Which NFL fan bases have it the worst right now? That’s the question ESPN set out to determine.
ESPN’s Sports Misery Index Formula takes into account five factors: championships, playoff berths, playoff wins, heartbreaks and rival comparison. They also added a bonus for teams that haven’t won a championship in 25-plus seasons.
The Chicago Bears, who check off a lot of those boxes, were ranked as the seventh most-miserable fan base in the NFL and 20th overall in sports.
Here’s why ESPN believes the Bears are especially miserable:
The Bears were the hottest team in the NFL going into last year’s playoffs, riding a stifling defense to their first division title and playoff berth since 2010. Their Super Bowl run ended as soon as it began, though, as Cody Parkey clanked the game-winning field goal attempt in a wild-card loss to the Eagles. Considering that last year was only Chicago’s second playoff appearance since losing Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season, the Bears squandered an opportunity that doesn’t come around too often.
Cody Parkey’s double-doink remains fresh in the minds of many Bears fans, as it quickly squandered Super Bowl aspirations for a team that hadn’t made it to the big dance since 2006.
Heading into the 2019 season, expectations were high for a Bears defense that returned 10 starters on one of the league’s most dominant units, as well as an offense entering its second season.
While the offense has been cause for concern after three weeks into the season, Chicago maintains what’s proving to be a Super Bowl caliber defense.
The Bears haven’t won a championship since 1985, which is a harsh reminder of some dark times for this franchise since that legendary season. As the Bears celebrate their centennial season, there’s a belief that this is the best chance that this franchise had had to win a Super Bowl in quite awhile.
The talent is there and the winning culture is in place. But, ultimately, it comes down to QB Mitch Trubisky and this Bears offense. They don’t have to be great, they just have to be good enough with this defense. Can they rise to the occasion? Or will this be another forgettable failure in Bears history that’s sure to elevate the Bears from seventh most miserable fan base towards the top?
