several attempts to lift the curse over the years. Before his death in 1970, Sianis himself tried to reverse it. His nephew, Sam Sianis, also made several attempts, including in 1984 and 1989, both years in which the Cubs won their division. In 2003, a group of Cubs fans brought a goat to Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros, in an attempt to break the curse. In 2012, five Chicago Cubs fans walked from Mesa, Arizona to Wrigley Field with a goat named Wrigley. Finally, in 2016, the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, ending their 108-year World Series drought and breaking the curse.
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The 2016 World Series win
The Chicago Cubs, formerly known as the Chicago White Stockings, won their first World Series since 1908 on November 3, 2016, beating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7. This win ended what was the longest championship drought in North American professional sports history, spanning 108 years.
The Cubs' victory also marked the end of the "Billy Goat Curse", one of the most well-known sports curses. The curse was supposedly placed on the Cubs in 1945 by Billy Goat Tavern owner William "Billy" Sianis. After he and his pet goat were denied entry into Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field, Sianis proclaimed, "You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again." The Cubs did, in fact, lose that World Series, and the team's championship drought continued until 2016.
The 2016 World Series was highly anticipated, with both the Cubs and the Indians holding the longest World Series title droughts at the time, totalling a combined 176 seasons without a championship. The Cubs, playing in their 11th World Series, faced off against the Indians, who were making their sixth appearance. The series went to seven games, with the Cubs ultimately prevailing in a thrilling Game 7 that was delayed by rain.
The Cubs' victory was celebrated by the team and its fans as a historic moment, with Cubs president of baseball operations, Theo Epstein, calling it "one of the best games of all time". Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo echoed these sentiments, saying, "It's the best game I've ever been a part of, [...] The best game I've seen, really." The win was also a significant moment for the city of Chicago, as the Cubs ended their long-standing drought and brought a championship back to the city.
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Frequently asked questions
The Cubs were founded in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings.
The original name of the Cubs was the Chicago White Stockings.
The Cubs became the official team name in 1907.
Before they were known as the Cubs, the team was known by several names, including the Colts and the Orphans.
The Cubs joined the National League in 1876 as a charter member.
