Cubs fans show loyalty with team tattoos

DeKALB – No matter how the Cubs fare in their first World Series in 71 years, Matthew Walsh and José Aguilar will proudly sport red and blue ink on their skin for the rest of their lives.

The two DeKalb men both got Cubs-themed tattoos Tuesday at DeKalb Tattoo Company.

For Walsh, the common logo of a red C behind a blue bear cub on his upper arm is his ninth tattoo, and each one means something special to him.

“I’m really hoping this brings good luck to the Cubs,” he said.

Casey Banas, a tattoo artist of 17 years, did Walsh’s tattoo. Banas and other local artists said Cubs tattoos have been few so far, but they expect to do more if the team wins its first World Series in 108 years.

“I think we’re anticipating quite an influx of tattoos for the Chicago Cubs all the way around,” Banas said.

The next game in the series will be at 7 p.m. Saturday when the Cubs face the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. The game will be televised on Fox.

Walsh said he has been a fan all his life and looked up to baseball players as heroes when he was younger.

“Being a Cubs fan is everything,” he said. “You win with them; you lose with them. It’s truly an honor to be a Cubs fan.”

Walsh’s family also played a part in his appreciation for sports, as his grandfather was an avid softball player and coach.

“I had a bat in my hand since the time I could walk,” he said.

Walsh said he was sure his family members would be proud to see his new tattoo.

“We’re all die-hards,” he said. “There’s no division in my family; none of us are White Sox fans.”

Aguilar kept his family in mind while getting tattooed as well, sporting a bracelet of Cubs-colored rubber bands his 10-year-old daughter made for him.

Aguilar said while his daughter is finding an interest in baseball, he also is connecting with his late grandfather’s passion for the sport.

“I remember watching the game when they made it to go on and play the Dodgers,” he said. “I never realized why he loved watching the game so much, and at that moment I understood.”

Aguilar’s tattoo was of a blue bear cub face with a Chicago flag bandanna over its mouth. He said when artist Ray Cuevas sent him a design similar to what he had been thinking of getting, he knew it was the right time.

Cuevas, a professional tattoo artist for five years, placed the tattoo on Aguilar’s calf, but it wasn’t his first time memorializing a Chicago sports team on this client.

“It’s the only Chicago sports team I don’t have tattooed on me,” Aguilar said. “I have a Bulls tattoo, a Bears tattoo and a Blackhawks tattoo, and he’s done them all.”

Aguilar doesn’t have a White Sox tattoo, but he said he doesn’t have any negative feelings toward the team, either.

“With some Chicago fans, they pick either the White Sox or the Cubs,” he said. “Me personally, I don’t hate. I’d be happy if either one won the World Series. Of course, I do favor the Chicago Cubs.”

Michael Figueroa, an artist at Spider Tattooz in Sycamore, said he hasn’t had any requests for Cubs tattoos yet, but he expects people will want them if the Cubs win the World Series.

“Right now I don’t think people are wanting to jinx it,” he said.

Figueroa said he was doing Blackhawks tattoos on a regular basis after the team won the Stanley Cup in 2015. He even tattooed the Stanley Cup on Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling, which brought more business to the shop.

Cuevas said he has done two Cubs tattoos recently, but he also believes more will come out if the Cubs win the World Series.

“Either they’re die-hard fans, or they just really have love for the team,” Cuevas said.