Chicago White Sox fans celebrate billboard demanding owner sell the team: "Sell the damn team, Jerry!" "Please get this clown out of my life"

Chicago White Sox fans have had enough of team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. While spring is usually a time of optimism, in Chicago, it still feels like the dead of winter.

To publicize their angst, a group of disgruntled fans paid for a billboard on the side of a building demanding Reinsdorf sell the team. He has owned at least part of the Chicago White Sox since 1981.

Reinsdorf has been a focal point for the anger held by many a Chicago fan over the sustained mediocrity of their sports teams for most of the past century. He controls the majority share of both the White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls were a juggernaut in the 1990s, but have been mediocre since. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 -- the team's first since 1917 -- but have largely floundered during Reinsdorf's time in control.

When it's winter in Chicago, beauty is a relative term. Dirty brown snow, slate gray skies, and bitter cold dominate the landscape. While it's likely that a long-lasting winter has Chicagoans feeling more irritable than usual this time of year, White Sox fans aren't feeling optimistic either.

The Chicago White Sox were established in 1900 and joined the American League in 1901. Things went well in the early going as the team won the 1906 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, and also claimed the championship in 1917. The White Sox were heavy favorites to win the 1919 World Series, but several players conspired with gamblers to throw the series against the Cincinnati Reds.

It wasn't until 2005 that the team finally won another championship. Season after difficult season before and since that title has made for a hearty and hardened fanbase.

Not many things in this world can be described as "dumb and awesome"... but this billboard is apparently one of them.

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Chicago White Sox have some work to do in 2023

A near-empty stadium as Vince Velasquez of the Chicago White Sox delivers a pitch.

While the Chicago White Sox disappointed last season, they brought back a talented squad in 2023. While the team is still contending with the heartbreaking loss of team leader Jose Abreu, there is still plenty of hitting pop in the lineup to complement a solid pitching staff.

Former Kansas City Royals coach Pedro Grifol was brought in this winter as manager, taking over for Tony LaRussa. However, while Grifol isn't looking back at any .500 records, he isn't looking too far ahead either.