Alexander Skarsgard Understands the Heart of a Die-Hard Cub Fan

When this article came up in my Google alerts, I almost ignored it, mostly because I understand soccer about as much as I understand the inner working mechanics of a car. I’m just not interested. But then I began reading it because Alexander Skarsgard was mentioned and I had to know why. Was he there just to watch a game? Did he quit acting to join the team? I must find out!

What I found out was that Alexander Skarsgard understands the heart of this die-hard Chicago Cub fan. You’re saying to yourself, “Skarsgard is a soccer fan, not baseball.” My friends, bare with me. Enlightenment will come. Alex says that “soccer in Sweden is like a religion”. Anyone who grew up on the north side of Chicago knows the same could be said about the Cubs. That would be me. I spent many, many Saturday afternoons worshiping in Wrigley Field; praying for a win.

Skarsgard says, about his team, Hammarby, “They’re terrible,” Skarsgard continued. “We don’t really have any good players. We don’t have any money. We almost always lose. It’s not a lot of fun.” It’s the Cub fan’s mantra. Well, to be fair, sometimes we have really great players. Sometimes we have a season where we go undefeated only to lose it all in the playoffs. That’s when it hurts the most.

Continuing on, Alex says that the “good players leave” his team. In the case of the Cubs, they’re traded away. If they were doing well for us, they do even better for another team. If they are struggling with us, they sore for their new team, and come around to kick our asses in the Friendly Confines. They are the ones who win the Golden Glove and MVP.

However, and this is where it becomes personal for me, the article observes one important thing. “One thing Skarsgard never said, however, was that he would give up being a Hammarby fan.” Tears fill my eyes as I read that because no matter what happens, I will remain, unto death, a true blue, die-hard, Chicago Cubs fan. If it takes forever, or until the day after I die, we will bring home that World Series Trophy. You can laugh at me, scoff, insult, shake your head in sympathy, but I will forever bleed Cubby blue.

“Here’s to the fans who celebrate an improved season or drown their sorrows over a poor one, but never waver in their allegience.” During their worst losing streak, the Cubs still pack in a crowd at Wrigley Field. Over 40,000 fans will show up to support their boys, rain or shine, win or lose. It’s what we’ve done for 101 years. We continue to wait. We watch. We cheer. We cry. But we are there for the team. Many a baseball player has been quoted as saying that the Cubs have the best and truest fans in baseball. Many of those players want to wear the red, white and blue. America’s underdog, Cub fans can be found all over the world.

Today, the Chicago Cubs are in first place in the division. We are proud and happy, but we know it won’t last. We know that the end of this season will find us chanting once more, “Wait till next year.” And we will be there to support our team like Alexander supports his Hammarby; wearing our teams colors and waving our banners, with hope in our hearts that perhaps this is “next year”.

What does all this have to do with True Blood? Not a damn thing. But Alexander understands me.

Go Cubs Go! (Sniff!)

(Quotes are from Goal.com.)