Yeah, it’s supposed to be called U.S. Cellular. Whatever. But in 15 years, the area will be drastically different from what it is now and the Chicago White Sox ballpark will be THE place to be. (with Wrigley Field still being classic and popular as ever)
15 years from now Comiskey Park will be popular
Happening right now on Spudart: Press a leaf in an envelope with the date and story written on it until 2026-10-31
Paul Ladewski of the Daily Southtown whines about the unpopularity of the White Sox. “Fans Gone Wild not exclusive to South Side”. He sadly claims that the White Sox lost fans because the William Ligue incident in late 2002. If your fans are so pathetic that they won’t go to a ballgame because of William Ligue, then yeah, the Sox don’t deserve to have people at their games. Cubs fans are so dedicated, even when someone gets murdered outside their ballpark, they still come to the games. But just as nearby Pilsen is changing, so will the area around Comiskey.
Don’t get me started on why Sox Park isn’t popular … Pilsen is not changing in any way that will be popular in 15 years, at least not for Sox fans. Ladewski is WAY off base for blaming the Ligue incident in ’02. The “unpopularity” is primarily because there is no pre- or post- activities in the area. There are no bars or restaurants, or anything that would attract families before a game, let alone keep them in the neighborhood after a game. The stadium is sterile monster … that won’t change in 15 years. But things are changing in the area… The area is being over-run by UIC which owns much of the land in down and around that area. There are talks in our ward meetings about the possibility of a Target coming to the SW Loop, but I don’t see a trip to Target being a popular post-game activity. The plans for a Wal-Mart in the area have already been nixed … The 15 year plan for the area is all wrong, at least for anything having to do with the Sox. If you want a return on your dollar, then the area is THE place to invest right now. Warehouse shopping, cheap condos, and expensive university housing are the “big vision”. But don’t count on restaurants, bars, and attractions that will bring Sox fans in early and keep them in the area late. Maybe Sox Stadium should move closer to Union Station which is going to get a HUGE futuristic makeover and become THE hube of transportation in Chicago inside the next 10 years.
*bows down* ah tom, you have convinced me. Comisky will continue being the Cell for many years to come. Wow, a major league ballpark near Union Station. So is UIC a bad thing for the community? I don’t see why restaurants open up in the area. You would think they could survive on just the baseball crowds. But maybe not. Those non-baseball months would be brutal.
UIC is not bad for the area, in general, because the area is UIC. They did shut down the old Halsted Market which moved over to Roosevelt, but the stalls were so dilapidated and in need of repair that the University actually did everyone [yes, including the vendors”> a favor. Maybe if the Sox Park area has a few pioneers move in who will open places for shopping and eating, driving crime out and property values up, the area could become “popular”. The city IS moving further south, but there seems to be an invisible fence around Sox Park. Another factor comes into play when it comes to the popularity of the Sox … most of their fans don’t live anywhere near the stadium. At least with Wrigley, you have a built-in fan base [who would live in Wrigleyville without being a Cubs fan?”> … Wrigley is also [darn-near”> an historic site, so it’s a destination point, as is the area’s restaurants, shopping, nightlife, etc. The Sox have to rely solely on the team being the attraction.
i would gladly welcome the white sox in the western burbs. There’s an enourmous amount of pansies that don’t like driving into the city for a game… white sox or cubs. There’s a huge market out here waiting. Wrigley Field is experiencing its golden age. I still can’t believe that all home games sold out before the first home game was played. That blows my mind. The White Sox will get their golden age. When? I dunno. I’m not sure if it will ever happen at the Cell. Maybe it will, but it sure will take alot of investors to take a leap of faith and build a solid community around that park. Sox fans are so blindly jealous of the Cubs. I don’t understand why they have such an inferiorty complex. I envy Sox fans. They can get tickets easily. 90% of the people are there to see a baseball game unlike wrigley where too many peopole are either there to be seen or are from Iowa googling at the ivy. The googlers don’t really bother me so much. It’s just that there aren’t enough people there to WATCH THE CUBS.
Moose, when was the last time you were at a game at the Cell?
i guess i contradicted myself in that last post. first i say wrigley is in its golden age, but then i go on to say that too many people go to wrigley for the party. what an interesting contradiction.
maybe they should replace the bricks with bricks of gold. That would impress all the Iowans and the party seekers. ***sparklie bricks*** must see sparklie bricks****
i was prolly at the cell about 4 years ago. maybe 5.
Tom you write about how the team isn’t popular becuase there are not a lot of trendy bars on the immediate grounds of Comiskey Park. I dont think thats accurate at all. You dont need bars and resturants around your ballpark to be popular. All that stuff is there to attract casual fans. I dont base my willingness to go on bars around a stadium. I base it on the teams performance and the price of the event. All that other stuff is for tourists and casual fans, like cubs fans. Most sox fans know there are plenty of pre and post game establishments to find in the bridgeport area. They are tucked quietly away in the neighborhood. Places like Jimbo’s, Schallers Pump, the First Base, and the Bridheport Inn. All these are within a stepping stone walk from the stadium. Bridgeport is not trendy, its not upscale, its not wrigleyville. Its a nice middle class calm and serine neighbohood that speaks Chicago. But an area and ballpark dont have to be wrigleyville like to be successful. All those things are afterthoughts to winning baseball. They are they for the fan who goes for reasons other than baseball. We call those cubs fans and thats why they go cubs games and wrigley.