By Ace Grado / Staff Writer

Being a White Sox fan is both frustrating and something to be proud of. Every season, fans lock in with hope and optimism, wondering if maybe this time we’ll see a World Series. Of course, that’s reaching for the stars. For years, as fans and as a culture, we’ve been told to have faith in the process, yet every single year the process lets us down. It’s hard to keep hope alive when the team and the franchise no longer seem to care about success.

For my family, supporting the Sox has always been about more than baseball. They live on the South Side, on 95th Street and Marquette Avenue, where being a White Sox fan means more than rooting for a team; it represents the community. I grew up hearing stories of packed bleachers, Paul Konerko’s home runs, and Mark Buehrle’s perfect games. I grew up with the pride that comes with wearing black and white.

If being a White Sox fan doesn’t show what kind of person I am when it comes to loyalty, I don’t know what will. That loyalty still runs deep in my family, but lately, it’s been harder to hold on to.

Let’s name it as it truly is. The Sox concluded the season with a 60-102 record, among the poorest in baseball. That’s not unfortunate circumstances, that’s ineffective leadership.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been running this team like it’s a hobby instead of a franchise with one of the most loyal fan bases in the game. He’s had decades to build something sustainable, and instead, we’ve been given mediocrity wrapped in empty promises. The front office under Chris Getz isn’t helping either, recycling the same tired approach while pretending it’s a “fresh start.”

The talent is there, or at least it was. Luis Robert Jr. hit 38 home runs in 2023 and still couldn’t save a sinking ship. Tim Anderson went from being one of the most exciting shortstops in baseball to another casualty of a broken culture. Dylan Cease was a Cy Young finalist just two seasons ago, but was surrounded by a rotation that never found consistency. It’s not about players giving up; it’s about an organization that gives them nothing to believe in. To make matters worse, Andrew Vaughn, a former first baseman who was traded for Aaron Civale (formerly from the Brewers), is literally playing in the NLCS under the Brewers as I write this. Everyone who leaves this franchise excels. 

Meanwhile, other teams are building dynasties. The Astros, the Braves, and the Dodgers all figured out how to win and stay winning. The White Sox are busy “rebuilding” again. It’s a word fans have heard too many times and believed too many times. And for what? Another losing season, another round of trades, another manager blamed for deeper problems.

To make it worse, MLB and the national media treat the Sox like an afterthought. The Cubs get the spotlight, the Sox get the silence. It’s as if the league forgot that the South Side has heart, history, and fans who still show up despite all the disappointment.

This city deserves a team that fights, not one that folds. The fans have done their part. We have stayed loyal, bought the tickets, worn the merch, and defended this team when no one else would. The problem isn’t the fans. It’s the people running the show.

If Reinsdorf won’t step down or bring in leadership that actually cares about competing, then nothing will change. Another renovation, another justification, another season wasted—the South Side deserves better.

We’re not requesting miracles. 

Until that happens, being a White Sox fan will stay what it’s been for far too long, loving a team that refuses to love you back.