Cub Bleacher Bum

Red text on blue background with white pattern representing baseball stitching. 

This button is one of eight in a collectible series, possibly used in vending machines. "Bleacher Bums" refer to Chicago Cubs fans who sit in the bleacher section at Wrigley Field. The group was originally referred to as "bums" because, due to their ability to regularly attend day games, the assumption was that they did not have jobs. Many of these fans were, and are, students at the many colleges and universities in the Chicago area, including Loyola, Northwestern and DePaul. The group was started in 1967 by fans and a sports radio host Mike Murphy, who believes that the Bleacher Bums started the tradition of throwing opposing teams' home run balls back onto the field. A Broadway play written collaboratively by members of the Organic Theater Company in Chicago, and starring Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz, began running in 1977. A performance of the play was aired on PBS in 1979, and a made-for-television movie adaptation of the play came out in 2002. Bud Light bought the naming rights to the bleacher section in 2006, naming it the Bud Light Bleachers.

Read more about the History of Cubs Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.