Categories: Sports & Recreation

Sports and Recreation

Author: A.J. Sabados

Soldier Field

Upon entering historic Soldier Field, it is easy to picture epic conflicts between ironclad gladiators instead of football games. The towering Doric colonnades and imposing grandeur of the structure is reminiscent of a Roman coliseum or an ancient battleground of biblical proportions.

Even as a fully modernized NFL stadium, Soldier Field has an aura about it from conquests past and present.

Soldier Field officially opened on Oct. 9, 1924, the 53rd anniversary of the Chicago Fire, as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. Within a year the stadium was renamed Soldier Field and dedicated on Nov. 11, 1925.

It began as a universal gathering place for momentous sporting and spectator events that often exceeded 100,000 people. Events like the College All Star game and the 1927 world heavyweight boxing championship between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, were perfectly suited for the massive seven-acre facility.

The Chicago Bears franchise made Soldier Field its home in September of 1971 and its seating capacity was reduced to 57,000 to improve seating for season ticket holders.

In the late 1970s a major renovation project began to improve yet preserve the historic venue by adding new lighting, locker rooms and more comfortable seats in addition to deluxe skybox seating, a computerized scoreboard and updated concession stands.

Not long after renovation was complete, the 1985 Bears won Super Bowl XX with one of the greatest football teams ever assembled.

In cooperation with the city of Chicago and the Chicago Park District, the Bears transformed Soldier Field again in 2003 into the facility it is today.

With a total building time of less than 20 months, New Soldier Field is the most rapidly constructed modern day stadium on record.

Soldier Field is located just south of downtown Chicago and is most easily accessible from the 18 th Street exit off of Lake Shore Drive.

For parking info go to soldierfieldparking.com.

For ticket information go to Chicago Bears or contact the Bears Ticket Office at (847) 615-BEAR (2327).

U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field, formerly New Comiskey Park, is home to the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox.

In January 2003 the park was renamed and an ongoing renovation project was begun to update the then 12-year old park while preserving the spirit of the team's longtime former home, Comiskey Park.

US Cellular Field, located on the south side of Chicago, is a classic sports venue with all the amenities and comforts of a brand new modern ballpark. With over 40,000 unobstructed-view seats, a massive digital scoreboard and multilevel interactive FUNdamentals skills deck in left field, US Cellular provides an exemplary sporting experience for fans of all ages.

Featuring an exclusive Scout Seating area located behind home plate and new green chair back seats slated for full installation by 2007, US Cellular Field will fuse fashion with function to accommodate Chicago 's American league team and its fans.

With the banners of past White Sox Championship teams adorning the light towers in the outfield, fans can enjoy speed pitching machines, get a haircut, relax in the Bullpen Sports Bar or take in a unique panoramic view of the playing field on the two-tiered Fan Deck atop the centerfield concession stands.

US cellular Field offers a refreshing fan-friendly atmosphere complete with trademark cheers and celebrations when the Sox win and is a stone's throw from the Sox/35th Street stop on the CTA Red Line and the 35 th /Bronzeville stop on the Green Line.
For driving directions click directions and for ticket information go to Ticketing or call at (866) SOX-GAME.

Wrigley Field

Step back in time and take in a ball game at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs and pride of Chicago 's north side.

Built in 1914 and for $250,000, Major League Baseball's second oldest ballpark offers a truly unique spectator experience. From its distinct ivy-covered outfield fences to its famous manual scoreboard, Wrigley Field has remained largely unchanged through nearly a century of baseball.

Affectionately referred to as ‘The Friendly Confines', this classic venue was originally known as Weeghman Park and then Cubs Park until it was renamed in 1926 after owner and chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.

It has hosted five World Series and historic moments such as Babe Ruth's “called shot” in 1932, Ernie Banks' 500th career homerun in 1970 and Pete Rose's 4,191st hit to equal Ty Cobb's mark in 1985.

Wrigley Field provides a fan-friendly atmosphere rich with antiquity, tradition and pageantry.

Sing ‘Take Me Out To the Ballgame' with guest celebrities and over 40,000 fans that fill the chairbacks and bleachers for every home game while others watch from the porches and rooftops of the houses on Waveland and Sheffield Avenues, just beyond the outfield fences.

Whether you're a baseball fan or not, when the Cubs are in town, Wrigleyville is buzzing and there's something for everyone. Countless bars, restaurants and souvenir shops surround the ballpark for food, drinks and entertainment and it's all directly off the Addison stop on the Red Line train.

For ticket information call 1-800-THE-CUBS (843-2827) or click here

For driving directions/parking info click here.

United Center

As the 1980's came to an end, William Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Jerry Reinsdorf, majority owner and Chairman of the Chicago Bulls, formed a partnership to create an arena that would take sports and entertainment into the 21st century.

The United Center, home to the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls, is the largest arena in the United States. Construction was begun in April of 1992, with the ribbon cutting ceremony being held on August 18, 1994.

Over a decade later, more than twenty million patrons have passed through the turnstiles of the United Center as it now hosts over 200 events annually.

Some of the events the United Center and the city of Chicago have hosted include the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, U2, The Who, The 3 Tenors, Disney on Ice, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Great Eight Classic, Illinois College Basketball, and Champions on Ice.

Among all the thrilling entertainers who have performed at the United Center, none perhaps is greater than former Bulls great Michael Jordan.

Arriving in Chicago in the mid-1980's, Michael Jordan brought six NBA championships to the Bulls in eight years and ensured that the Chicago Bulls of the 1990's would be revered as one of the greatest sports dynasties in history.

From its inception in the late 1960s, it took the Bulls franchise 20 years to reach greatness but the Blackhawks was a proud and successful franchise since its earliest years in Chicago.

In 1926, owner Fredric McLaughlin moved his Portland Rose Buds to Chicago and renamed the team the Blackhawks after his World War I U.S. Army Division. The team then enjoyed two decades of success on and off the ice.

After McLaughlin's death in 1944 the Blackhawks fell into a period of ineptitude until resurgence in the 1960's. However, regardless of current success or lack thereof, the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks remain two of the proudest sports franchises in America and will share each other's triumphs within the United Center 's hallowed walls.

The United Center is located on 45 acres, one mile west of Chicago 's Loop and I-90/94 Kennedy Expressway, and four blocks North of I-290 Eisenhower Expressway at Damen Ave. (Exit 28A).

For driving directions click Directions - United Center

For Bulls tickets click Bulls tickets, for Blackhawks tickets click Blackhawks tickets, and for a calender of events at the United Center go to The United Center or call Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212.

Toyota Park

After a year and a half of construction, Toyota Park at 7000 S. Harlem Ave., in Bridgeview, Ill. is the new home for Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.

The auto company Toyota recently bought the naming rights of the soccer stadium as a 10-year sponsorship agreement.

A fourth of its kind stadium to be built exclusively as a soccer facility, Toyota Park follows the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, and Columbus ' Crew Stadium as the latest trend in state-of-the-art sports complexes.

Built on 100 acres of land for over $100 million, the soccer stadium stands at roughly 469,000 square feet and includes a hydrotherapy room for the players, a food court, accessible seating for the disabled, 42 luxury suites and numerous meeting rooms and administrative offices as well.

Toyota Park seats 20,000 fans, will also host the Major League Soccer All-Star Game on Saturday, Aug. 5, and can be expanded to a 30,000-seat venue for concerts and other shows.

The field is in close proximity to the cities and villages of Bedford Park, Burbank, Chicago, McCook and Summit, and easily accessible to I-43 and I-171.

The park is in the process of coordinating a deal with Pace Bus Systems to provide shuttle rides to and from the stadium to the Midway-Orange Line Train station on game days or when other large events are scheduled.

The team is currently practicing at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, but will be able to practice games near the field once the new practice arena is built later this year.

For driving directions click Directions and for ticket information click Tickets or call 1-888-MLS-FIRE.

Chicagoland Speedway

The Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-Mile D-shaped tri-oval Speedway that sits on a 930-acre lot in Joliet, Illinois, approximately 50 miles soutwest of downtown Chicago.

Opened in 2001, it is adjacent to its sister track, the Route 66 Raceway, and provides 700 acres of free parking for 50,000 vehicles.

The venue hosts a variety of racing events annually including races in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series, ARCA RE/MAX Series, IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series and IRL IndyCar Series.

It seats 75,000 fans in its grandstand and suites and features an grass infield the size of four Soldier Fields (home of the Chicago Bears).

The Chicagoland Speedway/Route 66 Raceway is the latest chapter and the culmination of over a century of racing culture and passion in the Chicago area.

Dating back to 1895 when the first ever gasoline-powered auto races were held up and down the Chicago lakefront, the state of Illinois has played a major role in establishing motorsports as one of the fastest growing most popular spectator sports in the world.

The immediate success of the Route 66 Raceway after its opening in 1998 paved the way for The Chicagoland Speedway's prompt following and combination to make one of the premier motorsports venues in the country.

An array of ticket packages are available including full race weekend passes called Track Packs, RV spaces and Pit Passes.

Ticket information is available at Ticket Info and driving directions are available at Directions and Parking or call the ticket office at 815-727-RACE (7223).

Check out places of interest near Sports and Recreation:

Proline Golf
925 W. Chicago Ave,, Chicago, IL 60622

One-stop shopping for all golfing needs. Golf Chicago's public and private courses, but prepare at Chicago golf mecca, Proline Golf.

 

WestEnd Bar & Grill
1326 W. Madison St., Chicago, IL 60607

A neighborhood-style bar with TVs, good bar food and really good pizza.

 

Bike Chicago Rental & Tours
239 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601

Bicycle rental, bicycle tours, segway tours, and in-line skate rentals make Bike Chicago a key attraction in the city. Bike Chicago has five locations scattered throughout the Chicago area, which is convenient for tourists and locals alike. 

Chicago Fire Major League Soccer
7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview, IL 60455

Chicago has burned its way into Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Chicago Fire, now playing through their 10th season. See the Fire blaze past opponents to score goals and win games. With the addition of Cuauhtemoc Blanco in 2007, the Chicago Fire are now a soccer force with which to be reckoned.

Chicago White Sox Baseball
333 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60616

Chicago's South Side pride, the White Sox play at U.S. Cellular Field.

Chicagoland Speedway
500 Speedway Blvd, Joliet, IL 60433

Soldier Field
1410 South Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Historic home of the Chicago Bears, Soldier Field is sacred space to Chicago's legions of Bears fans.    

 

Toyota Park
7000 S. Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview, IL 60455

Home of Chicago Fire Soccer.

U.S. Cellular Field
333 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60616

Home of the Chicago White Sox and the baseball darling of Chicago's South Side, U.S. Cellular Field is one of the nation's premier ballparks--Chicago baseball meets a good time here.

United Center
1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60612

Home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks.

Bike Chicago Rental & Tours
239 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601

Bicycle rental, bicycle tours, segway tours, and in-line skate rentals make Bike Chicago a key attraction in the city. Bike Chicago has five locations scattered throughout the Chicago area, which is convenient for tourists and locals alike.