Even in a sports-crazy country like the United States of America, there are some cities which are a lot more successful and dedicated towards their sports than others. Chicago is definitely one of them, and probably can be called the best sports city in the country, on account of the success its teams have had across multiple sports.
Chicago has five major sports franchises - the Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Bears, and Blackhawks. In total, these teams have won 19 championships across their respective sports, the Windy City is out in front as the most successful city in the USA for sports competition wins.
Perhaps the most famous of these teams are the Chicago Bulls which competes in the NBA. The Bulls, which had been a mediocre also-ran in the ‘70s and ‘80s, were transformed into a ruthless winning machine by the arrival of Michael Jordan, as well as the tutelage of now-legendary coach Phil Jackson. Jordan, who was obsessed with winning, led his team to six NBA titles in eight years, with the likes of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman also playing significant parts in this success. Of course, basketball was not MJ’s only obsession, with Jordan also having a love for VIP gambling and other pursuits like golf. However, he has said that all of these habits were born out of a desire to always want competition and to win, and thus his habit of gambling was not an addiction since he could stop at any time. The recent Netflix and ESPN documentary, ‘The Last Dance’, sheds light on all this and more, showing what happened behind the scenes during the Bulls’ legendary run in the ‘90s, when they won three titles in a row not once, but twice, and it was Jackson and Jordan, along with the rest of the team, who put the Bulls on the map in the NBA. It has been telling that the Bulls have not won a single NBA title since then.
Tied at the top on the list of Chicago sports teams with the most championship wins is the Chicago Blackhawks, with six Stanley Cup wins. This professional ice hockey team is one of the ‘Original Six’ NHL teams, with their first Stanley Cup win coming in 1934, and the most recent in 2015. The team has also won 16 division championships, making it another extremely successful sports franchise to be based out of Chicago.
Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs
The Windy City plays host to two teams in Major League Basketball, with the White Sox and Cubs both having won three World Series titles apiece. They are city rivals, with their home fields being at opposite ends of the city, and one interesting fact is that the White Sox and the Chicago Bulls, in the NBA, are both owned by the same person, Jerry Reinsdorf.
The Bears are last on the list of successful sports teams from Chicago, having a solitary Super Bowl win back in 1985. However, that team is considered one of the greatest NFL teams ever, with their stingy defense and the superb offense still considered the stuff of legend, 35 years after their original triumph.
Chicago natives can definitely be proud of their city’s various sports teams, with the city’s representatives doing well across a wide variety of sports. While some of them have not won titles in recent years, others are still going strong, and so the people of Chicago have a lot of quality sports action to look forward to every year, with multiple venues hosting these teams.
