Jim O’Donnell: Like it or not, Chicago, here comes a menacing sports 2025
FOR CHICAGO SPORTS FANS, the threat of a new calendar year is most ominous.
Could the lords of the fractured urban rat race allow a one-time fast-forward to 2026? Just to skip over so much of the rebuild candle lighting and group chanting?
The riots squads should be getting ready. Further numbing of the paying herd appears to be the only certainty. The dog has not been fed in years.
SHORT OF SOLDIER FIELD blessedly drifting off into Lake Michigan Thursday night, there could not have been a more appropriate mainstage final act to the local sports year.
The evening was foggy, the mood was desolate and the outcome was at once both surreal and discouraging. Chicago hope was a rarer commodity than a chunk play by Caleb Williams.
Smartest season-ticket holders either dumped their seats on a weak secondary market or gifted QR code access as mean-spirited stocking stuffers to teach their children well.
IN OTHER WORDS, the Bears' 6-3 loss to Seattle had it all. The only lament might have been that there wasn't a halftime show featuring embattled Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson introducing Nicki Minaj for her tribute to the operational pomposity of Kevin Warren.
A stark statement, subject to fleeting official review — if any — is:
In the last six decades, there has not been a Jan. 1 approaching in which Our Town's five major professional sports teams have collectively been in a poorer, more demoralizing spot.
That's in terms of what should smell like fan spirit. From the side of ownerships, the profits continue to roll.
IN SUBJECTIVE ORDER, from those in most dire straits to the one or two with a mild remaining sense of joie de vivre, the imperious Chicago Five:
· No. 5 — The White Sox — A national target of satire and the ultimate loon lagoon. … Short of starting one-legged shortstops (to chase one-hoppers), losing a record 121 games in a modern MLB season isn't easy. … It takes toxic ownership — thank you, Jerry Reinsdorf — neutered player ops people and poor souls in the clubhouse awaiting parole.
2025 outlook: A 122-loss season would be a modern-day marvel worthy of the cynical people engineering suggested by Elon Musk. … This franchise to Nashville or San Antonio or Port-au-Prince and a fresh American League team on Chicago's South Side would be a gift from the ghosts of Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio.
· No. 4 — The Bears — Where does the takedown begin? … Thick and noncompetitive ownership, an inept president & CEO, a young GM now dining on humble pie and a nightmare season worthy of the McCaskeys. … Has there ever been a team in the century-plus of the NFL so incoherently losing on both the field and in a needlessly stalled quest for a new stadium?
2025 outlook: Why merely Pete Carroll as a possible Rx in Lake Forest? … Why not Curly Lambeau or Jim Thorpe too? … “Continuity” of any kind is now a very dirty word for smartest Bears fans. … George McCaskey should step aside, Warren ashcanned, Ryan Poles is collateral damage and no promising NFL coach whose reps are doing full due diligence is going to use an interview at Halas Hall as anything more than leverage for a better opportunity with a less disgusting organization.
· No. 3 — The Bulls — A franchise that appears to have mastered the dubious art of horizontaling. … They're not fun to watch, they lost their competitive heart and soul with the departures of DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso and to have a press-row hare brain or two constantly trying to hype Zach LaVine — the overpaid man's Reggie Theus — is clinically provable evidence of boy crushes gone awry.
2025 outlook: The dream specter of a play-in slot will always be there. … Against a team history that includes the Jerry Krause and Gar Forman years, bumbling Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley will forever touch “pedestrian.” … Most solid pro in the waste bin remains Billy Donovan, who coaches what he's been given, treats the media well and just lets those large direct deposits keep coming in.
· No. 2 — The Blackhawks — Like Caleb Williams, young Connor Bedard prompts the same scary Q,: Which will come first — the roster uptick or the catastrophic injury? … New coach Anders Sorenson has had a reasonably energizing effect since taking over as coach on Dec. 5, and Arvid Soderblom continues to flash competency in goal. … But for now, maybe it's best most of the team's games remain hard to find on TV as the uber-annoying CHSN/Comcast impasse creaks into the New Year.
2025 outlook: Despite Bedard, the Blackhawks have regressed back into their niche slot among Chicago's Power Five. … Their hard-core fans still turn out for home games — paying those throat latch United Center concessions prices. … But there has to be gross revenue diminishment going on, which defeats much of the ultimate intent of Danny Wirtz and Jaime Faulkner. … They will survive.
· No. 1 — The Cubs — In 15 full seasons under Ricketts family ownership, the value of the Cubs has gone from $900M to $4.2B. … All they have to do is dust off the seats at Wrigley Field every spring and they'll draw close to 3M fans (2.9M in '23, ivy years ahead of the 1.7M by the White Sox). … Tom Ricketts has stayed with Jed Hoyer too long, but how's that memo going to get through with all those greenbacks at The Chairman's office door? … It's nice when they win games, like getting a legitimately hot Egg McMuffin at a McDonald's drive-through.
2025 outlook: Craig Counsell, David Ross, Milwaukee's Pat Murphy — this trio could easily stump the panel on the old “What's My Line.” … Each is capable of generating an 83-79 season and backing into a NL Wild Card series. … Cody Bellinger's gone, Kyle Tucker is in and it'd be nice if Ricketts and helpers finally learned how to properly promote Marquee Sports Network (but no free advice here and take it to the bank, there's plenty). … “Mike” Imanaga II could still be Starbucks “Man of the Year.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.