As members of the White Sox front office and coaching staff fielded questions from fans, team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made a rare public appearance. The 88-year-old stood on a balcony overlooking the Ramova Theatre, quietly listening as his franchise’s leaders spoke on stage. But the moment fans caught sight of him, the energy in the room shifted.
A murmur spread through the crowd as attention drifted from the panel to the man above. Within seconds, a fan’s voice cut through the noise: “Sell the team!” Reinsdorf quickly vanished from view, but by then, the panel had already spiraled off course.
It was a fitting metaphor for the weekend—entertaining, slightly chaotic, and at times, completely off the rails.
A New Era of SoxFest
After a five-year hiatus, the White Sox revived their annual fan convention under a new name—SoxFest Live. But instead of hosting it at a large venue like the Hilton or McCormick Place, they opted for a more intimate setting at the historic Ramova Theatre.
While the Ramova, with its 96 years of history, is a beautiful venue, the space—designed for a 1,500-person concert crowd—felt more like a backdrop for the Chicago Dogs than the Chicago White Sox. Given the team’s back-to-back 100-loss seasons, this smaller venue was likely a calculated move, uncertain of how many fans would show up.
The entire weekend centered around reigniting enthusiasm from the fanbase. On Friday, the White Sox hosted members of the 2005 World Series team, highlighted by an announcement that Mark Buehrle would be getting a statue outside of Rate Field. Buehrle celebrated the occasion by buying everyone in attendance a beer- noting that Reinsdorf helped cover the tab to the delight of the crowd.
The White Sox also unveiled a series of promotions for the upcoming season that commemorate the team’s 125th anniversary. The promotions include the weekend bobblehead collectors series, jerseys, hats and hoodies, replica statues, and a working radio. The organization even played a video from the Section 108 podcast to help show off some of the bobbleheads they would be giving away.
Fans Take Over the "State of the Sox" Panel
However, on Saturday, things got tense during the White Sox “State of the Sox” panel. The panel featured White Sox broadcasters Steve Stone and Jon Schriffen, manager Will Venable, bench coach Walker McKiven, assistant general manager Josh Barfield, and director of player personnel Gene Watson.
Schriffen began by reading questions sent in by fans. However, the questions were along the lines of “Who is an under-the-radar reliever to watch for this season”. The frustrated bunch of fans in attendance were not having it. Fans began blurring out questions, demanding to know what was going to be done to hold players accountable and how many wins they can expect this season.
Schriffen tried his best to control the crowd, before eventually deciding to ditch the pre-planned questions and hear from the crowd. Everyone on the panel looked visibly uncomfortable as the crowd turned hostile, which was only fueled by Reinsdorf making an appearance from the balcony. Before the panel was mercifully ended, Watson pointed out that many of the people on stage were new to the organization had had nothing to do with the past failures, and that they were working tirelessly to right the ship. The message, however, did little to calm the crowd.
Missed Opportunities
Part of the frustration was also fueled by the way the event was set up. With a slightly larger crowd in attendance, fans who paid for general admission struggled to find room in the series of folding chairs the White Sox crammed together. The rows of chairs were backed so tight it was difficult to move in and out of traffic.
There were also no announcements about when player appearances were occurring. One minute, you’d be watching White Sox players play pop a shot, and the next, Freddy Garcia was standing in the back of the room taking photos with fans. The lines for these photo ops were also disorganized. For an event that is supposed to be catered to growing the fan base, it was not very kid-friendly.
Those seeking autographs either had to pay extra for a special wristband or hope they were in the right place at the right time when players appeared at one of the two setups they had on the main floor.
Colson Montgomery dominated in Pop-A-Shot, Kyle Teel shared his passion for music, and Braden Montgomery came across as a humble, down-to-earth kid who was excited to play baseball. This next generation of Sox players exuded charisma and enthusiasm—something the franchise desperately needs as it rebuilds both on and off the field.
Given it was the first year of the new SoxFest live format, hiccups were to be expected. But SoxFest Live did not have the same special feel as the SoxFest of the past. But even after a 121-loss season, a handful of die-hard fans still showed up to show love for an organization that rarely returns the favor.
