Sports Teams and Events in Chicago

Sports in Chicago are part of the city's proud soul. Chicago boasts major professional sports teams in all popular sports – basketball, baseball, football, and hockey. Chicago's teams are considered among the top and most famous in professional sports leagues across all fields.

• The Chicago Bears, one of the important historical football teams, represent the city in the NFL
• The tough Blackhawks hockey team represents Chicago in the NHL
• The city's two baseball teams – the White Sox and the Cubs, bring a long-standing rivalry and electrifying games (definitely for this generally laid-back sport)
• The most legendary sports team in Chicago is, of course, the city's representative in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are closely linked to the mythical figure of Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player in history and one of the world's most recognized and important athletes. Jordan was the one who turned the image of the athlete into a super celeb, leading the Bulls to dominate the NBA during the nineties. The legendary Bulls team, with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Steve Kerr, still stands out in the culture and urban landscape of the city
• The city is also a key destination for NASCAR and IndyCar races held at Chicagoland Speedway in the suburb of Joliet. In recent years, the track hasn't hosted the races, but that is expected to change soon (most likely).
• The city's women's basketball team in the WNBA, the Chicago Sky, is also considered one of the best in the league.
• The city's soccer team in the MLS, the Chicago Fire FC, is also considered one of the lions of the professional league, albeit less interesting (soccer might be better saved for a trip to Europe).

Basketball in Chicago

The Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are a unique team in the NBA landscape. The team was generally considered weak except for a specific period in the 1990s, when it totally dominated the league and won six championships. Three consecutive titles between 1991 and 1993 and another three consecutive between 1996 and 1998. The team was founded in 1966 and currently plays at the United Center, located west of downtown, with a capacity of 21,000 spectators.

Michael Jordan's Bulls

The reason for Chicago's total dominance in the league during the 1990s is the revered figure of Michael Jordan, the most dominant and greatest basketball player in the history of the game. The reason for ending the streak is also Michael Jordan, who announced his retirement after the 1993 season due to the trauma from his father's murder and his desire to fulfill his father's dream of seeing him play baseball. Jordan left the Bulls and went to play for the Chicago White Sox. He played for two years in a minor league and returned to the Bulls in 1995, at the age of 32. In the next three years, he again led the Bulls to three consecutive championships until his departure from the team in 1998. Jordan returned to play as the general manager of the Washington Wizards for a short period until his full retirement from the game.

The legendary Bulls team during Jordan's era, under coach Phil Jackson, together with second superstar Scottie Pippen, remains a part of the city's sports mythology and stands out even today. The team has never been able to replicate the success of that legendary team. To this day, at the entrance of the United Center, Jordan's statue stands out as the unofficial sports hall of fame in the city.

Home Stadium Address: 1901 W Madison St., Chicago. Near the stadium, there are two metro stations – Illinois Medical District on the blue line and Ashland on the pink and green lines. Since the area isn't great, it's better to take a taxi back and forth.

Click here to purchase official tickets for Bulls games on the NBA website…

Baseball in Chicago

The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are one of the oldest baseball teams in the MLB. The team was founded in 1876 and carried the name Chicago White Stockings. With the establishment of the city rival, the White Sox, in 1900, the White Stockings changed their name to the Cubs. The team won two championships in the first decade of the 20th century and has reached several World Series since, but lost.

In 1945, one of the most amusing events in American sports took place at Wrigley Field. After a restaurateur named Billy arrived at the stadium with a goat and was shamefully expelled, he cursed the team never to win another championship, in what is known as The Curse of the Billy Goat. The curse became legendary and haunted the team until it was broken in 2016, when they won the World Series for the third time.

The Cubs play at Wrigley Field in the northern part of the city. The stadium has a capacity of 42,000 spectators and is considered one of the favorite entertainment spots for residents of the northern neighborhoods.

Home Stadium Address: W Addison St. 1060, Chicago. The nearest metro station to the stadium is Addison, on the red line.

Click here to purchase online tickets for Cubs baseball games at Wrigley Field…

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox, often misspelled humorously, are Chicago's second baseball team. Their home stadium is Guaranteed Rate Field, the current name of their legendary and wild Comiskey Park in the southern part of the city. The White Sox represent the southern neighborhoods, while their fierce rivals, the Cubs, represent the northern ones. The stadium has a capacity of just over 40,000 spectators. Like their city rivals, the White Sox have also won three World Series titles, the most recent in 2005.

Home Stadium Address: W 35th St. 333, Chicago. The nearest metro station to the stadium is Sox-35th, on the red line.

Click here to purchase online tickets for the Chicago White Sox games…

Football in Chicago

The Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are one of the main sports attractions for anyone visiting downtown Chicago. In stark contrast to many major football teams that play far from downtown, the Bears' home stadium, Soldier Field, is located on the waterfront of the Near South Side district, right next to the Field Museum. The stadium holds 61,500 spectators and due to its location, remains a significant part of the city's tourist attractions.

The Bears are one of the oldest teams in professional football. They were founded in 1919 and remain the oldest in the league today, along with the Arizona Cardinals (which was also originally founded in Chicago that same year, before moving to the Phoenix suburbs). In their early years, the Bears were among the league's elite, winning 8 championships. Only in 1985 did they manage to win the Super Bowl, and since then they are considered a slightly below-average team. Due to its ideal location in the city center and the availability of tickets here and there, the team is perhaps the most attractive among professional football teams in major US cities for the casual tourist.

Home Stadium Address: Special Olympics Dr. 1410, Chicago. The nearest metro station to the stadium is Museum Campus/11th St, on the red and orange lines.

Click here to purchase official tickets from the team's website…

Hockey in Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks are Chicago's professional hockey team, and like the city's other pro teams, they have their own mythology. The team is very popular among city residents, having been founded in 1926 as one of the six original teams of the league. The team has achieved significant success, including 6 Stanley Cup wins, the most recent being in 2015.

The Blackhawks' home stadium is the United Center, which is also the home of the Chicago Bulls. The arena accommodates 21,000 spectators and it's generally easy to get tickets for Hawks games, unless it's playoff season.

Home Stadium Address: 1901 W Madison St., Chicago. There are two metro stations nearby – Illinois Medical District on the blue line, and Ashland on the pink and green lines. Since the area isn't very friendly after dark, it's better to take a taxi to and from the game.

Click here to purchase official Blackhawks game tickets from the NHL website…