Sports in Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chicago is the home of many professional sports teams and one of thirteen U.S. cities to have teams from the four major American professional team sports (baseball, football, basketball, hockey).
The city was the official United States nominee for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Its rivals were Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, with the International Olympic Committee selecting Rio de Janeiro as the 2016 Olympics site in October, 2009.[1] Chicago also hosted the 1959 Pan American Games.
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[edit] Chicago teams
The following is a list of active, professional Chicago sports teams by year of establishment:
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | MLB | Baseball | Wrigley Field | 1876 | 2 World Series Wins |
| Chicago White Sox | MLB | Baseball | U.S. Cellular Field | 1900 | 3 World Series Wins |
| Chicago Bears | NFL | Football | Soldier Field | 1919 | 1 Super Bowl Win, 8 League Championships (Pre-Super Bowl Era) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | Ice hockey | United Center | 1926 | 3 Stanley Cups |
| Chicago Lions RFC | RSL | Rugby union | Northeastern Illinois University | 1964 | 0 Championships |
| Chicago Bulls | NBA | Basketball | United Center | 1966 | 6 NBA Championships |
| Chicago Griffins | RSL | Rugby union | Schiller Park | 1973 | 0 Championships |
| Chicago Wolves | AHL | Ice hockey | Allstate Arena | 1994 | 2 Turner Cups, 2 Calder Cups |
| Chicago Fire | MLS | Soccer | Toyota Park | 1997 | 1 MLS Cup, 4 U.S. Open Cups, 1 Supporters Shield |
| Chicago Force | IWFL | Women's American football | North Park University | 2003 | 1 Eastern Conference Championship: 2008 |
| Chicago Storm | XSL | Indoor soccer | Sears Centre | 2004 | 0 Championships |
| Windy City Rollers | WFTDA | Roller derby | UIC Pavilion | 2004 | Regular Season Champions: 2005- Hell's Belles 2006- Manic Attackers Ivy league Cup: 2005, 2006- The Fury 2007- Double Crossers Travel Team ALL STARS 2007-2nd Easter/7th National |
| Chicago Bandits | NPF | Softball | Judson University | 2005 | 1 World Championship: 2008; 3 Regular Season Championships: 2005, 2006, 2008 |
| Chicago Machine | MLL | Field lacrosse | Toyota Park | 2006 | 0 Championships |
| Chicago Sky | WNBA | Basketball | UIC Pavilion | 2006 | 0 WNBA Championships |
| Chicago Slaughter | CIFL | Indoor football | Sears Centre | 2006 | 1 CIFL Championship: 2009 |
| Chicago Red Stars | WPS | Soccer | Toyota Park | 2007 | 0 Championships |
[edit] Baseball
[edit] Major league
Chicago is one of five metro areas in the United States that has two Major League Baseball teams, the other four being Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore - Washington, D.C. area and the San Francisco Bay Area, and is one of only two, along with New York, which has both teams in the central city.
The Chicago Cubs of the National League play at Wrigley Field, which is located in the north side neighborhood of Lakeview, the western part of which is commonly referred to as "Wrigleyville." The Cubs are the oldest team to play continuously in the same city since the formation of the National League in 1876.
The Chicago White Sox of the American League won the World Series championship in 2005, their first since 1917. U.S. Cellular Field, or "The Cell," is located on the city's south side. Built in 1990 and originally known as New Comiskey Park, it is located across the street from the original Comiskey Park. Like the Cubs, they are a founding team of their league, the American League, in 1900, and have played in Chicago's Armour Square neighborhood since their founding.
The Cubs-Sox rivalry dates back to the 1906 World Series.
[edit] Minor league
The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the Kane County Cougars, a Class-A minor league baseball team that plays in suburban Geneva, Illinois as part of the Midwest League; the Schaumburg Flyers, Gary SouthShore RailCats and Joliet JackHammers baseball teams of the independent Northern League; and the Windy City ThunderBolts baseball team, that plays in Crestwood as part of the independent Frontier League. In 2010, the Lake County Fielders (based in Zion) will join the Flyers, RailCats and JackHammers in the Northern League; the following year, the McHenry County K-Nines (based in Woodstock) will join the ThunderBolts in the Frontier League.[citation needed]
[edit] Basketball
[edit] Men's leagues
The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association is a professional basketball team. One of the team's most well-known players, Michael Jordan, led the Bulls to six NBA championships in eight seasons in the 1990s. Other well known Bulls that helped them win the championships were Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. The new generation of Bulls, "The Baby Bulls", have made it to the playoffs in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. In 2007, they swept the defending champs, the Miami Heat. The players on the team include Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Derrick Rose, and Tyrus Thomas.
[edit] Women's leagues
Chicago is home to the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association.
[edit] Football
[edit] Men's leagues
The Chicago Bears of the National Football League play at Soldier Field. The Bears' history includes many NFL personalities, including owner George Halas, players Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Jim McMahon, William "Refrigerator" Perry, Walter Payton, and coach Mike Ditka. The Bears are one of the original teams of the NFL, founded by Halas originally in Decatur. They currently have he most players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 26. In the 2006 season, the Bears made it to the Super Bowl. They were led by coach Lovie Smith. The Green Bay Packers and Bears rivalry dates back the 1920s, and is one of the most intense in American Professional Sports. The NFC North, which the Bears are a part of, is sometimes referred to as the NFC Norris Division, a mimic to the NHL's old Norris Division. The Chicago Bears have rivalries with the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, similar to the Blackhawks rivalries with the Red Wings and the North Stars.
The Chicago metropolitan area is also home to the Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League.
[edit] Women's leagues
Chicago is home to the Chicago Force of the Independent Women's Football League.
[edit] Ice hockey
The Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League is the city's professional ice hockey team, and are an Original Six team. Some well-known players include: Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, Keith Magnuson, Glenn Hall, Denis Savard, Steve Larmer, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, and Ed Belfour. The Blackhawks have one of the most exciting young teams in the NHL. They are led by young forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, star defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Brian Campbell, and goaltender Cristobal Huet. The Blackhawks receive national attention for the intense rivalries with the Detroit Red Wings, also an Original Six team. Other rivalries include the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild, and the Dallas Stars, with St. Louis and Dallas (as the Minnesota North Stars) being former Norris Division rivals.
The Chicago metropolitan area is also home to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. The Chicago Wolves have been very successful, making numerous playoff appearances and winning the Turner and Calder cups many times.
[edit] Lacrosse
The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse.
[edit] Roller derby
Chicago is home to the Windy City Rollers of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.
[edit] Soccer
The Chicago Fire, a member of Major League Soccer, won one league and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups since 1997. After eight years at Soldier Field, they began play at the new Toyota Park in Bridgeview at 71st and Harlem Avenue near Midway Airport on the Chicago's southwest side in the summer of 2006. Despite the young age of MLS, the Fire draw an average of 15,000+per game.[2] Some notable players include Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Brian McBride, and Jon Busch. The Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer begin their inaugural season in 2009 and will also call Toyota Park in Bridgeview home.
The Chicago metropolitan area is also home to the Chicago Storm of the Xtreme Soccer League.
[edit] Softball
Chicago is home to the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch softball league.
[edit] Wrestling
The Chicago area has also played host to the WWE's WrestleMania multiple times, most recently for WrestleMania 22.
[edit] Former teams
Former Chicago-based sports teams include the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League (AFL), the Chicago Cougars (World Hockey Association), the Chicago Fire and Chicago Winds of the World Football League, the Chicago Blitz (USFL), the Chicago Sting of the NASL and MISL, the Chicago Express of the World Basketball League (a 6'5" and under league), the Chicago Enforcers (XFL), the Chicago Bruisers (AFL), the Chicago Rockstars and Chicago Skyliners of the American Basketball Association (2000–), the Chicago Hustle of the Women's Professional Basketball League, the Chicago Shamrox (National Lacrosse League) and the Chicago Hounds (United Hockey League).
[edit] College sports
Seven NCAA Division I schools reside in the Chicago metropolitan area. The DePaul Blue Demons, Loyola Ramblers, Chicago State Cougars, and UIC Flames all play within the city limits.
The Northwestern Wildcats, Northern Illinois Huskies, and Valparaiso Crusaders are all programs that play in the surrounding area. Northern Illinois is a Division I-Bowl Subdivision school along with Northwestern, which is the lone BCS school in the Chicago area.
The Big Ten Conference is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge.
[edit] See also
- Arlington Park
- Chicagoland Speedway
- Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
- Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Chicago Marathon
- Multiple major sports championship seasons
[edit] References
- ^ Kathy Bergen and Gary Washburn (5/11/2006). City out to prove Olympic mettle. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "USA Major League Soccer - Attendance - 2008 - ESPN Soccernet". Soccernet.espn.go.com. 2008-11-23. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance?league=usa.1&year=2008&&cc=5901. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
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