What ever happened to 1985? That’s the question every Chicagoan has asked for the last 30 years. The 1985 Chicago Bears team coached by Mike Ditka, and featuring NFL legends such as Walter Payton and Mike Singletary, is still talked about. After having a historic season that is still regarded as one of the best seasons by a professional football team of all time, the Chicago Bears franchise has been a laughing stock. Once the pride of Chicago, the Bears are now just another addition to the long list of Chicago sports misfortune.

This season in particular has been an embarrassment, with a 1-3 record through 4 games, and crushing defeats to the Cowboys, Eagles, Texans. The defense has been decimated by injuries, and the offense as a unit has not been able to point any points on the board. Compound that with the fact that Quarterback Jay Cutler is now injured and the Bears are in for a long struggle of a season.

The blame can’t be placed on one single thing, but rather a multitude of things. The coaching staff, the players, and the front office have been consistently sub-par over the last decade, and the organization as a whole needs a change.

What has happened to the once historic Chicago Bears? The city needs a successful football team, we’re a football city. With such consistently terrible results under Jay Cutler, it would be easy to place the blame squarely on his pouty, perpetually injured self. But there’s more to it than that.

John Fox, the coach of the Bears, has not made good tactical decisions, nor has he inspired the team and been a good man-manager. After being successful with the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning, it would be expected tht he could repeat this success with the Bears. Instead, it seems his tenure will be a similar one to the Bears previous coaches, short and unsuccessful.

Fans are fed up now, not with the results, but the lack of effort.

“My family loves football, and my dad always talks about how good the Bears used to be. Now, our family watches the games and always talks about how pathetic the team is.” Will Angulo, sophomore, said.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”My family loves football, and my dad always talks about how good the Bears used to be. Now, our family watches the games and always talks about how pathetic the team is.”[/perfectpullquote]

That feeling of the Bears being a joke seems to be common around the school, and among other native Chicagoans.

“I was born before too late to see the ’85 Bears play, but I loved the 2006 Bears with Devin Hester that made it to the Superbowl. Now I don’t even really care.” Andrew Park said. Park is a Niles North alumni who now teaches at the school, and has lived his whole life as a Chicago Bears fan.

When your own dedicated fanbase is now simply apathetic, there is clearly something wrong with the direction the team is taking.

The Bears are a historic franchise, they are in the third largest city in the United States, and they have money to spend in free agency and regularly have high picks in the NFL draft. There is definitely potential to right the ship and turn things around, but until the team starts showing desire, there will be no support.