We don’t like to take sides when Chicago has not one but TWO amazing professional baseball teams, but it only seems fair to cheer on the Chicago Cubs as they attempt to break their 100+ year dry spell of World Series wins.

Chicagoans all around the city and across the globe are collectively biting their nails and hoping that this year is FINALLY the year. As of this writing, the Chicago Cubs still have to defeat the LA Dodgers before they even have the chance to compete for the title of World Series champions. Fox Sports shares the playoffs and World Series schedule if you need to keep up with game dates and times!

As we wait around and see what happens for the Chicago Cubs in 2016, it can be fun to shift the focus slightly from the intense competition, to ballpark food and the weird Chicago Cubs goat curse.

Ballpark Food at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field has not historically been known for it’s thoughtful food selection. But 2016 may just be this stadium’s year (fingers crossed all around)! Chicago Eater shares the delectable details of Wrigley’s latest menu upgrade, with dishes including:

  • Craft sausages
  • Bloody mary bar (featuring Chicago-style hot dogs!)
  • Buona Beef
  • Buffalo chicken fries
  • Fannie Mae candies in the Budweiser Bleacher Suites

Though nothing terribly fancy, you can also get a number of ballpark favorites at various vendors throughout the stadium, including:

  • Hot dogs
  • Burgers
  • Pizza
  • Nachos
  • Peanuts

Though the options are improving, we definitely suggest heading to whatever they’re calling the White Sox stadium this year, if you consider yourself to be more foodie than sports fan. Eater’s 2016 edition of White Sox ballpark food options spans several pages more than the Chicago Cubs edition. It’s almost too hard to pick what to eat while you’re there!

The Curse of the Goat

You may have heard of the curse of the goat, but do you know what actually happened? Here are the most important details:

October 6, 1945 marked the beginning of the end for Chicago Cubs fans who place a lot of stock in this curse.

William “Billy Goat” Sianis, for some reason, decided that he wanted to bring his pet goat “Murphy” into the stadium during Game four in the World Series against the Dodgers. The ushers on staff said he could come in, but stinky Murphy could not, and Billy Goat laid down the infamous Cubs curse with the words, “The Cubs ain’t gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field.”

During playoff season, Chicago restaurants create a lot of tasty and spiteful goat dishes to try and reset the balance. Besides eating goat, Chicagoans have a lot of other traditions and rituals to try and banish the curse and bring about a Cub’s victory. We’re wondering – why don’t they just let in a goat? 

Will you be cheering on the Chicago Cubs during their 2016 bid at winning the World Series? Even if you don’t, we hope you indulge in some delicious ballpark food!