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As I watched Super Bowl XL last Sunday, I couldn't help but notice that a majority of the fans seemed to be rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whenever the cameras showed a shot of the crowd, all I could see were people dressed in black and gold. And, of course, they were all waving those gold "Terrible Towels".  I happened to be watching the game with several friends, one of whom had never seen or heard of Terrible Towels before. She thought it was a new gimmick that the Steelers' organization dreamed up for this current playoff run. But since I had been a Steelers' fan once upon a time as a child, I quickly corrected her and told her the Terrible Towels were several decades old.

This exchange got me to thinking about various traditions that are specific to fans in certain sports cities, namely my hometown of Chicago. Terrible Towels are specific to Pittsburgh Steelers fans. What other traditions are out there?  I asked my friends for help, and this is a partial list of what we came up with.

Chicago Cubs Fans
Since this particular group mostly consisted of baseball fans, this was a natural place to start. When most outsiders think of Cubs games and traditions, they probably think of the way the organization always brings in a local or national celebrity to lead the fans in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the Seventh Inning Stretch. But the fan tradition we like the most is how people seated in the bleachers will throw an opponents home run ball back onto the field. It's not very often that a ball is hit your way when you're attending a professional baseball game, and it's even less often that you actually catch the ball. So for someone to willingly give up such a rare souvenir is a testament to how much we love the Cubs!

Chicago Blackhawks Fans
We turned to hockey for our next tradition, but since none of us has been to a Blackhawks game in recent years, we couldn't say for sure if this tradition still exists. At any rate, it's still a good one and should be on this list. Back when the Blackhawks were playing at the old Chicago Stadium, the best part of attending home games was listening to the National Anthem being sung by vocalist Wayne Messmer. Not only was Messmer good at what he did, but the fans also had a great tradition of standing up and cheering wildly throughout the entire song. It wasn't meant as a sign of disrespect to Messmer. On the contrary, the fans adored him. The constant cheering was just a way for the fans to get the Blackhawks fired up before the first face off of the night.

It could really get emotional during the National Anthem in that old building, especially during the playoffs. In fact, many former players cite the Anthem tradition as the thing they remember -- and miss -- the most about playing in Chicago Stadium during that time.

Chicago Bears Fans
This tradition dates back to the time when the Bears were consistently the dominant team in their division and when they were known for their bone-crushing defensive play. When the Bears made their memorable Super Bowl run back in 1985, they had one of the best team defenses in history. In that season, it is rumored that a couple of players actually started barking at some hostile fans when playing an away game. When word of that incident got out, the rest of the defense started barking after making good plays. Soon after that, the fans took up barking to cheer the team on. Because of this, the defense back then was collectively known as the "junkyard dogs." This tradition came to a quick end after the Bears started losing regularly in the early 1990s; but it's a fun one to remember.

One of the best things about being a sports fan is attending games in person and taking part in whatever traditions your city is known for. It makes you feel like you're a part of something, and it helps the players on the field when they know the fans are behind them. If you ever attend a professional sporting event in Chicago, you'll now know a little bit about why the fans act the way they do.