Spotlight: Elite Cubs Fans – The Place For Die-Hard Cubs Fans

Photo of Jon Ferlise Jon FerliseApril 25, 2016

Ryan Lamar and Jason Gilley decided in July 2014 to form a Cubs fan group on Facebook. From the very beginning, this was never going to be an ordinary fan group. This, they both determined, needed to be a place where Cubs fans could come and look towards the future. A place that would welcome positive vibes for the team they loved and cheered for their entire lives. This was going to be ‘Elite Cubs Fans.’

Being Elite

Jason and Ryan started off slowly but things quickly caught on fire during the 2015, their first full season. You see, both Jason and Ryan believe strongly in giving back to people who don’t have the means to be able to do things, like attend Cubs games, that we all sometimes take for granted.

They personally funded an ECF member (US Military Veteran) and his family so they could attend their first Cubs game. Next, the ECF admins came together and sent a Vietnam War Veteran and his son (Jon Clark, ECF Admin) to a dream series at Wrigley against the Pirates.  Then, in September of 2015, the ECF family again came together to assist the Hazleton Integration Project (HIP) by helping to fund sending two buses full of underprivileged Cubs fans and their families to the Cubs vs. Phillies game on September 12, 2015.  The ECF group raised over $7500 for this worthy cause.

So, as you can see, Elite Cubs Fans aren’t just elite because of their die-hard passion for the Cubs, but also because of the tremendous support they’ve shown for the Cubs community.

Challenge accepted

Being an ECF member is really about living a lifestyle as a Cubs fan. The group tries hard to include as many Cubs fans as they can find that really want to be a part of a group they feel is special and unique. To drive home their objectives, as a Cubs fan group, they issue this challenge to all their members.

1.) Identify bandwagon jumpers (either on Facebook, social media, or in your personal life) 2.) Pull them under your wing, groom them and help them appreciate what they are watching and how special it really is (more than the hype) 3.) Turn them into a die-hard fans. Many of these bandwagon fans will turn into fair weather fans if not kept from the dark side! At some point we all jumped on a bandwagon, even if it was when they took dead last and you wanted to root for the underdog!

The challenge is a fun and light-hearted way that the group communicates their passion for the Cubs. They also want everyone to feel welcome but they try hard to avoid, or should I say convert, fair-weather fans who simply root for the team because they’re good or popular or this girl they met in third grade likes them.

Becoming Elite

Since starting the ECF group in July 2014, membership has grown at a brisk rate and currently stands at over 3,200 members. Their Facebook page is a great place to go anytime to talk Cubs or just see what everyone else is talking about. And the ECF members are a tremendous group of Cubs fans indeed.

You may recall hearing about the Cubs fan that got banned from Busch Stadium for wearing a Joe Maddon ‘Try Not to Suck’ shirt. Yep, he was an ECF member.

ECF is everywhere you look, representing the Cubs with pride, passion and class.They have lots of fun future plans for the group, including a podcast and ECFU, an educational forum highlighting advanced baseball topics.

If you want to become a member, just go to their Facebook page for more information.

You can also find them on Twitter, Instagram, or at their website.

Photo of Jon Ferlise Jon FerliseApril 25, 2016
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