Loser: The Bears fans
Like many, I was very excited the night Justin Fields was drafted. I was living in Columbus, OH at the time when he was at Ohio State. I remember the 2020 COVID-shortened season when he led Ohio State on a run to the National Championship Game. The Bears paid a price to move up to get him, but I thought it was worth it, and he was going to be the franchise quarterback we were all hoping for.
Three years later, we witnessed one of the ugliest fan divisiveness being played out. The Fields' stans versus Williams' stans trolling each other on social media, involving sexism towards female fans, death threats towards the individual and their family, and even racist remarks was on full display throughout this off-season and was it was ugly as you can imagine. It brought out the worst in people.
Believe me, I wanted Fields to succeed badly like everyone else. I wish it worked out differently. I do believe there is validity to the anger the Bears fans have towards how the Bears organization failed him badly. However, that does not mean you can attack fans or name-call those who were well-connected around the league with vitriol.
There is no question that some within the media both locally and nationally chose to gaslight and attack the fans weekly over Fields versus Williams' storylines for clicks and followers. But many fans also chose to align themselves with those who supported their own beliefs and attacked against anyone who thought otherwise. As a result, the Bears fans developed a bad reputation due to a small segment of the fan base acting loudly and crossing the line.
You can choose to blame NFL insiders, sports writers, columnists, and radio hosts for acting biased and gaslighting. But for Fields fans to attack Williams' nail painting and crying last season, and wanting him to be a bust is unacceptable, just as much as for Williams fans to take a victory lap and attack Fields fans for being in denial. No one wins when you are engaging in such embarrassing behavior.
The way some fans behaved this off-season should make us feel deeply ashamed. If you were one of those people, please take a long hard look at yourself in a mirror this off-season before your next tweet about Justin Fields or Caleb Williams. It could help you from destroying your own career and reputation.