I am a Chicago-area native and have been a fan of all things Chicago for years. I was born in 1983, the year before the Bears won the Super Bowl. While I do not remember the game as I was too young, I am just happy I was alive for the win.
In Chicago there are legacies that simply cannot be touched by any other team or city, when you put all those things together you get a city known for sports excellence and I'll tell you why.
1. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are nothing less than a dynasty. Having had one of the NFL's greatest coaches in history, the Bears are a team that has fans all across the nation. Anytime you tune into a Bears game being played in another city, you still see orange and blue all over the place.
Lets not forget the late great Walter Payton. I had the luck of meeting the man when I was a little kid because my mother was his accountant at the time. Of my few memories of the event, I remember him being very nice and his wife being equally pleasant.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
For all you hockey fans out there, you have to consider the Hawks when you think of great teams. They were formed as part of the first wave of expansion of the NHL in 1926 and have since won three Stanley Cups and 13 Division championships.
While the Hawks have not won a Cup in decades, the past two years have seen winning seasons and a huge increase in attendance. Many of their players played for both the US and Canada during the Olympics, which goes to show you that talent is not designated by title wins.
3. Chicago Bulls
If anyone tries to argue that the Bulls don't have the best history of any team in the NBA, then they don't know sports. I'm not talking about most title wins, I'm talking about history.
The Bulls have two legends from their ranks who stick out to anyone who likes basketball, Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson. Jackson will most likely go down in history as the NBA's greatest coach of all time, and Jordan is already the gold standard in basketball.
The Bulls had the best decade in basketball during the 90s when they won six championships in eight years—two three-peats—as well as being the only team in NBA history to ever win more than 70 games in a single season. 72 to be exact.
Jordan and Jackson had help during the 90s from the likes of Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Luc Longley, Tony Kukoc and Ron Harper.
I think I could write about the Bulls all day, so I wil move on now.
4. Chicago Cubs/White Sox
I grouped these two teams together because, lets face it, they are two teams from the same sport in the same city. I like both teams personally, and I know I will get backlash for that from hardcore fans of either team, but I don't care.
During my childhood the big guys in baseball were Frank Thomas and Bo Jackson. Both men played on the Sox and both had great success with the team. The Sox eventually won their first Championship in years in 2005.
The Cubs however are a different story. Not having won a World Series in over 100 years, the Cubs are still one of the most popular teams in MLB history. When you watch their home games the stadium is full, and when you watch their away game, you see red and blue jerseys throughout the crowd.
The Cubs play in Wrigley Field which to this day which is arguably the field with the most history in the MLB.
Many Cubs fans believe there is some kind of curse preventing them from winning a World Series, and with their 100 year series slump I don't blame them.
Honorable mention:
The Chicago Fire have been a very successful soccer team since being founded in 1998, they even won the MLS title their first year playing as a team. Now that's impressive.
The Chicago Wolves are another popular hockey team in Chicago that has seen success and titles wins.
Anyone who lives in or around Chicago is going to tell you why Chicago is the best place in the world for sports, but don't take my word for it, watch the teams yourself and try to see why.
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