Chicago is one of the best sports towns in America. Not only do they have knowledgeable and passionate fans but they also have some of the oldest franchises and some of the most hallowed playing fields in all of sports.
Chicago is home to several professional, semi-professional, and collegiate sports teams as well as several world-class sporting events. It’s no surprise that a city as large as Chicago has five teams competing in the four premiere North American professional sports leagues.
The “Monster of the Midway,” the Chicago Bears, play at venerated Soldier Field. Known as the “Da Bears,” this charter member of the NFL has produced a plethora of footballs legends. Hall of Famers Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton and Mike Singletary have all played for the Bears.
In 1985, the Bears dominated the league on their way to winning Super Bowl XX. They also showed the world how well they could sing and dance by releasing the song, and subsequent video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle.”
The city of Chicago is fortunate enough to have two baseball teams, both over one-hundred years old, that play in the Major Leagues. The Chicago White Sox play at US Cellular Field and have won three World Series, the last one coming in 2005.
The White Sox have some great nicknames, “the South Siders”, “the Pale Hose” and “the ChiSox.”
The “North Siders,” or the Chicago Cubs, are probably the most popular team in not only the Major Leagues but in all of sports. The Cubs play in one of the shinning cathedrals of American sports, Wrigley Field. The Cubbies have been playing ball since 1876 and are a charter member of the National League.
Adding to the team’s charm is their over 100-year title drought, the longest of any major North American professional sports team. The Cubs are the quintessential lovable losers.
The Chicago Bulls won six NBA titles in the 1990′s thanks to the skill and leadership of greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. That team was coached by Phil Jackson and also featured all-star forward Scottie Pippen. The Bulls haven’t fared well since “MJ” retired, but they are still one of the NBA’s premiere franchises.
What the Cubs are to the National League, the Chicago Blackhawks are to the National Hockey League. The Blackhawks were founded in 1926 and are one of the “Original Six” NHL teams. In their storied history, they’ve won three Stanley Cup Championships and 13 division championships. They last hoisted the cup in 1961.
Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play at the United Center. That building opened in 1994 and replaced the legendary “Madhouse On Madison,” Chicago Stadium. On the east side of the United Center you’ll find a statue of Michael Jordan.
That’s enough teams to make any town happy, but the City Of Broad Shoulders has even more to offer sports fans.
The Chicago Sky of the Women’s National Basketball Association plays at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion. That’s a mouth full so most people just call the 6,900 seat arena the UIC Pavilion.
Most WNBA teams utilize the same colors and the same nickname, although it’s generally feminized, as their NBA counterpart. However, the Sky are not associated with the Bulls whatsoever. Makes sense, it’s probably not a good idea to call a women’s pro-team the “Cows.”
Toyota Park, located in nearby Bridgeview, Illinois, just 13 miles from the Chicago Loop, is home to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. Incidentally, the Fire were founded on the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The Fire franchise experienced immediate success winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural year of 1998. Since then they have won three more U.S. Open Cups.
At Allstate Arena you’ll find the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, they are an affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers. The Rush, an Arena Football League team, also plays there. One of the team’s owners is Chicago legend Mike Ditka, he coached the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX.
Chicago has two rugby teams, the Lions RFC and their rivals Griffins RFC. The Lions play on the campus of Northeastern Illinois and the Griffins play at Schiller Woods in Schiller Park, about 12 miles away from downtown Chicago. By the way, the Twinkie was invented in Schiller Park.
The Sports Complex at Judson University, located in nearby Elgin, Illinois, is home to the Chicago Bandits, a professional women’s softball team. They play in a league called National Pro Fastpitch or NPF.
The Chicago Force of the Independent Women’s Football League plays tackle football at the Holmgren Athletic Complex located at North Park University. Most of their games kick off at 3pm.
Bank of America’s Chicago Marathon is one of the running world’s five major marathons. It’s flat and fast course draws runners from far and wide while its prize money lures the world’s elite long distance runners. The race generally takes place in early October with first-come-first-served registration beginning in February.
Auto racing can be found just an hour away from downtown Chicago. The Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 mile track that hosts both IndyCar events and NASCAR events including the Sprint, Nationwide, and Truck series. The speedway opened in 2001 and has a capacity of 75,000.
As you can see, Chicago is a sports fans’ paradise. If the sport has a ball, puck, or if it’s on wheels, it’s being played, or raced, in the Windy City. While the Cubs and the Bears get most of the headlines, the city of Chicago has enough passion to support all their teams. Chicago is the classic American sports town.
Editor’s Note: Previously published here.
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Ryan Hogan writes for ChicagoSmarts.com (http://www. chicagosmarts.com), a website for the Chicago Enthusiast. Ryan also contributes to SeattleSmarts.com and BostonSmarts.com as well. If you like these cities, check out the websites.
Read more articles written by Ryan Hogan
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