Bears — Home — What’s Cool?

As Thanksgiving turns into Black Friday and Christmas is right around the corner, the NFL regular season is nearing completion and the NBA season is settling in nicely. As a Chicago sports fan this year really should no different than usual, with me being disappointed in my teams and all, but for some reason I’m remaining optimistic about the futures of my beloved Bears and Bulls.

Let’s start with the Bears. As we all know, last year’s winning season led by one of the best defenses in the league ended abruptly with Cody Parkey’s infamous double-doink. Even through that heartbreak, there was the promise of a potentially bright future in the Windy City. This season has had its ups and downs, with lots of upset fans ready to move on from former second overall draft pick QB Mitchell Trubisky. I’m not one of those fans. Last season, every Bears fan was praising him as the franchise quarterback Chicago has been waiting for for years. His struggles this season (which really aren’t all that bad) are against one of the most difficult schedules in the league. Some minor changes in this upcoming offseason paired with an easier schedule next year could lead to another playoff run for my Chicago Bears - it’s too soon to blow it all up already.

The Bulls are in a similar position. A disappointing 6-13 opening to the season has led to many fans wanting to completely restart the rebuilding process. I was lucky enough to see this exciting young team play the local Atlanta Hawks thanks to my amazing girlfriend getting tickets for us, and the Bulls’ route of the Hawks made me very optimistic for this young team’s future. The building blocks are there, they just need to be coached and given the experience needed to realize their full potential. There are still bright moments, though, like their recent come-from-behind miracle win against Charlotte or Zach Lavine’s 360 fast break dunks. Too soon to give up on this young team.

Maybe it’s just me maturing and taking sports results less seriously than I used to, but I’m feeling much more optimistic than I should be about the Bears’ and Bulls’ futures. I’m just glad that I get to watch young, entertaining teams with the hope of a bright future for these franchises. Their time will come.