Originally created by Robert Smigel for a 1988 improv revue called Happy Happy Good Show, “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” became a staple of Saturday Night Live for a good portion of the ’90s. In the popular recurring sketch, a group of thickly accented Chicagoans, whose ranks typically included Smigel, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, and special guest George Wendt, would talk about the things that truly matter in life, namely heart attacks, Polish sausage, their beloved Chicago Bears (“daaaaa Bearsssss!”) and, to a much lesser extent, the Bulls. Above all, they worshiped Mike Ditka, who coached the 1985 Bears to a lone Super Bowl victory. To the Superfans, Ditka was a mythic figure, more god than man. They sported Ditka-esque mustaches and sunglasses in tribute to their idol, and they taped a sycophantic round table sports discussion show from Ditka’s Chicago restaurant.
In a satirical new video for Cafe, Matt Binder imagines how the hyper-devoted Swerski crowd would react to the upsetting news that Ditka has wholeheartedly endorsed xenophobic real estate mogul Donald Trump for president. It gets ugly fast:
The video begins with the Superfans praising the benevolence of their chosen god Ditka. It really does seem like a religious ceremony of sorts, with supplicants heaping praise on a mysterious but beneficent deity. Myers opines that Ditka “showed a lot of compassion.” Farley chimes in: “Coach Ditka will find a way.” Wendt drives it home: “He’s a merciful Ditka.” Amen. (Or, in Superfan-speak, “aaaaaah-meeeennnn!”) But then the video cuts to more recent footage of Ditka appearing on WGN to give his feelings about Trump’s candidacy. “Donald Trump, to me, he’s refreshing,” offers Da Coach. “I like Donald Trump.” Cut back to the Superfans. To say the least, they don’t take the news well, particularly Farley’s hard-living character, Todd. It takes a terrible strain on a man’s heart to learn that his god has gone mad. It’ll take a lot of beer to wash down this disappointment.