Commending the Chicago Cubs baseball team as it celebrates its 150th anniversary on August 29, 2026.

Commending the Chicago Cubs baseball team as it celebrates its 150th anniversary on August 29, 2026.

Whereas the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs in 1876;

Whereas, since 1876, more than 182,000,000 fans have attended games of the Chicago Cubs, and millions more have listened to games on the radio and watched games on television across the United States and the world;

Whereas the founding team had only 11 players for the entire season which consisted of James White, Cal McVey, Ross Barnes, John Peters, Adrian “Cap” Anson, John Glenn, Paul Hines, Bob Addy, Oscar Bielaski, Fred Andrus, and Albert G. Spalding;

Whereas Albert G. Spalding, a native of Illinois, and founder of the sporting goods company which still bears his name today, served as the pitcher and manager;

Whereas the 1906 Chicago Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox;

Whereas the team's season record of 116 wins during the 154-game season of 1906 is still a Major League Baseball record today;

Whereas the Chicago Cubs won both the 1907 and 1908 World Series against the Detroit Tigers playing at the West Side Grounds;

Whereas the Chicago Cubs have played at Wrigley Field since 1916, which is a designated National Historic Landmark and the second-oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball;

Whereas Wrigley Field was the last baseball stadium to have lights installed in 1988, the first stadium to have an organ playing music, the first stadium to build permanent concession stands, and the first stadium to have a live broadcast of games;

Whereas “Wrigleyville” is the vibrant neighborhood that surrounds Wrigley Field, providing a location for fans to support surrounding small businesses, galvanize the city of Chicago, and come together to root the Chicago Cubs to victory;

Whereas, for more than 50 years, Harry Caray, with his trademark shout of “Holy Cow ” that is known to baseball fans across the world, who broadcasted thousands of baseball games before ending his career with the Chicago Cubs, earned his induction into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame;

Whereas legendary broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, who served as the voice of the Chicago Cubs on the radio from 1940–1944, became the television announcer from 1947–1981, and was known for his “Hey-Hey!” catchphrase, was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and awarded the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award;

Whereas Pat Hughes, the Chicago Cubs lead play-by-play radio announcer, whose voice is woven into the fabric of sports culture in Chicago, called the 2016 World Series championship that ended the 108-year drought for the Cubs, and was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and awarded the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award;

Whereas, between 1948 and 2019, WGN-TV revolutionized baseball broadcasting and brought Chicago Cubs baseball to the masses, airing more than 7,000 Cubs games and helping spread the thrills of Cubs baseball through its unsurpassed sports coverage and its historic partnership with the team;

Whereas the Chicago Cubs have won 8 division titles, 17 National League pennants, and 3 World Series championships, including the series of 7 games in 2016 during which the Cubs completed a historic comeback from down 3 games to 1 to defeat the Cleveland Indians;

Whereas the 2016 parade following the Chicago Cubs World Series championship, attended by an estimated 5,000,000 people, celebrated the Cubs making the World Series for the first time since 1965, breaking the so-called “Curse of the Billy Goat”;

Whereas the Chicago Cubs have scored more than 103,400 runs, have more than 200,000 hits, and is only the third franchise in Major League Baseball to hit 15,000 home runs;

Whereas 54 players, managers, and executives for the Chicago Cubs have been enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York;

Whereas Ferguson “Fergie” Jenkins became one of the most dominant pitchers in the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1971 went 24–13, throwing a complete game in 30 of his 39 starts, and becoming the first pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and the first Canadian to win the Cy Young Award;

Whereas, between 1953 and 1971, Ernie Banks, who was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, played as shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, often exclaiming his catchphrase, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame … Let’s play two!”;

Whereas, in 1998, Sammy Sosa, 1 of 8 players in history with more than 600 home runs, chased the single-season home run record of Roger Maris' 61 home runs with Mark McGwire, earning the National League Most Valuable Player Award by driving in more runs than McGwire and leading the Chicago Cubs to the playoffs;

Whereas Ron Santo, who played third baseman for 14 years for the Chicago Cubs, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, named to the first All-Star Game in 1963, won the first of 5 straight Gold Glove Awards, and, from 1963–1970, averaged almost 29 home runs and 106 runs batted in per season;

Whereas Billy Williams, left fielder and 6-time All Star, was named 1961 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting 25 home runs with 86 runs batted in, and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame;

Whereas second baseman Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg made 10 consecutive All-Star Game appearances, won 9 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1983–1991, and famously led the Chicago Cubs to a comeback victory, hitting 2 consecutive home runs in the ninth and tenth innings against Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field in the “Sandberg Game”;

Whereas, in 1999, Ernie Banks, Sammy Sosa, Billy Williams, and Fergie Jenkins were selected as members of the Chicago Cubs All-Century Team;

Whereas famous Chicago Cubs such as Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker, Mordecai Brown, Gabby Hartnett, Hack Wilson, Stan Hack, Phil Cavarretta, Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, Kerry Wood, Anthony Rizzo, and more than 2,000 others have brought joy to fans for generations; and

Whereas, since 2009, the Chicago Cubs Charities has donated more than $51,000,000 to promote youth sports and well-being and support youth and families throughout the city of Chicago and State of Illinois: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives commends the Chicago Cubs on the celebration of their 150th anniversary, in light of their successes on the field, their significant contributions to the sport, and the tremendous sense of pride they have provided for all those who have played for, worked for, and enjoyed the triumphs of the Chicago Cubs.