Bernstein: The Impending Bulls/Hawks Conflict Is Stupid
By Dan Bernstein--
For years I have held that the endless bickering between fans of the Cubs and Sox is the most tiresome, tedious aspect of Chicago sports discussion.
I'm still right about that, certainly, as another summer season of improperly-argued false comparisons and paranoid assumptions of tribal agendas creeps up on us, infecting perfectly good baseball talk.
But another purposeless fight is about ready to rekindle as the Bulls and Blackhawks head to the playoffs, at times pitting one fandom against the other.
Both are building compelling stories.
Thin margins between teams in the NHL's west mean each outcome shakes up the seeding. If you don't know what "games in hand" means or don't understand the standings-point system, time to learn. The chaotic, heart-in-your-throat nature of urgent, pro hockey is thrilling, emotionally exhausting and inherently dramatic for those invested in the results, and the defending champions are trying to come together at the right time to make a run at the improbable.
A Bulls season that has unfolded like a Derrick Rose megastar roll-out effort is ramping up to intoxicating possibilities, in similar fashion as the Hawks themselves two years ago. On pace for an unthinkable, 57-win season, they are now have eyes on them from places beyond Chicago. The NBA's network TV footprint across ABC, TNT and ESPN pushes their playoffs to prominence, and the Bulls are indeed emerging as a protagonist against the hated Miami Heat.
Locally, though, every editorial choice – what page, what headline position and size, which team is mentioned first during updates on radio and television – will be scrutinized. Bar patrons will argue over the allocation of precious flat-screen space to one game or the other. Similar skirmishes will erupt in living rooms, man-caves, and dormitory common-rooms.
Prepare for the grunting white guys who don't want to be bothered by those "lazy, tattooed thugs with their gold chains and entourages." They'll be out in force. There are not many brazen enough to offer such opinions loudly and publicly, but they represent more than many care to admit. They are the dominant voices in any of these discussions, always, since most NBA fans don't seem to care enough about hockey to denigrate the sport or the players.
(Rule to remember: if a hockey fan is compelled to deny being a racist, he's a racist. Just like the NASCAR hill-folk rule)
As in most political races, the passive battle for the center will be joined. Will the swath of casual fans attracted to the next shiny thing snap back to the more popular, more available, mainstream sport, or will the recent memory of parades and champagne still entrance them?
My advice, albeit obvious, is this: enjoy both, on your terms, as I try to do.
The only real issues occur with simultaneous games, since it's nearly impossible to toggle between any two when hockey is involved – the action there must be observed continuously if you want any real sense of what's going on. You either have to watch it or not, using DVR to keep you covered.
It's not zero-sum. There's plenty of attention to go around. If you want to revel in talk of your team, you will be able to find whatever makes you happy. If you want to patronize bars that proudly pick one over the other, feel free (though why any thinking Chicago sports fan would choose to do that is unfathomable to me).
Over the next several weeks, we will be presented with a grand, decadent buffet of Chicago pro sports. Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs and Sox presented like juicy, marbled prime rib carved to order, chilled jumbo prawns on ice, warm eggs benedict dripping with hollandaise, and smoky, spicy, black bean chilaquiles.
Grab a plate. Make a few trips. Have what you want.
Dan Bernstein has been the co-host of "Boers and Bernstein" since 1999. He joined the station as a reporter/anchor in 1995. The Boers and Bernstein Show airs every weekday from 1PM to 6PM on The Score, 670AM. Read more of Bernstein's blogs here.
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