Matt Nagy: Cubs manager Joe Maddon inspired Bears’ postgame dance party

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Bears head coach Matt Nagy throws a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs in April. | Nam Y. Huh, AP photo

There’s a reason the Bears’ postgame celebration Monday would have felt more natural inside Wrigley Field.

Coach Matt Nagy decided to amp up the Bears’ locker-room atmosphere after victories — complete with a disco ball, blaring music and dancing — after talking with Cubs manager Joe Maddon this summer.

‘‘I gotta give credit to coach Maddon with the Cubs,’’ Nagy said Tuesday, the morning after the Bears’ 24-17 victory against the Seahawks. ‘‘We’ve had some good discussions over the summer. And so we just thought, you know, for us, we have 16 games in the regular season, right? These wins are so hard to get, so hard to get. I want everybody to understand on the team: ‘It’s OK to enjoy them. You’re allowed to have fun and enjoy them.’ ’’

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Nagy, who won his first game as a head coach Monday, said taking a few minutes to celebrate is important, given that the players and coaches turned their attention to the Bears’ next opponent, the Cardinals, hours after the game.

‘‘So let’s celebrate a little bit,’’ he said. ‘‘Let’s have a little fun. That was one of the coolest moments, being able to see those guys in there dancing and having a good time. No one else around, just them. That’s what this is ultimately about.’’

The players seemed genuinely surprised by the locker-room party. Many wondered aloud where the disco ball came from.

‘‘I have no idea who had that,’’ receiver Allen Robinson said Monday. ‘‘Good to get our first win under our belt.’’

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