Marty Brennaman: Cubs Fans Are the Most Obnoxious in Major League Baseball

There is a little bit of truth to Tom Brennaman's comments. I have watched the Cubs play for almost 50 years, and there's no doubt in my mind that the "average Cub fan" of today is not the "lovable loser" his grandfather was. I hate to put another load on Dusty Baker's shoulders, but I think the change is due to increased expectations for winning, and it was during Bakers regime that the change occured. Sure, the '69 Cubs had the Bleacher Bums, an incredibly moronic bunch who quite likely WERE the most obnoxious fans of their day, but now-a-days 39,000 "Bleacher Bums" fill Wrigley for every game. It's one thing to root for your team; quite another to treat a trip to the ballpark as an opportunity to slam a dozen beers and then act in ways you never would in any other public place. Most obnoxious? No, but certainly a different breed of Cub fan.

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I HAVE BEEN GOING TO REDS GAMES--AND GAMES IN A LOT OF OTHER PARKS WHEN I TRAVEL--AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE ONLY TIME I SEE FIGHTS IN AND OUTSIDE THE STANDS, WHEN THE AIR IS LACED WITH PROFANITY EVEN AROUND CHILDREN, AND WHEN POLICE ARE ESCORTING PEOPLE OUT ALMOST EVERY INNING, IS WHEN THE CUBS ARE IN TOWN. I ADMIRE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE SUCH A LEGION OF LOYAL FANS, BUT WHAT IS ALWAYS A FAMILY EVENT AT A REDS GAME TURNS INTO AN NFL-TYPE CROWD WHEN THE CUBS FAITHFUL ARE INVOLVED. I KNOW THE OBNOXIOUS ONES REPRESENT A MINORITY, BUT IT IS A VERY LARGE MINORITY IF YOU PARDON THE EXPRESSION. I WAS AT A CUBS BREWERS GAME IN WRIGLEY LAST YEAR, AND I FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE DOGPOUND AT A 1988 BROWNS-STEELERS GAME. YOU DON'T BELIVE ME, GO TO YOUTUBE AND PUT "DRUNK CUBS FAN" INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE. WAY TOO MUCH IMMATURE AND CONFRONTATIONAL BEHAVIOR. AND YES MANY PEOPLE ROOT AGAINST THE CUBS JUST AS THEY DO THE STEELERS--BECAUSE OF THE BEHAVIOR OF THEIR FANS.

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Come on now no one is even mentioning the Philly fans give them their due. They should be in the discussion for most obnoxious. I mean 18 baseball is pretty good but in Philly they throw D cell batteries

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I think Chubby fans are cute.

Wrigley Field (bleachers) is nothing more than a place to be seen, with your friends who can't spell E.R.A. These bleacher creatures are NOT the bums of the late '60s, nor early 70s. Or even the 80s - see Lee Elia's postgame rant.

ALL teams have their bad apple fans, just as any organization does. It is a shame children in any ballpark have to be exposed and a greater shame some ballparks now have "family sections."

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Why are we even talking about the Cubs anyway? They may have won the division last year, which is very impressive, but the division stinks. How many World Series titles do the "lowly" Reds have since Chicago won one? Finally, Marty Brennaman is in the Baseball Hall Of Fame, so say what you want about him, but there is a vast array of people who think he's pretty darn good.

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Mark S., I am a regular at GABP, U must have headphones on b/c its all I hear is cussing and swearing around me. In fact, I went to get a snack and a beer and my wife went to security officer and complained about some idiot when I was gone and approached the small group of fella's and told them to stop. I came back and then they started harassing me and my family, so I became as ignorant as they were and started getting back into A$$ and they settled down. I asked my wife what that was all about and she told me. I went back up to the security officer and HE FREAKIN LEFT!!!! What a FREAKIN SHMUCK to confront the Fella's and then leave my wife hanging, thank god I came back or who knows what would have happened?

The Reds have just as many A$$ holes as anyone else its just that Marty IS FREAKING CLUELESS AND SO IS THE REDS MANAGEMENT..... I USED TO GO TO SEVERAL GAMES A YEAR, NOW I AM LUCKY TO HIT ONE OR TWO.... RATHER GO TO THE BAR WITH MY FAMILY AND KIDS, ATLEAST PATRONS THERE HAVE MANNERS AND IF SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN ATLEAST SOMEONE WOULD HELP OUT NOT BAIL ON THEM.....LIKE THE REDS SECURITY OFFICER....BRILLIANT

MARTY BRENNMAN AND REDS MANAGEMENT WHAT A JOKE

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Marty Breneman is a BIG cry baby that is not remotely in TOUCH with reality....

So Marty, SHUT THE **** UP, YOU FREAING IDIOT


I am a Reds Fan, and I am not ashamed to say it..... Please Retire you old wind bag bafoon!!

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Lee Elia was right! (remember what he said?)
Tom Praska

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Marty is cranky and opinionated, and that's why he is beloved. As to the veracity of the Cubs fans statement, well, it is tough to have a ballclub that draws fairly poorly. And then when the Cubs come to town, the Cub Nation (either traveling or those who live in your town) does sort of take over your ballpark. Happens in Cincy and Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. But in Cincy, Browns and Steelers fans used to fill Bengals games. And Cubs fans don't fill St. Louis Cardinal games (actually, there are always quite a few Cards fans in Wrigley). Obnoxious is the flip side of the coin of passionate.

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Im a Yankee fan and yes we are obnoxious. But then again we have a right to be. Our team plays in the GRATEST city in the world. And who else can be considered the GREATEST baseball team of ALL TIME? I mean no one is even close to us in World Series wins. We expect nothing less. And now that our Giants won the SUPERBOWL how could NYC not be considered the Capital of the WORLD? Now can you see why are considered the most obnoxious and rightfully so.

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I think he was right. But what do I know. I go to Joe Robbie a few times a year for baseball & football. As a Jets(Mets) fan who has been in FL for 20 years I can say I have never been in one fight down here. It's all about sportsmanship, common courtsey and respect to the opposing team and fellow fans. Hell, I've gotten Dolphans kicked out of their own stadium for being drunken idiots., And the rest of the sefction I was sitting in High fived me for it!!

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I've been a Cubs fan for 30 years, since I was a kid. I can't compare Cubs fans to other teams' fans (except I was at Fenway once eight years and they as a group seemed clearly more interested in the game), but I do believe that there is a large, vocal minority comprised of white men in their 20s and 30s who act like morons in and around Wrigley Field.

Butt-heads -- these guys are butt-heads. Typical look in the summer: flip-flops, cargo pants, a ratty T-shirt of their alma mater (usually a -- gag -- Big Ten school) and, of course, to top it all off (literally and figuratively): a baseball hat worn BACKWARD just to confirm, in case the casual observor had any doubts, that he is indeed an idiot who will say and do whatever primal urge pops into his puny, intoxicated brain.

Optional: sunglasses: Not optional: Placing and/or receiving at least one phone call per inning on his cell phone because, after all, the game is secondary and making plans for after the game and/or waving to your friend six sections over is of primary importance.

This Cubs Moron also tends to get up a lot during the game, inordinately inconveniencing everyone between him and the aisle who is trying to actually watch the game. Butt-head gets up so often either because of a weak bladder or because of his childish impatience that prevents him from waiting for the beer vendor to walk up his aisle (and so he must go downstairs for another "brewski").

Do they realize that they all look the same, like they've all been squeezed out of a giant Play-Doh machine? Do they care?

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I have to say, i went to a Giants/Eagles game in Philly. I must say by far the worst fans i have ever seen. by far. now i know why they have there own little police station and lockup right there in the stadium. just insane

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I'm not making this up, trying to paint Marty as a bigger villain or anything like that. I like him, always have; and even as a Chicago native, agree with the man. Cubs fans can be douche'y, yuppie turds. Take it from someone who had to take the #22 Clark bus to work after Cubs games for years.

But he flipped me off once. When I was 11. Seriously.

My Mom, brother, and sister had happened upon free Reds tickets. My Dad came into town late, thought "screw it," and decided to buy a box seat right in back of home plate. He caught up with us, gave me the box seat ticket, and took my seat with the rest of the fam.

I went to the box seat, marveled at Marge Schott's son working the radar gun, and noticed that I could see Marty after looking straight up into the press box.

In between innings, I looked up, he was looking down, and he caught my eye. I waived, and he flipped me off.

Even back then, I thought it was kind of cool. I'm laughing about it as I type right now -- I mean, who flips off a kid who just finished fifth grade?

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THose guys were ignorant, but so is making such a broad and generic statement. Marty should know better. I have seen some pickup trucks, chewing tobacco and drunk folk with mullets at Reds games, but to call the entire fan base hillbillies would be pretty much tantamount to the same exaggeration that he made. I have seen idiots at almost every sporting event i have been to, so this is ridiculous.

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I find Mr. Brenneman's characterization of Cub fans to be offensive. Every team has its bad apple fans, be they fans who throw baseball and garbage on the field, curse in the stands, throw batteries, cell phones, bottles, CHAIRS, and other detritus at players, but you cannot hold an entire fan base responsible for the actions of the few. I'm a huge Cub fan and have attended games at Wrigley and in Milwaukee and have observed both good and reprehensible behavior from both sets of fans. My wife and I had a good time with some of the Brewer fans in the section we sat in, but then she was called lewd names by other Brewer fans as we left the ball park. I choose to believe most Brewer fans are like the first group we encountered. I know there will always be the perception of Wrigley Field as a giant frat party, but I think most of that is in the bleachers. My wife and I have attended many games where we've been surrounded by intelligent fans who watch the game rather than the beer vendor. For those of you have had bad experiences, I hope you please consider that Cub fans are just like any other kind of people. There are going to be good and bad Cub fans. Try not to judge too harshly when you see a guy wearing Cubs gear before he ever opens his mouth.

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Everyone does have bad fans. I'm a Brewers fan who went to a game in St. Louis this week and we sat in front of some guys who were irritated my wife and I came in Brewers stuff, and were as loud and vulgar as they could possibly be the whole night. But by-in-large Cards fans are great.

But whenever I've gone to a Cubs-Brewers game at Miller Park, I'm astounded by the level of jack-assery Cubs fans stoop to. It may be a minority of Cubs fans, but it's a groups that's large enough that you can't ignore or dismiss it as such.

When you see stuff like the "Howry Kow" shirts for Fukudome it just reinforces people's negative perceptions.

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Three words - HALL OF FAME! Marty happens to be in basball's. To KD, Marge Schott never had any children or even any step children - I'm calling B.S. on your story.

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What? Chicago Cubs Fans? Now, It's likely that they aren't the nicest fans in the world, but you want to tell me that they are the most obnoxious. Have you met a NY Yankees fan? See Commenter #7 "Bigblue"above..need I say more? However, Bigblue is right about one thing, although Yankees fans may be cocky, they are not nearly as bad as Philadelphia. They don't have one brotherly thing about them when it comes to sports. I'm going to a Cubs game at Wrigley this summer, I'll be sure to be on the lookout for those "rowdy mid-westerners."

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This guy is the biggest phoney in baseball. He talks a good story about how is so righteous. Let me tell you something, this guy is whore. When the Reds were under previous ownership his longtime broadcast partner Joe Nuxall was being pushed out of the booth to the dismay of Reds fans. What did "ole buddy" Marty do? He kept his mouth shut because his contract was up for renewal at the same time. Nice friend, huh? Hall of Famer,as he refers to himself, my ear! Mick in Cincy

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