Chicago, Sport, and the Impact of COVID-19
Chicago is sports bonkers and just one of a handful of cities to have teams in all four of the US’s major sports leagues. Since the city is famous already, it would be grossly unfair to say these teams put the city on the map, but they sure did draw some attention to it!
Below is a look at some big-name teams from Chicago and the impact of COVID-19 on the Chicago sports scene.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls had struggled for a long time, but in the mid-1980s they signed a player who would change the club’s fortunes and catapult them to greatness: Michael Jordan. Some consider Jordan the greatest basketballer of all time.
Jordan was just one man, however. The Bulls knew that, so they brought in Scottie Pippen to support him. The team became a fierce force in the NBA and won the championship six times.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears play in the NFC North division of the NFL and was established as a team in 1920. They’ve won the Super Bowl only once, but they’ve still been a force to reckon with, having won eight NFL championships and 19 division titles.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs play in Major League Baseball (MLB) and are one of the most popular clubs in the country. They’ve won the World Series three times — 1907, 1908, and, more recently, 2016 — and are one of the oldest teams in the MLB, having been founded in 1876. One of their fiercest rivals has to be their city counterparts the White Sox.
But along has come COVID-19
Of course, the pandemic has spread not just illness, but also chaos, throughout the world. In Chicago, things have been no different, and the city has closed its sports stadiums to fans, forcing the teams to play their games behind closed doors.
In a tough season, the White Sox and the Cubs played their 2020 games in empty ballparks, and no one has been there to cheer on the Bears as they competed out on Soldier Field.
The Bills, the Jets, the Patriots, the Packers, and the Giants have been other NFL teams who followed the Bears’ lead during the NFL season.
Not all doors closed in the US sports leagues, however…
The Bears may have decided to take no chances, but other NFL teams have been opening their venues but to smaller crowds. The Miami Dolphins could have even allowed the full capacity, but opted against this and let in limited numbers.
Amongst the teams that reopened their doors to limited crowds during the season were the following:
- The Cowboys
- The Chiefs
- The Broncos
- The Bengals
- The Browns
- The Steelers
The impact of (no) crowds
Having your fans get behind you can have a real impact.
Teams can tire and start to hit the wall, but the cheering from the fans can distract the players from their fatigue and provide adrenalin to drive them to keep on battling.
Not only that, however, but because the crowds turn up wearing the team’s colors and carrying flags, banners, or other paraphernalia, the visual impact they create can also help to motivate the team. Then there’s the singing, of course.
Sports growth and opportunities for the sport industry in the US
Despite Chicago’s love of sports, the popularity of the NBA and the MBL has fallen slightly in the USA. Americans seem to be finding a passion for soccer, instead. According to research, soccer has experienced a surge of interest in the last few years and even become the nation’s favorite sport to watch, or, if not that, then one of them.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought negative implications to sports teams and their fans, it has also posed some benefits and create opportunities for sports betting companies to support the sports industry. As several states including Virginia have now legalized sports betting, we have seen more collaborations between sports betting providers and sports teams. For example, we are now seeing a lot of bookmakers sponsoring large sports teams, such as Points Bet who are the Chicago Bear’s first-ever sports betting sponsor. As the attitudes towards sports betting are shifting in the US, it is likely we will see a lot more partnerships between the two industries.
Will sports fans be able to return to Chicago’s stadiums soon?
The Coronavirus is still out there, and although the city has been reopening cautiously, the director of the Chicago Department of Public Health has informed fans they’ll have to wait a few months or longer before they can return to stadiums. Despite the progress, Chicago has been making in tackling the virus, authorities would like to get the situation further under control and cases still need to drop.
Chicago dearly loves its sports… so much so that the Bears have announced they won’t be increasing their ticket prices for the 2021 season. They’ve also expressed their hopes to have fans back and that fans will wish to come back.
Until then, however, whether sports stadiums will open or not is in the hands of the authorities. Chicago sports fans will certainly be watching that space.
