A ray of hope for White Sox fans? The story, say fans of other losing teams: “When you've been down for so long, what's the point of going down a little further?”

Die-hard sports fans don’t hope that their team loses.

At least until they start making history.

The Chicago White Sox are close to setting the record for most losses in a modern MLB season with only a few games left in the schedule. Some fans of other teams that have lost in the past – for better or for worse – may know how Sox fans are feeling this week.

“When you've been down for so long, what's the point of going down even further?” asks Michael Campbell, a lifelong Detroit Lions fan who moved from Michigan to Chicago shortly before the team suffered a 16-0 loss in 2008.

From the 2008 NFL Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns, who completed a “perfect” 0-16 season, to the Philadelphia 76ers of the early 1970s, who finished 59 games behind the league-leading Boston Celtics, the White Sox are on the verge of joining an exclusive fraternity of North American losers in professional sports.

Trey Burke, an avid Browns fan who moved to Lakeview in 2021 after graduating from college in Ohio, said Browns fans hugged each other after the team's loss in its final game in 2017 and even held a parade to celebrate the season.

“There was literally a parade for a perfect 0-16 record, which is sad, but it's good to be able to take something good from something terrible,” said Burke, 25.

Matthew Grezlik, 44, grew up a Lions fan and moved to Chicago from Michigan in 2004. Grezlik said he was disappointed when the Browns became the second team in NFL history to lose 16 games.

“Honestly, I'd almost prefer if we were the only team that's 0-16,” said Grezlik, who lives in Sauganash. He later pointed out that “nobody will remember a team that's 1-15, but everyone will remember a team that's 0-16.”

Mike Singer, 63, said he grew up just outside Philadelphia and was in fifth grade during the 1972-73 NBA season, when the Philadelphia 76ers lost 73 times, more than any other team in NBA history since the 82-game season was introduced.

“I remember wanting to go to a game because I just wanted to go to a game,” said Singer, who has lived in Chicago since 1994 and currently lives in Lakeview. “My dad said, 'They're terrible. We're not going to waste our money.'”

Burke, who remained a Browns fan even after the 2017 season, said there are advantages to being a fan of a team that has hit rock bottom. First, there's no way the White Sox will be as bad again next year, he said.

In the meantime, Sox fans can attend their team's games at discounted prices. Burke said he paid $1.50 this month to see the Sox play the Cleveland Guardians.

Despite the records and positives, the White Sox's performance can still be a little depressing, Burke said.

“When you watch the White Sox on TV, it's kind of sad how many fans aren't there and how empty the stadium is,” he said.

Grezlik said the sore spot of this year's season could one day become a medal of honor for White Sox fans – just as the Lions' checkered past is a medal of honor for the people of Detroit.

“We've always been the economic butt of jokes, we've always been the criminal butt of jokes, and then in 2008, you add a 16-0 team to the mix,” Grezlik said. “And now look at us. The city of Detroit is thriving and we're a Super Bowl contender. I think it's a great comeback story.”

The White Sox could potentially follow a similar path to the Lions if they got a new owner, Grezlik added.

Campbell, who lives in Norwood Park, said he doesn't think the White Sox's performance should reflect badly on Chicago.

“I would never say that the performance of the Lions or any of our other teams reflects the performance of the city as a whole,” said Campbell, 50.

He added that the Chicago Cubs had been “perpetual losers for years.”