Professional Sports Teams in Chicago

Hotel Near Wrigley Field White Sox Baseball Bulls Basketball Bears Football

Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. Wrigley Field, which was built in 1914, will be playing host to Major League Baseball for the 94th season in 2007, and to the Chicago Cubs for the 92nd year. Also known as the “Friendly Confines,” Wrigley Field is the second–oldest ballpark in the majors behind Boston's Fenway Park, which was built in 1912. It has been the site of such historic moments as Babe Ruth's "called shot," when Ruth allegedly pointed to a bleacher location during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, and then hit Charlie Root's next pitch for a homer. More recently, another great slugger, Sammy Sosa, hit his 60th home runs in 1998, 1999 and 2001, at Wrigley Field.

Chicago White Sox Baseball. One of the oldest teams in major league baseball, the Chicago White Sox have a storied history. They are a part of the American League, while the Cubs are a National League team. The White Sox play at U.S. Cellular Field, formerly and fondly known as Comiskey Park. The new Comiskey Park opened on April 18, 1991, three years after the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to build the park directly across the street from old Comiskey Park. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 7, 1989, with Mayor Richard M. Daley and Governor James Thompson in attendance. The new park featured an exploding scoreboard, an old–time facade complete with arches, and over 40,000 unobstructed–view seats. The ballpark attracted a club–record 2,934,154 fans in its first year. In January 2003, it was renamed U.S. Cellular Field. In 2005, the White Sox beat the Houston Astros to become World Series champions for the first time since 1917!  [Top]

Chicago Bulls Basketball. Over the years, the Chicago Bulls NBA basketball team have become synonymous with Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest basketball player and one of the most gifted athletes of all time. Even without Jordan, who went on to play with the Washington Wizards, the Bulls continue to have a loyal fan base in Chicago and throughout the United States. Richard Klein, the Chicago basketball club’s first owner, chose “Bulls” as the nickname for his team when it joined the NBA in 1966, becoming the league’s 10th franchise. Why Bulls? The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia has the explanation: The name denoted strength and power, and it tied in to the city’s meatpacking tradition and the Chicago Amphitheater’s (first home court of the Bulls) proximity to the famed Chicago Stockyards. Today, the Bulls play in United Center.  [Top]

Chicago Bears Football. The NFC Champion Bears have played at Soldier Field along the shores of Lake Michigan since 1971. Soldier Field was amazingly built in 20 months and holds the shortest construction time for a modern day stadium on record. It is now accessible to the public year round. In 2003, a jury of ten distinguished construction professionals chose the new Soldier Field as Midwest Construction magazine's overall Project of the Year. The Chicago Bears team has a long–standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, their Wisconsin neighbors. Famous for their 1985 music rap video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” the Bears have never lost their propensity for fun and celebrity while maintaining a competitive, professional edge.

Chicago Sky Chicago’s first female WNBA team began playing in 2005 at the UIC Pavilion and play throughout the summer season. Just 10 minutes from downtown, The Sky promises to entertain with great women’s basketball.

Chicago Fire – Chicago’s first MLS soccer team plays in the town of Bridgeview at Toyota Park, housing more than a 20,000 fan capacity per game. The schedule runs throughout the summer and fall seasons.  [Top]