A rivalry like no other: Cards vs. Cubs

By: Janese Watson

            Many teams throughout history have had heated rivalries for various reasons. Maybe one team is better or maybe both teams are jealous of the other. Whatever the reason, rivalries are a normal thing for sports teams to have. Two teams that have a huge rivalry are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. They are both very good teams. There have been eleven Hall of Famers on both teams. Both teams have won a lot of games. So why do they dislike one another?

            A lot of people are aware of the rivalry between the Cubs and the Cardinals, but why? Why do two great teams dislike one another? They are the two oldest Midwest teams and on top of that they both have sizable fan bases. With them being so equal it makes it even harder to get along.  It’s said that the Cubs dislike the cardinals but really they have no reason to. “This is probably the most storied and famous baseball rival in the Midwest,” says writer Chris Jaffe.

             The Cardinals have won seventeen National League pennants, while the Cubs have won ten. However, since the Cubs last won the NL pennant in 1945, the Cardinals have won nine NL pennants and five World Series titles. With that being said, you can already tell where a little bit of Chicago’s frustration comes from. The Cardinals have produced twenty National League MVPs, while the Cubs have ten, but at the same time the Cubs have had four CY Young winners, while the Cardinals have only had three. The St. Louis Cardinals have won more Gold Gloves than the Cubs, except at second base. A lot of things make these two teams different, but those are the things that also create rivalry between them.

             Did you know over the last sixteen seasons, our Cardinal team has finished in first place eight times? They also won three NL pennants and won two World Series while drawing over fifty million fans. Overall, the Cardinals are an impressive team and everyone sees that. The Cubs have also had some accomplishments. They came back to the top of the Nationals League in 1929 and began a pattern of winning the pennant every three years (1929-32-35-38), although they did lose all four World Series.

            These teams will always have their differences. They are two competitive teams trying to win their way to the top. When asked about this heated rivalry, senior Bella Dalba says,“I think them being enemies is a way to motivate them more and it’s good way to boost the fans and make every game interesting.” She couldn’t have said it better. On the other hand, senior Tenecia Clemmons says, “I don’t think them being enemies provides the amount of motivation they would have if they weren’t, everyone should love everyone.” Who knows what will happen in this rivalry in the future; things may just stay the same. We will just have to wait and see.