Sports

The Chicago Cubs

Jacob Powers, Staff Reporter • December 3, 2025

Cubs fans outside of Wrigley Field after a successful game 5 of the World Series. The Cubs went on to win game 6 and game 7 to win the World Series.

The Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 World Series. This was the first World Series ring in over 108 years.

The Chicago Cubs had an unsuccessful, yet great, playoff push in 2025. This was their first playoff run since the year 2020. The Cubs have been known to be one of the underdogs in the MLB, and this is especially true considering their playoff chances and multiple team collapses in recent years.

Who are the Chicago Cubs?

Four of the biggest names in Chicago History: Ryne Sandberg, Anthony Rizzo, Sammy Sosa, Ernie Banks. These are the some of the most influential players in the entire history of the Cubs. Apart from having multiple Hall of Famers who played for the team, the team itself has not had much success in World Series Championships. They only have 3 with their most recent being in 2016.

The Chicago Cubs are one of the oldest baseball franchises, dating back to the 1870’s, and still going strong in 2025. Not only does this give the Chicago Cubs a rich history, but it makes them the 2nd oldest team in the MLB. They have been playing in the same stadium, Wrigley Field, since 1916. It’s classified as one of the most beautiful ballparks, even with the lack of technology on the field itself. Wrigley Field contains lots of history and historical figures – for example- Willie Mays and Hank Aaron have played at this ballpark.

What are the Chicago Cubs?

The many Chicago Cubs logos used throughout their history. Many used in flashback legend jerseys for the team.

The Chicago Cubs used to be named the Chicago White Stockings back in 1912. This name has been modernized and used for our other Chicago team, the Chicago White Sox. The name “Chicago Cubs” was given to the team when sportswriters nicknamed the team the “Cubs” due to the team having loads of young players back in 1902. The “Cubs” was initially just a nickname for the team, but it was soon used in newspapers; only one year later, in 1903, did the owner James Hart officially change the name to the Chicago Cubs. Finally, in 1979, a logo was chosen and it stuck.

Where are the Chicago Cubs?

Outside view of Wrigley Field during the daytime. The photo really shows how big the stadium is.

The Chicago Cubs are located on the north side of Chicago in “Wrigleyville,” which is named after the Cubs’ stadium. Wrigley Field tends to get cold, no matter the weather, due its proximity to Lake Michigan. Wrigley Field is unique for its ivy on the outfield walls and the bleachers over the walls that have no assigned seating as it is first come first serve for the seats. The ivy was added into the stadium to make it feel more like a park than a stadium. This has been a tradition that the Cubs have kept going since 1937. The bleachers in Wrigley Field were put in to allow for more seating in the outfield and allow for a better game atmosphere.

What is their history?

The famous Steve Bartman incident in 2003 NLCS, leading to a loss. This incident almost ruined Steve Bartman’s life due to all the backlash he received from this incident.

With the Chicago Cubs being the 2nd oldest team in all of baseball, they should have lots of great history, and they do: The Kerry Wood 20-Strikeout Game; Ernie Banks’s 500th homerun; and Carlos Zembrano’s no hitter are some of the most notable great moments. Another one of the most memorable people who make up the Chicago Cubs is their longtime announcer Harry Caray, known for his great calls. Harry Caray helped popularize what is now known as “Take me out to the ball game” during the 7th inning stretch.

However, with all the achievements came some failures too. The 2003 NLCS is one of the most notable downsides in Cubs history: the Steve Bartman incident. Bartman reached over the fence to catch a ball just as Moises Alou was trying to catch said ball. It led to an 8-3 game 7 loss that eliminated the Cubs from the playoffs and a potential World Championship. In addition, the 1984 NLCS game 5 error by Leon Durham led to a loss and another elimination from the playoffs along with yet another World Series Championship opportunity. Another unlucky incident was the 1945 Billy Goat curse that was declared when bar owner William Sianis wasn’t allowed to bring his goat into the stadium. He cursed the Cubs saying they would never win a World Series ever again, but this curse was finally broken when the Cubs won in 2016.

What should we expect for the future?

Cubs outfielder PCA (Pete Crow-Armstrong) making a spectacular catch in the outfield. He goes on to win the Gold Glove Award, All Star Game Starter, and World Baseball Classic Invitation.

The Cubs have a very promising future, but, as the owner looks to avoid spending money and the Cubs having their national second half fall off, one can only pray for success like the 2025 season. As the off-season proceeds, however, the Cubs are looking for new players to make the team better. Only time can tell how the Cubs will play in the 2026 season!

Sources

Berkman, S. (2019, July 25). Oldest Teams in Major League Baseball. Stacker. Retrieved November 20, 2025, from https://stacker.com/stories/baseball/oldest-teams-major-league-baseball

nown, u. (n.d.). Chicago Cubs Logos History – National League (NL) – Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page. SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved November 20, 2025, from https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/54/Chicago-Cubs-Logos/

nown, u. (n.d.). Chicago Cubs Logos History – National League (NL) – Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page. SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/54/Chicago-Cubs-Logos/

nown, u. (n.d.). The 20 Greatest Chicago Cubs of All-Time. Baseball Egg. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://baseballegg.com/20-greatest-chicago-cubs-of-all-time/

Lasky, J. (n.d.). Chicago Cubs | Research Starters. EBSCO. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/sports-and-leisure/chicago-cubs

nown, u. (n.d.). Wrigley Field (Chicago) – Society for American Baseball Research. SABR.org. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://sabr.org/bioproj/park/wrigley-field-chicago/

nown, u. (2014, November 24). The Steve Bartman incident. YouTube. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq8G81oOHhY

2025-2026 Issue #2

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About the Contributor

Jacob Powers, Staff Reporter

Hello! I am Jacob Powers and I am currently a junior at EPHS. My interests include sports, having fun, and most importantly the genre of horror. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Mine is certainly Scream. I like to do theatre and have a lot of fun acting as different characters. I also enjoyed helping people get better at sports or at school subjects that I am good at, (Math, History, anything but writing about books). I plan to go to a community college and hopefully learn what I want to have a career in!