Drivin’ Deez Nuts: What The Bears Are Really Missing
By Deez
As the bye week wraps up, I’m not going to bore you with more talk about Jay Cutler wishes and Randy Moss dreams. I want to talk about the lack of something flashy and excitable on the sidelines during Chicago Bears’ games. No, not Mike Martz spouting out running plays in a bright orange unitard (that’s a picture that will haunt your dreams.) I’m talking about the former Chicago Bear cheerleaders, the Honey Bears. It’s just un-American that our football team has no cheerleaders at all.
Okay, so I know that more often than not, cheerleaders seem to serve little purpose at games. Yes, they would have been nice to look at after the Giants sacked Jay Cutler for the 9th time but it ends there, right? Wrong. Let me show you that the Honey Bears have meant more to the Bears franchise.
In 1976, when George Halas owned the team, he decided that the Bears needed some “dancing girls” on the sidelines. Cathy Core headed a squad of 20 girls which officially became the Honey Bears for the 1977 season. Halas was so satisfied with what they brought to gameday that he said, “As long as I’m alive, we will have dancing girls on the sidelines.” Unfortunately, Halas passed away in 1983 and gave ownership of the team to his daughter and current Bears owner, Virginia Halas McCaskey.
With the ownership change, came the end of the Honey Bears. Their contract was up after the ’85 season and management refused to bring them back. No official reason was given for disbanding the squad, but most people believe that Virginia, now 87 years old, is the sole reason that, to this day, the Honey Bears are not part of the Chicago Bears experience. And so, we have been without cheerleaders since the ’85 season and I think you know what else we have been without since that year. Are we cursed?
25 years of no championships and no cheerleaders. What a jip. At least with cheerleaders we have something nice to look at during an ugly Bears loss. Or better yet, maybe an errant throw or misguided tackler might send one of them sprawling and we will have a good laugh. I’ve seen enough bad football and fat coaches in recent years. A change will do everyone good. Someone please tell the Bears owner that, Yes, Virginia, cheerleaders are an accepted part of football. It’s not 1940. The Honey Bears would be a welcome addition back to Chicago.
To quote a friend of mine, the Honey Bears will always deliver the sweetness. And that’s what’s Drivin’ Deez Nuts this week.
Check out more info on the Chicago Honey Bears.