By Christian Hirschboeck
Staff Writer
hirschboeckcia@lakeforest.edu
When people think of the name Chicago, they often think of things like Navy Pier, deep-dish pizza, the Bean, and in particular, the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Chicago is a city rich in individuality and culture, and a very notable group of sports teams. Chicago, as a city, continuously hits the highs and lows of the sporting world, but from 2021 into 2022, almost every team is either having a complete revolution, or is “hitting their stride.” Here, I will be reviewing the status of every major-league sports team in Chicago and telling you why you should keep an eye out for them in 2022.
White Sox (Baseball):
The White Sox are a team that can really represent both the highs and lows of Chicago sports. People generally think of their 2005 World Series title win, or the 1919 Black Sox scandal which saw the team throw away a World Series title to the Cincinnati Reds for cash payouts. In 2021, the south-side White Sox ended up sitting atop the AL Central with a bye game going into the postseason but were eliminated from World Series contention in a 1-3 series by the Houston Astros, who would end up in the final. A year before, the Sox were knocked out in the first round, losing the series 1-2 to the Oakland Athletics. It should also be noted that the team finished the regular season fifth in pitching and seventh in hitting in league standings. Looking toward the future, the White Sox still hold on to star hitter Jose Abreu, with many fans believing that manager Tony La Russa can still help this team take the next step toward a World Series title. Not many players have been traded in or out, so if this growth as a team continues, there should be no reason why there cannot be a trophy ceremony soon at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Bulls (Men’s Basketball):
To put it simply, if you haven’t heard of the Bulls, you haven’t heard about basketball. The Michael Jordan era of basketball is regarded as one of the most dominant team and individual displays in world sports ever, and it happened right here in Chicago with the team winning six championships between 1991 and 1998. The Bulls’ dominance over the NBA has been a roller-coaster after MJ and Co., with tremendous highs and unsettling lows. In the early 2010s, a new city star was crowned in Derrick Rose, when he won league MVPN, but no world champion titles arrived in Chicago. After another set of years of missing the play-offs following the Rose Era, the Bulls are the hottest team in the city led by coach Billy Donovan, battling it out for first place in the NBA Eastern Conference and playing extremely exciting basketball. The Bulls were very dominant at the beginning of 2022, sitting ahead in first by three games, but COVID-19 and a plethora of injuries halted that surge as the team dropped to second. If you asked Chicagoans, or just basketball fans in general, who the most important player on the team is, you could expect six or seven different answers. Newer acquisitions in all-stars Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic are backed up by previous standout Zach Lavine. Behind the big names there is former NBA champion Alex Caruso, media favorite Lonzo Ball, rookie city native Ayo Dosunmu, and many more. There is nothing to dislike about this team, besides how good they are. If there was anybody to really signal a sports revolution in Chicago for 2022, it would be the Bulls.
Sky (Women’s Basketball)
Among all the professional sports teams in Chicago, the Sky were the only team to ring in some silverware when they won the franchise’s first ever WNBA championship in 2021. Founded only in February of 2005, the team hasn’t exactly been known for success, but rather for superstar Elena Della Donne who would play for the team from 2013 to 2016, and subsequently was traded because of her contract ending and her desire to play for a championship team. Although Della Donne would win a WNBA championship with the Washington Mystics, the Sky would prove many wrong by winning the 2021 Championship on their own accord. Current head coach and general manager James Wade was hired in 2018, and immediately led them back into the playoffs with a 20-14 record. Wade’s starting five consisted of at times five current or former All Stars in Kahleah Cooper, Naperville native Candace Parker, Illinoisan Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Diamond DeShields. When injuries crept up, center Azura Stevens stepped up to ball out, too. The team has not missed the playoffs since Wade’s arrival, and looking at the 2022 season, have not traded away any of their starting or key rotation players. With James Wade having been called into the coaching staff of the USA Women’s Basketball team, no significant changes to the roster, and now a WNBA championship under their belt, this team can improve upon their 16-16 record and ensure that pundits everywhere realize that Chicago has the best women’s basketball team in the country when they win the WNBA a second time in a row.
Bears (American Football)
Behind the Bulls, the Bears are potentially the second hottest, talked-about team in the city, but not for the right reasons. Based out of Lake Forest, the Bears have been sprawled across headlines because of their failure to make the playoffs, their decision to move out of downtown Chicago to suburban Arlington Heights, and the firing of both their general manager and head coach. The Bears became a recognizable team for many when they won their sole Super Bowl championship in 1985, or for their famous rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, but nowadays, their name is known for the mismanagement of a team with the quality to make things happen in the playoffs. Going into 2022, the Bears hired both a new general manager and head coach in Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. Both hires have a lot of hype behind them for different reasons, but if they can get the best out of quarterback Justin Fields, as well as linebacker Khalil Mack, there is no reason why the Bears cannot push for first in the NFC North with an underdog playoff run to follow. With the move to former Arlington Heights Racetrack in the near future and a move out of famous Soldier Field, along with a new team staff in Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus, the Bears are certainly going to be a team to keep an eye out for because, frankly, nobody knows what can happen next, but that makes it all the more exciting.
Unfortunately, this piece is going to have to be a two-parter to cover the other four major professional teams in the city, with those being the Cubs, Red-Stars, Fire, and Blackhawks. Looking forward, by the time the second half of this piece comes out there will be plenty more to write about, so make sure to stay tuned to the world of Chicago sports.
