Source: Politics<\/p>\n
CHICAGO \u2014 The United States\u2019 third-largest city felt confident passing on this year\u2019s World Cup in part because the city\u2019s sports loyalty was well-scripted. The Bears owned Sundays. The Cubs and White Sox divided baseball fans. And the Bulls still carry the glow of the Jordan dynasty.<\/p>\n
But a whole new generation of sports teams is betting Chicago\u2019s appetite for sports is bigger than its traditional loyalties \u2014 and that fans are ready for something different.<\/p>\n
The WNBA\u2019s Chicago Sky is preparing to host the league\u2019s All-Star weekend July 23-26. The Chicago Stars are trying to build a women\u2019s soccer franchise in a city with deep youth participation and a growing appetite for the sport. And the Chicago Fire are planning a new privately financed stadium in the South Loop and are investing heavily in youth development and facilities.<\/p>\n
The timing is notable.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s newest teams are making their pitch at the same moment two of Chicago\u2019s oldest franchises are asking for help building new homes.<\/p>\n
The McCaskey family continues to pursue public assistance for a new Bears stadium, whether in Illinois or Indiana. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has sought public support for a proposed South Loop ballpark. Those requests have triggered a familiar debate: whether taxpayers should help finance stadium projects for billion-dollar sports franchises while governments struggle with schools, transit and other basic services.<\/p>\n
The newer teams are offering a different message. Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto, another Chicago billionaire, privately funded the team\u2019s $750 million stadium, though the Chicago City Council earlier this week approved a $425 million tax subsidy to fund the surrounding infrastructure. Their pitch is not built around nostalgia but around investing in communities.<\/p>\n
At a sports and business forum at the Obama Presidential Center this week, Fire Chief Marketing Officer Dan Moriarty described a shift in how soccer is being consumed in Chicago. The sport\u2019s audience is younger, more diverse and increasingly global, he said, with fans who already follow international clubs now looking for a local connection. He pointed to a simple sign of change: at Chicago farmers markets, soccer jerseys are increasingly common \u2014 even if many of them still carry the names of European clubs.<\/p>\n
The challenge, he said, is turning those fans into supporters of Chicago teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoccer has this lifestyle aspect,\u201d former U.S. women\u2019s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher said during the discussion. \u201cIt brings people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
That may be soccer\u2019s biggest advantage in Chicago. The city is already a global crossroads, with neighborhoods shaped by generations of immigrants and communities that have long embraced the sport. The Fire are betting that global stars can accelerate that connection. The club recently signed Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, one of the world\u2019s most accomplished players, as part of a broader effort to raise the team\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s sports are riding a similar wave.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen\u2019s sports generally, and particularly soccer, has seen an evolution in this country,\u201d said Laura Ricketts, who is a bridge to the old and new in sports. She\u2019s a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, an investor in the WNBA\u2019s Chicago Sky and executive director of the Chicago Stars women\u2019s soccer team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re now seeing [is] an explosion, especially in the NWSL,\u201d she said of the National Women\u2019s Soccer League. \u201cWe\u2019re growing, and the best way [to see it is] our fan base is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She compares women\u2019s soccer today to the NBA or Major League Baseball of the early 1980s. \u201cThere\u2019s just so much opportunity,\u201d said Ricketts. Women\u2019s soccer, she said, has benefited from decades of investment in youth leagues and college programs. That foundation is now translating into a professional audience.<\/p>\n
The growth is not just about attendance. It is about loyalty. Women\u2019s sports fans, Ricketts said, tend to be younger and highly engaged, with a strong connection to the brands and communities supporting the teams.
With World Cup interest, \u201cWe\u2019re just seeing the tip of the iceberg for soccer in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said there\u2019s been similar investment into basketball and she hopes Chicago sees the benefits of that as it hosts the WNBA All-Star weekend, marking three decades of the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe momentum continues right here in Chicago,\u201d Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson said, describing the event as a celebration of how far women\u2019s basketball has come \u2014 and how much further it can go.<\/p>\n
None of this means the Bears, Cubs, White Sox or Bulls are losing their place in Chicago\u2019s sports hierarchy. But newer teams are making a case for a place alongside them.<\/p>\n