You know, we aren’t that different.

We all go to Wisconsin. We are all Badger fans. We all love good food, cheep beer and the occasional karaoke singing to Journey.

However, there is one thing that sets me apart from most of you. I cheer for Chicago athletics.

Yes, I am a die-hard, full-fledged Cubs, Bears and Bulls fan. I watched all 82 games every year as Michael Jordan and company destroyed the NBA. I cried when Alex Gonzalez let the ball go through his legs in the 2003 NLCS. My heart races whenever Devin Hester returns the ball or when Rex Grossman drops back for a pass (both for completely different reasons).

But, for some of you, this is a major point of contention. I can’t walk to class with a Bears shirt on without getting stares or dirty looks. Every time I walk into a bar with my Cubs hat on, there are at least five people who tell me how bad they are or how they will never win the World Series.

What many people do not realize is the sports history between Chicago and Wisconsin professional franchises is not so different. For example, we all know the quarterback situation in Chicago has been moderately dismal since Jim McMahon handed the ball off to Walter Payton back in the 1980s. What many Packer fans do not realize is that before the great Brett Favre took the reins of the Packers’ offense, their last good quarterback was Bart Starr, whose playing days ended in 1971.

The same goes for the Bulls and the Bucks. Between 1977 and 1987, the Bulls had just one winning season. It even took three years for His Airness to get the team on the road to victory.

The Bucks, though they have been pretty pathetic over the last couple years, have had a lot of success in the past. In the 1970s, during the decade of futility by Chicago, Milwaukee was a force to be reckoned with.  Led by Oscar “Big O” Robinson and Lou Alcindor, who would later change his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the Bucks won 66 games and the NBA Championship in the 1970-71 season. They returned to the NBA Finals again after the 1973-74 season but lost to the Boston Celtics.

The newest point of contention between Chicago and Milwaukee fans is the Cubs-Brewers rivalry. Before the middle of this decade, it wasn’t about which team was better but more about which team was worse.

Now, since both teams have finally realized they need to spend money to be good, the National League Central has gone from the Cardinals almost always having an automatic lock to a perennial three-team race.

We all know it hasn’t always been that way. The Cubs 100-year championship drought has been well documented. The Brewers, on the other hand, have actually made it to the World Series more times in the last 100 years than the Cubs. However, since their switch to the National League in 2000, the Brewers have only one winning season and no playoff appearances.

Although there is a rivalry between the Chicago and Wisconsin clubs, there are many similarities between the two. For example, all of us have a general disdain for East Coast teams. We are sick of Tom Brady winning championships and New York teams stealing our quarterbacks. We get annoyed by Red Sox Nation and are sick of Knicks fans hating everything.

So why can’t we just accept our differences and bond over our hatred of common enemies? We can cheer for each other whenever our respective teams play the Vikings or the Cardinals. We can laugh every time “Broadway Brett” gets sacked and complains about his new team. We can embrace if neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees make the playoffs.

But, though I advocate friendliness between Wisconsin and Chicago fans, it does not mean I will forget the rivalries. If the Cubs and the Brewers meet in the playoffs, there is no way I will even think about showing an ounce of sympathy for Milwaukee fans. I will still go to Lambeau Field decked out in Bears gear for the Bears vs. Packers game and laugh when our junior varsity quarterbacks beat up on your veteran defense.

I will never let rivalries die. But as long as there is some mutual respect for and understanding of each other’s teams, the streets of Madison will be a lot less hostile of a place.

Ben is a senior majoring in journalism and history. If you’d like to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya,” contact him at [email protected]