Top Ten Things Chicago Sports Needs

Chicago is the greatest city in the world, and one that makes me proud to be a fan of teams from here. We have a lot of great things about this city as a sports fan, but here's a few things that need to be seen.



10. The Honey Bears
Now before this list goes all Freddy the Mercenary on you with pictures of women everywhere, there’s some real reasoning here. Wanna know the real reason the Bears haven’t won since 85? We got rid of the Honey Bears! Remember, George Halas said, "as long as I'm alive, we will have dancing girls on the sidelines,” and once he died in 1983, and once the Honey Bears disbanded after the 1985 season the cold streak began. Coincidence? Besides I would be all for a Top 10 Honey Bear list anytime.




9. The L to Soldier Field
My biggest problem with Bears games is getting to them in timely fashion. There’s no easy way to drive there, and the bus system is slow, so why not try to build the L going to it? I know it’ll probably never happen, but think of how much easier things would be. And to top it off we could even pass it off with the artsy folk who want to visit the museum district down there. King Tut and the Bears both get their viewers. It’s a win-win!



8. Relevant Blackhawks
The Hawks have some fantastic history, and some even greater fans. It’s been a shame how things have gone the last decade, but there is no greater tradition in sports than the cheering of the National Anthem in a packed house. The Hawks need to be important again, there are still tons of great hockey fans in this town, and we’re an Original 6 team.



7. The Olympics
I’m all for the International spotlight (not to mention a Freddy the Mercenary column on 10 athletes he got with in the Olympic Village, but I digress), and the Olympics in 2016 would be phenomenal. Imagine watching a future Dream Team destroy all comers. Or the next steroid freaks of track and field run freakish times for another meaningless World Record. Or heckling the living hell out of an aging Bob Costas. It could ALL HAPPEN HERE!




6. A Dome
I’m all for cold weather games and what not, but we really missed the boat by not having a retractable roof on Solider Field. Then we could host Final Fours, and College Bowl Games, have marquee events there every year that would be awesome to go to.




5. A State of the Art Stadium
We can call this the honorary Jerry Reinsdorf award for having the brilliant idea to build the new Comiskey, and the United Center just a year before cooler and trendier complexes came out and destroyed the look of our new stadiums. Yeah those stadiums are nice, but I’ve been to arenas, and ballparks across the country and our “new ones” suck. We’ve got the historical Wrigley Field and Solider Field but we need a sweet, over-the-top stadium to write about.




4. New Cubs ownership
I’m a White Sox fan, but I enjoy watching a game at Wrigley Field as much as any Cubs fan. I hate that they’ve added signs and video screens (Under Armour in the gap, WTF Tribune Company??) but it’s still a great place to watch a game, especially in October when the Ivy is turning red. That being said, Sam Zell is an idiot who needs to hand the Cubs over to someone who knows what they are doing right away. Cubs fans are sad enough as it is; don’t kill it all for them.




3. College Football
Every Saturday I have to walk through Lincoln Park as a litany of Big Ten alumni trounce my streets rooting for their teams. You’re not at Camp Randall, or the Big House buddy, so let’s keep it down a notch. I grew up in Chicago with parents who attended non-football schools, so I have nobody to relate to in the College Football world. I am not going to lower myself to rooting for Notre Dame like other in the Chicagoans because I am not a fair weather fan, nor will I ever root for a team that resides in Hoosierville. If you have University affiliations (and I’m talking like your parents went there, not “I know someone who went there in 1978”) then I’m all for you rooting for Notre Dame or another school, but Chicago needs its own team. (Scott Phillips note: Northwestern is not, nor will it EVER be a Chicago school. Any school where the majority of the students are from the East Coast and play Lacrosse can stay away.)




2. Television network
We have Comcast Sports Net, which does a good enough job with their highlight shows, but when that’s over we’re subjected to Rob Dibble and the Best Damn Sports Show period on a nightly basis. Besides their list shows (can’t be hypocritical here) that show is garbage. Chicago needs its own shows about Chicago teams 24 hours a day like New York has. And some better HD.




1. A Superstar
This town is DYING for a superstar. The closest thing we have is Urlacher, but he is not exactly a household name across the country. What we need is that guy who puts us in the spotlight on Sportscenter. The guy who gives us prime time, nationally televised games every night. We’ve been missing that guy for quite some time, and it’s time we get him back.

Honorable mention:

A second football team
Better Mascots
Relevant College Basketball