The Cincinnati Reds got creative with their Jumbotron in an attempt to troll Chicago Cubs fans last night.
With masses of Cubs fans descending on Cincinnati for a weekend series, the Reds broke out the Jumbotron to call out all of the bandwagon fans in attendance. For three minutes, the scoreboard panned the crowd at Great American Ballpark, calling out Cubs fans (who far outnumbered Reds fans) with humorous attempts to downplay their level of fandom. Great fun was had by all.
Everyone who showed up on the Jumbotron was a good sport about it. After the initial reaction to seeing themselves on the big board, there was a moment of realization after reading the accusation levied against their loyalty to the Cubs. The Reds kept it light with their barbs, and no feelings were hurt in the end.
While there’s no denying the surge in interest that comes with a team winning a World Series or becoming a contender (talking to you, Royals and Blue Jays fans), Cubs fans may not have been the best group to take a shot at. While waiting over 100 years for a winner, they religiously packed Wrigley Field 81 times a season and still lived and died with every pitch. The World Series win last year has driven up ticket prices, making it difficult for many Cubs fans to afford a trip to Wrigley. Meanwhile, the Reds are struggling to draw 15,000 fans to any series not involving the Cubs.
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Give the Reds seven points out of 10 for this attempt at trolling Cubs fans. The grade would have been much higher had they not blown a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning before going onto lose 6-5 in extra innings. If you’re going to try and ether Cubs fans, you’ve got to stick the landing with a win. The Reds were off to a strong start to the year, but have begun unraveling over the past week and have now lost three in a row to fall out of first place.