Where does Drake rank among famous superfans?
By Jason Cole
5. The Bill Swerski Super Fans
In the mid-1980s, genius comic Robert Smigel moved to Chicago, attended some Cubs games and started watching the a porcine group of roughneck fans who loved the teams of the Windy City. They had the distinct Chick-ka-go accent to go with a confidence that they understood the essence of sports.
Whatever sport, to be generally specific. They could be interviewing Michael Jordan, discussing the rise of White Sox, agonizing over the demise of the Cubs or, more specifically, waxing in staccato fashion about their favorite team. Yeah, you know that team
Da Bears.
They were the Bill Swerski’s Super Fans, an amalgamation of the Chicago sports fans and the sports reporters who covered those teams, such as Bill Gleason and Rick Telander. The Super Fans didn’t necessarily go to games, but they became as much a part of Chicago sports and, in particular, da Bears as any individual fan or group of fans. They became so big, they even had a Thanksgiving Special.
They have spent more than 25 years becoming part of sports lexicon and lore. They not only helped create the aura of Mike Ditka, they spawned copycats (Michigan fans dressing up like Jim Harbaugh evoke a certain sense of Super Fandom) and even commercials taunting a certain Packers quarterback.
At the same time, there’s one little problem in ranking the Bill Swerski Super Fans any higher on this list.
They’re not real. I know, you’re shocked an disappointed. I know this is a hard way to break this news to the world. I’ve kept it to myself for years, but it’s only fair to Drake that I don’t hold him to an unrealistic standard and rank him below fictional character.