When Robert Smigel first visited Wrigley Field, he immediately noticed the look. Heavyset fans sporting walrus mustaches and big sunglasses were everywhere. It was 1983, three years after The Blues Brothers hit theaters and a season into Mike Ditka’s tenure as head coach of the Bears. In addition to Old Style, the crowd seemed to be under the influence of both the movie and the man.
“There was just a swagger among these very virile-looking men,” Smigel said. “All sports fans kind of have it. The arrogance of, ‘We kicked your ass!’ No, you didn’t. You’re a fat guy sitting in the third row. You can barely make it to the bathroom with all the beers you’ve drunk. You didn’t do anything.”
Yet there was something about these hirsute galoots that was endearingly hilarious. Maybe it was the unwavering, borderline delusional faith they had in their teams. Or maybe it was their cartoonishly large aviator shades. Whatever it was, Smigel banked the memory of those lovable oafs. Soon after he moved to Chicago to begin his comedy career, the city’s sports franchises started to ascend. In 1983, the White Sox made the postseason for the first time since 1959. In June 1984, the Bulls drafted Michael Jordan. That fall, the Cubs ended a 39-year postseason drought. Then the Ditka-led ’85 Bears tore through the NFL like it was a soggy Italian beef.
