In Chicago, baseball fan Barry Antoniazzi throws on his custom White Sox uniform around seventy times a year and heads to his baseball sanctuary, Guaranteed Rate Field, to cheer on his team. Despite living just a block and a half away from the ballpark, Antoniazzi hasn’t heard much celebratory post-game fireworks going off since the White Sox haven’t won a home game in over a month.
With their most recent loss, the White Sox are on the brink of reaching the 1962 New York Mets’ dismal record of 120 losses. Still, Antoniazzi remains undeterred and continues to support his team through their continuous defeats. This unwavering faith is a feeling shared by many of the diehard fans who show up regularly at the games despite the team charting a course towards the worst season in baseball history.
Reasons for attending the games vary from fan to fan. Some simply want to be there when the team makes history — albeit in a less than desirable manner. Others see the games as an entertaining way to spend their free time while visiting the city or as an opportunity to enjoy a beer and a great hot dog. Meanwhile, several fans are hell-bent on visiting all 30 ballparks, and Guaranteed Rate Field is just another stop on their list.
The atmosphere at the stadium, with its sparse crowds and the deafening silence periodically disrupted by the occasional bell ring of an ice cream cart or an applauding fan, can be quite disheartening, especially for lifelong fans. Nevertheless, the diehards like Nate Lutzow still turn up, some even celebrating their birthdays at the ballpark in the hope things will get brighter.
Whether they’re fans from out of town hoping to tick Guaranteed Rate Field off their bucket list, parents excited to take their kids to their first game, or just devoted locals, there is a common sentiment among these fans: this torturous season needs to end. Despite the team’s performance, many fans are able to find some sort of silver lining. To them, it doesn’t dampen their love for baseball, or more specifically, the White Sox.
The diehard fans, like Antoniazzi and the others who frequent the stadium, have remained loyal throughout this horrid season. They accept that the losses are part of the team’s history, scars they wear proudly. As Antoniazzi said, “we’re not going to be this bad forever, and when we do get good, I can say, ‘I stuck with them through thick and thin.'”
