Cubs take an 'L' after this awkward postseason poster starts to circulate

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
Cubs fans aren’t thrilled about this awkward CTA poster with an unfortunate tagline. (CTA)
Cubs fans aren’t thrilled about this awkward CTA poster with an unfortunate tagline. (CTA)

We’re sure the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) had its heart in the right place on Tuesday when it announced it would be giving away posters in “support” of the Chicago Cubs.

Unfortunately, there’s a slogan attached to said posters that were supposed to send Cubs flocking to the Addison Red Line near Wrigley Field ahead of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And that slogan missed the mark from Wrigley Field to Dodger Stadium.

Even that distance might not accurately capture the enormity of their misfire.

We get what they were going for there. We really do. The city’s famed L Train — or elevated rapid transit system — has shuttled fans to and from Wrigley Field since the ballpark opened in 1914. It’s as much a part of the franchise’s fabric and Wrigleyville culture as the manual scoreboard and ivy on the outfield wall.

But um, in baseball, that “L” doesn’t quite mean the same thing. There’s the “W” column — short for win — which the Cubs and their fans celebrate with a “W” flag. That alone should be a strong clue that any reference to the “L” — short for loss — won’t fly in Chicago, no matter how clever one thinks the reference might be.

Especially now, as the Cubs return home trailing to the Dodgers 2-0 in the NLCS. People are understandably sensitive.

The CTA attempted to explain the poster, noting they’ve used this slogan before.

Maybe the slogan isn’t new, but now wasn’t the best time to bring it back.

It leads to just one question: What the “L” were they thinking?

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!