Rate Field / US Cellular Field (Chicago)

More than a decade after the 2005 World Series win, the White Sox play their crosstown rival Cubs on a warm July 25 night in 2016. The Sox went on to win 5-4. (Courtesy of the Chicago White Sox)

 

The saying “To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making” is sometimes attributed to Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian statesman. He probably didn’t say it,1 but whoever did had a point. Anyone who observed the process that eventually led to the building of Rate Field (originally New Comiskey Park, then US Cellular Field and Guaranteed Rate Field) in 1988 would have confirmed the notion that politics in Illinois is a difficult watch. It took a governor and the heads of the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives, as well as some effective clock management, to strong-arm enough legislators to create the state agency that built the current home of the Chicago White Sox.

The partnership led by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn took control of the White Sox from Bill Veeck in early 1981. In taking control of the team and Comiskey Park, built in 1910, the partnership relied on an engineering report on the ballpark that had been prepared when Veeck was attempting to sell the White Sox to Edward DeBartolo in 1980. The engineers concluded that there was “nothing substantially wrong” that couldn’t be addressed with minor expenditures.2 However, decades of deferred maintenance began presenting problems almost immediately. In building private skyboxes in the 1982-1983 offseason, the engineers hired to inspect the park concluded, “Had we not gotten into this project, within a very short period of time, the entire upper deck behind the plate would have collapsed.”3

In the middle of the ’80s, the owners decided to explore their options to leave Comiskey Park. Team owners held discussions with the City of Chicago to build a combined baseball/football stadium in the South Loop, but the Chicago Bears weren’t interested. On December 23, 1985, the team received a letter from the American League president, Dr. Bobby Brown:

The letter set a one-year deadline for a decision to be made regarding the future of the White Sox home and set a 1992 deadline – seven years off – for being in a new facility, whether in metropolitan Chicago or perhaps being relocated.5

Negotiations ended with the City of Chicago in early 1986, and Reinsdorf and Einhorn visited potential relocation venues of Denver, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, and Northern Indiana. The owners made their intentions clear at a press conference on July 8, 1986. The team announced that it had quietly purchased 140 acres of land in the western Chicago suburb of Addison, and that time has forced them to act, but that they would need help. “Owners of the White Sox conceded Tuesday that they will need a substantial state subsidy to move the team to Addison and warned that they will have a ‘back-up deal’ ready with another city in case their suburban plans fall through.”6 In a nonbinding referendum among residents in November on whether the stadium should be built in Addison, a slim margin of 43 votes separated the noes (3,787 votes) from the yeses (3,744). While the Addison Village president wanted to continue to work toward building the ballpark, Reinsdorf placed the parcel for sale in early 1987.

With the Addison White Sox no longer an option, the team returned to working with Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, who had rejected earlier attempts to find a solution for the White Sox and Bears. This time, Washington, a lifelong White Sox fan, agreed to a plan to keep the club in Chicago by building a baseball-only stadium in the South Armour Square neighborhood, across the street from Comiskey Park. This site, with limited need for additional infrastructure improvements, was ideal due to the limited number (116) of private properties that would be taken by the city and state through eminent domain.7 There were other local options to building across 35th street. Architect Philip Bess designed a replacement just north of Comiskey Park. The design, called Armour Field (it would have been in the location of Armour Square Park), resembled some of the designs that came after New Comiskey Park, such as Camden Yards. A historic building located in Armour Square Park, as well as the local advocate Friends of the Parks, would have made approval on this site difficult.8

To build and finance the new ballpark, the team and city needed the state to create a stadium authority in order to issue the municipal bonds needed to raise the capital needed. The Illinois Sports Facility Authority (ISFA) was created in December 1986 after Governor Jim Thompson rallied support in the Illinois House. The seven-member body included three members appointed by Mayor Washington, three by the governor, and a final member (presumably the chairman of the ISFA) also by the governor, but with the approval of the mayor.9

When Thompson appointed a longtime friend, Thomas Reynolds, to lead the ISFA without gaining Washington’s approval, a stalemate between the city and state delayed progress in getting final approval from the state legislature. It was during this time that Reinsdorf and Einhorn began negotiations with St. Petersburg, Florida, to potentially move the team to the new Florida Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field). Thompson, ever the politician, realized that these negotiations may have helped his chances to push the necessary legislation through. “But could I have sold the Sox stadium deal without St. Pete in the picture? As a politician I’d like to think I could have, but to tell you honestly, I just don’t know,” he said.10

Thompson, a Republican and Washington, a Democrat, had resolved their differences, but Washington’s untimely death from a heart attack on November 25, 1987, delayed continued city/state/team negotiations. The ISFA held its first meeting in December 1987, a full year after its creation, and soon selected Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum (HOK) of Kansas City, Missouri, as the architect for the new park. HOK had previously advised the White Sox on their Addison project and was the architect of the Suncoast Dome. The firm promised to build a ballpark that would fit into the fabric of the city.11

The White Sox continued to negotiate with the ISFA over the lease for the new ballpark, but also with St. Petersburg on their Plan B. Some of the ownership group of the White Sox privately told Chicago Tribune columnist Jerome Holtzman that they favored moving out of the South Side. “It’s economics,” one of the investors told Holtzman. “A new stadium would be an attraction, a curiosity for two or three years. Then what happens? What have we got? We’re still in the same neighborhood. It’ll be the same as before.” The investor continued, “The sooner we move or sell the club to another city, the better. It’s the only way we get our money back.”12

Even White Sox fans were split on what was best. One organization, Save Our Sox (SOS), was more concerned about keeping Comiskey Park, seemingly convinced that a new team would occupy the old ballpark, and another, Sox Fans on Deck (SFOD), was committed to keeping the White Sox in Chicago. Mayor Washington’s successor, Eugene Sawyer, finally committed the city to the South Armour Square location, and SFOD held a rally that produced 30,000 signatures to be presented to the legislators in Springfield in support of the deal. Some 300 SFOD members took a bus to Springfield to rally for the tax bill that would fund the ISFA, but at this point the White Sox had still not signed a lease with the agency.

The bill to authorize the funding of the ISFA was on the legislative docket on the final day of the legislative session, June 30, 1988. The bill would only need to be approved by a simple majority (60 votes) if approved by that date, but once the session ended at midnight, a super-majority (71 votes) would be needed to approve the legislation, and that was unlikely given the current climate. The state had already funded the rebuilding of Arlington Park racetrack after a fire destroyed the grandstand, as well as a new state building in Chicago. The White Sox and ISFA finally agreed to a lease on June 29, setting up the drama that would take place the next day. (A link to the lease is included in the notes to this article.) The lease was for 20 years, with the White Sox having up to four successive five-year extensions, potentially keeping the White Sox on 35th Street through the 2030 season. There would be no rent due if the White Sox failed to draw 1,200,000 in attendance through the 2020 season, and 1,500,000 thereafter. As the White Sox drew less than 1.2 million fans in both 1988 and 1989, this attendance clause favored the team.13 Still, in St. Petersburg, Florida, White Sox T-shirts were selling for $10 each.

When June 30 arrived, Governor Thompson was told that he did not have enough votes in either the House or Senate to pass the bill. Thompson met with Senate President James “Pate” Phillip, a fellow Republican, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, and received their support to encourage the requisite number of legislators to vote in favor of the bill. The Senate roll call began after 11 P.M., and after convincing four members to change their votes to yes, the bill had enough support in the Senate to pass.

Thompson and his entourage rushed to the House, where approval was much less likely. A chorus of “Na Na Hey, Hey Kiss (Them) Goodbye” was sung by downstate Illinois House members, who often voted against anything that would benefit Chicago.14 As the clock moved close to midnight, Madigan told James McPike, the House majority leader, that he would not gavel the session to an end until Madigan wanted it to end. Thompson and Madigan continued to work the room, cashing in favors and promising new ones, until the 60 votes needed to pass the bill were secured. The gavel ending the session was sounded at 11:59 P.M., or 12:03 A.M., depending on which side of the issue you fell on, and the deal to build New Comiskey Park was done.

With the funding now secured, the ISFA got to work on building the ballpark. Neighborhood residents were offered the appraised value of their homes plus $25,000, or a new home in a different location. Renters were given a moving allowance. The ISFA offered the Chicago Housing Authority an $8 million loan to renovate the Wentworth Gardens housing project, the site of the 39th Street Grounds (a/k/a Schorling Park), the original home of the White Sox, but the CHA turned down the loan, fearing it might not be able to repay it.15 One of the casualties of the construction was the demolition of McCuddy’s Saloon, which sat across 35th Street from the original Comiskey Park. McCuddy’s was opened in May 1910; Comiskey Park opened in July. The legend that Babe Ruth frequented McCuddy’s during games did not keep progress and a bulldozer, driven by John McCuddy’s great-grandson, from knocking down the watering hole.16 The official groundbreaking for the ballpark took place on May 7, 1989. Einhorn used the occasion to state, “The bottom line is we are here to stay. We are committed to the people, we are committed to Chicago, we are committed to winning.”17 Einhorn was booed by some in attendance.

Opening day for New Comiskey Park arrived on April 18, 1991. The total cost of the facility was $134,900,000, or about $2.1 million under budget. The White Sox paid tribute to their old ballpark by filming the passing of a baseball from the old ballpark to the new, which included Chicago’s new Mayor Richard M. Daley, as well as White Sox legends Minnie Miñoso and Billy Pierce, as well as former groundskeeper Gene Bossard (whose son, Roger “The Sodfather” Bossard, succeeded him), and Nels Hendrickson, who at age 98 had seen the White Sox play at both the 39th Street Ground and Comiskey Park. Governor Thompson threw out the first pitch.18

Initial reviews of the new ballpark were very good. “Looks like a real ballpark,” Sparky Anderson, the Detroit Tigers manager, told Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Verdi. “I hate domes. And Toronto, you feel like you’re in a theater. This place is beautiful, but it’s not gaudy. Everybody’s going to want one of these now.”19 If Anderson’s mood was lifted by his team’s 16-0 victory over the White Sox that day, this is lost to history. A team record (only eclipsed in 2006) 2,934,154 fans crowded into New Comiskey Park in 1991. The opening in 1992 of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore gave White Sox fans a glimpse of what they could have had, at least for another $100 million.20 The primary criticisms were leveled at the upper deck, sloped at a 35-degree angle, and was uncovered aside from a small overhang at the very top of the ballpark. The slope at Old Comiskey Park was 27 degrees.21 Paul Goldberger, in his book Ballpark (New York: Knopf Publishing, 2019), summarized the criticisms of the new ballpark succinctly:

Its overall design bears a distant resemblance to the Royals stadium, but without the graceful curves of the Kansas City grandstand. The design of New Comiskey’s enormous, wide, and steep upper-deck overhang that led to so many obstructed-view seats at the old Comiskey, meant that a vast number of seats were at a great distance from the field. It was a poor trade-off for getting rid of the columns that had supported old Comiskey’s upper deck. The critic John Pastier observed that the seats in the first row of the upper deck in the new park are farther from the field than the seats in the last row of the old one.

The new Comiskey that HOK produced may have been built right next to the old Comiskey on Chicago’s South Side, but it was in every other way a suburban stadium. By some measures it was worse, since it was a suburban stadium placed inside the city, and building it required the destruction of several blocks of original urban fabric.22

The unnamed White Sox investors’ prediction from 1986 appeared to be becoming reality, though it took longer than three years. Attendance settled around 2.6 million during 1992 and 1993 (the latter a division championship year, the first since 1983). Attendance in 1994 was also strong, with the White Sox in first place again when the players strike began on August 12. When the 1995 season began, fans stayed away in droves.23 Many White Sox fans blamed Reinsdorf for the strike that canceled what could have been a World Series year on the South Side.24 Attendance at the new ballpark continued to decline, bottoming out in 1999 with only 1,338,851 fans attending. Fans and playoff baseball returned to the South Side in 2000, but attendance still did not eclipse the 2 million mark.

When New Comiskey Park opened in 1991, there was not much to remind the fans of the old ballpark aside from the pinwheels on the new exploding scoreboard, similar to the ones that Bill Veeck had installed when he owned the White Sox the first time, as well as a ballpark organ for legendary White Sox organist Nancy Faust. The first changes the team and ISFA made were throwbacks to the old yard – a bullpen bar with windows to the field was opened in 1996. This was similar to the left-field picnic area in the original. A shower was installed in left field in 1999, just like the one Veeck installed in center field in his second term as owner. It took the team and the ISFA 10 years to address some of the major issues. “The years after it opened to a mostly enthusiastic public, (New) Comiskey Park has become every stadium architect’s nightmare,” wrote the Chicago Tribune. “It is the place where other designers go to learn what not to do – and where the public, by and large, doesn’t go.”25 Beginning in 2001, the ISFA and White Sox decided to add more seats in the lower deck. Seats were added along the foul lines beyond the dugouts, and the moat that had existed between the outfield wall and the stands was filled in, adding 1,900 seats. The funds for these and future renovations were provided by the ISFA, which had extra funding after being tasked with the renovations at Soldier Field, home of the Bears.

The ISFA continued its renovations, placing a fan deck in the center-field concourse and adding the first statue to the concourse, that of founder Charles Comiskey.26 Over the years, additional statues were unveiled in the outfield, honoring White Sox legends Miñoso, Pierce, the double-play tandem of Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, and Paul Konerko. In 2003 the team sold the naming rights to US Cellular, a telecommunications company, for $68 million over 20 years ($3.4 million per year). At the same time, the White Sox exercised the first three of their four five-year options on their lease, which moved the expiration date of the lease through the 2025 season. Ten years later, US Cellular left the Chicago market for cell-phone service but retained the naming rights.27

Perhaps the most important renovation took place for the 2004 season, removing the top eight rows of the upper deck, and replacing the sloped roof over the upper deck with a flat roof. This reduced the ballpark’s capacity from 47,098 to 40,615. This change did not solve the 35-degree pitch problem, but it seemed to make the slope not quite as steep as it used to.28 A large area for children, the FUNdamentals Deck, was opened in left field before the 2005 season. Playoff baseball returned again to Chicago in 2005, but this time the tears at the end of the playoffs were of joy and not sorrow, as the White Sox went 11-1 in the postseason, winning their first World Series since 1917. Attendance crossed the 2 million level for the first time since 1993 and remained over this mark until 2012.

The playoff run featured one of the most controversial calls in American League Championship Series history, when in the ninth inning of Game Two, White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski reached first base on a dropped third strike call that may or may not have been dropped. “Customarily, a ball in the dirt for strike three, [the umpire] says, ‘No catch, no catch, no catch,’ and I didn’t hear him say anything,” Josh Paul, Angels (and former White Sox) catcher said.29 Uncertain whether Paul had caught the third strike, Pierzynski took one step towards the Sox dugout before sprinting to first base to sell home-plate umpire Doug Eddings on the idea that Paul had dropped the ball.30 Pablo Ozuna pinch ran for Pierzynski, stole second base, and scored the winning run on pinch-hitter Joe Crede’s double. The Sox went on to win the next three games against the Angels and sweep the Houston Astros to win the flag.

Playoff baseball did not return to US Cellular Field until 2008, but the renovations continued at the ballpark. In 2006 the original blue seats from 1991 were replaced with dark green seats, reminiscent of the ballpark’s predecessor. Only two seats remain blue – the landing locations of Konerko’s grand slam and Scott Podsednik’s walk-off home run in Game Two of the World Series. In 2008 the ballpark’s outermost parking lot (Lot L) was refitted with permeable pavers to help reduce the amount of water entering the Chicago storm sewer system. In addition, a “Champions Plaza” was installed at the entrance to the ballpark, with a large statue commemorating the 2005 World Series victory.

Improvements in 2011 and 2012 included the first outside the ballpark itself. A restaurant, the ChiSox Bar and Grill, opened inside Gate 5, across the street from the ballpark (a pedestrian bridge takes fans into the park). It had indoor and outdoor seating and was open to the public during game days. In 2013 the Chicago Sports Depot a significantly larger merchandise shop than the primary shop at the lower level opened, with access from both inside and outside the ballpark.

In 2016, three years after exiting the Chicago market, US Cellular ended its relationship with the White Sox, paying $13 million to exit the agreement early.31 A local mortgage provider, Guaranteed Rate, purchased the naming rights for $20.4 million for 10 years, about $1 million less than the White Sox had received from US Cellular.32 To many fans, the name US Cellular Field was bad enough (even though the nickname for the park – “The Cell” – had wide appeal), but the Guaranteed Rate Field name was worse, especially due to its corporate logo. The Chicago Tribune commented: “The corporate logo of mortgage lender Guaranteed Rate is a red arrow pointing downward. It suggests low rates for customers, which is a good thing for them. But when it comes to baseball, the symbol is more like an emoji for losing. Those red arrows will be all over Guaranteed Rate Field, which has already inspired nicknames like Guaranteed Loss Field or Low Interest Stadium.”33 Probably the most interesting addition to the park came in 2019, with the addition of “The Goose Island. Goose Island is a Chicago craft brewery, purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 2011. Sections 106 and 107 of the ballpark were replaced by a 326-seat section with water running along its sides giving the impression that the guest was on an island. Goose Island beer was served from two replica Chicago Transit Authority subway cars at the top of the section. Goose Island lost the rights to sell beer at Guaranteed Rate Field and the section was renamed the Miller Lite Landing.

In 2023 Guaranteed Rate Field became an unusual crime scene. At a game on August 25, two women were shot while seated in left-field Section 161. The police said it was unclear where the shots came from. Reinsdorf stated the opposite, telling NBC Chicago, “I don’t want to influence the police’s decision, but the fact is based upon the information available to us, I see virtually no possibility that the gunshots came from within the ballpark.”34

The shooting invigorated the discussion that Guaranteed Rate Field is in a “bad area.” But according to the web site crimegrade.org, the crime rate for the ZIP code that contains Guaranteed Rate Field is less (48.07 crimes per 1,000 residents) than that in the ZIP code for Wrigley Field (52.64).35 Most White Sox fans express no concerns about crime in this area.

Guaranteed Rate Field was 34 years old in the 2024 season, probably having aged significantly during the season as the White Sox set the modern record for season losses (121), winning only 23 of their 81 home dates. Attendance of 1,380,733 was the lowest for the team since 1999, and the second lowest in the ballpark’s history. Still, before the season started, the White Sox announced that they were in discussions with a developer to build a new ballpark on the South Loop, three miles north of Guaranteed Rate Field in an area known as “The 78.” (It would become the city’s 78th official neighborhood.) 

The developer, Related Midwest, released renderings in February 2024 showing an open-air ballpark along the south branch of the Chicago River, with views of downtown.36 The project’s cost, estimated as high as $2 billion, would likely need, and struggle to get, governmental support. “I think I’ve been fairly clear about the fact that taxpayers’ dollars are precious,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said. “And the idea of taking taxpayer dollars and subsidizing the building of a stadium as opposed to, for example, subsidizing the building of a birthing center, just to give an example, does not seem like the stadium ought to have higher priority.”37 Some Illinois lawmakers agreed with Pritzker. “We say ‘no’ because we all want a shiny new car,” said South Side Representative Marcus Evans. “Shiny new cars don’t move me. It’s all about the finance.”38

Further complicating the potential move from Guaranteed Rate Field were revelations that Reinsdorf was in active discussions about selling the team. Reinsdorf is thought to own approximately 19 percent of the team, and the news is significant in that he has not expressed the potential of selling the team while he is alive. (Reinsdorf, born in 1936, was 88 years old in 2024.) He has said several times that he has advised his heirs to sell the White Sox and keep ownership of the Chicago Bulls, where his son is president.39

As of 2025, when the name changed again — from Guaranteed Rate Field to simply Rate Field — the future of the ballpark was in doubt. The White Sox could continue to use the ballpark past the lease expiration of 2029, move to The 78 as part of a grand neighborhood development, or look outside the city for greener pastures and more public money. What is certain is that the team, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois will continue their three-headed-monster relationship. Watching sausage being made will probably be easier on the eyes.

Last revised: March 1, 2025

 

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the following:

www.isfauthority.com

www.baseball-reference.com

www.soxmachine.com

Bauer, John. “A Ballpark as Political Football: Florida, Illinois, and New Home for the White Sox,” in Gregory H. Wolf, ed., The Baseball Palace of the World: Comiskey Park (Phoenix: SABR, 2019).

Management Agreement between Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and Chicago White Sox, LTD – https://www.isfauthority.com/assets/management-agreement-with-all-amendments2.pdf

 

Notes

1 https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/08/laws-sausages/

2 Richard C. Lindberg, Stealing First in a Two-Team Town (Champaign, Illinois: Sagamore Publishing, 1984), 222.

3 Lindberg, 223-224.

4 Lindberg, 229.

5 Lindberg, 230.

6 John McCarron and David Young, “White Sox Owners: It’s Addison or Adios,” Chicago Tribune, July 9, 1986: 1.

7 Lindberg, 238.

8 https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/the-white-sox-ballpark-in-chicago-that-never-was-and-could-have-changed-history/.

9 Lindberg, 238.

10 Lindberg, 241.

11 Lindberg, 244.

12 Jerome Holtzman, “Sox Investors Cool to Staying in City,” Chicago Tribune, Maech 29, 1988: 45.

13 While the calculation is based on numerous factors, the only season that White Sox attendance fell below the break point where no rent would be due was 2024.

14 Lindberg, xxvi.

15 Lindberg, 254.

16 Robert Davis, “Wreckers Leave Mccuddy’s Down and Out on 35th St.,” Chicago Tribune, March 28, 1989: 1.

17 William Recktenwald, “Sox Begin their Field of Dreams,” Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1989: 9.

18 Alan Soloman, “Let the New Memories Begin,” Chicago Tribune, April 18, 1991: 53.

19 Bob Verdi, “Well, the Ballpark Was Beautiful,” Chicago Tribune, April 19, 1991: 51.

20 Oriole Park cost about $125 million to build, but site acquisition costs added another $100 million to the project. https://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=2957dc23-3946-4545-9ec2-041be52dc0c0.

21 Lindberg, 259.

22 https://soxmachine.com/2019/07/considering-and-reconsidering-the-ballpark-after-ballpark/.

23 Average attendance in 1994 was 32,026. In 1995, attendance dropped 30 percent, to 22,358.

24 “Hoop Dreams,” Newsweek, March 19, 1995. https://www.newsweek.com/hoop-dreams-180618.

25 Blair Kamin, “10 Years Later, Comiskey Still Has a Bad Reputation,” Chicago Tribune, July 22, 2001: 111.

26 https://www.isfauthority.com/facilities/guaranteed-rate-field-renovations/.

27 Doug Padilla, “The Cell Not in Line for Name Change,” ESPN.com, April 26, 2013. https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/post/_/id/14560/the-cell-not-in-line-for-name-change.

28 https://baseballparks.com/indepth/uscellular/.

29 Dave van Dyck, “The Play, the Goat, the Hero,” Chicago Tribune, October 13, 2005: 7-4.

30 David Haugh, “Crede Doubles Fun at Finish,” Chicago Tribune, October 13, 2005: 7-4.

31 Becky Yerak, “Deal to Drop Sox Park Naming Rights Early Costs US Cellular $13 Million,” Chicago Tribune, November 4, 2016: 2-1.

32 Peter Thomas Ricci, “What Guaranteed Rate Paid for the White Sox Stadium Naming Rights,” Chicago Agent Magazine, September 1, 2016. https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2016/09/01/guaranteed-rate-paid-white-sox-stadium-naming-rights/.

33 Richard Sandomir, “One Guarantee for the Chicago White Sox’ New Stadium Name: Derision,” New York Times, August 25, 2016. B9.

34 Bennett Haeberle, “3 Weeks after Shooting at White Sox Game, Questions Remain Unanswered,” NBC Chicago, September 15, 2023. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/white-sox-shooting-chicago-police-department/3229319/.

35 Data pulled from www.crimerate.org on October 29, 2024.

36 Dan Lambert, “Developer Releases Renderings Showing New Riverfront White Sox Stadium at The 78,” WTTW.com, February 8, 2024. https://news.wttw.com/2024/02/08/renderings-released-proposed-new-white-sox-stadium-78.

37 Amanda Vinicky, “Pritzker Says He’s ‘Reluctant’ to Use Taxpayer Money to Help Build a New White Sox Stadium,” WTTW, February 26, 2024. https://news.wttw.com/2024/02/26/pritzker-says-he-s-reluctant-use-taxpayer-money-help-build-new-white-sox-stadium.

38 Jeremy Gorner, “Legislators Say They’re Still Skeptical About Public Funding for New White Sox stadium after Team-Sponsored Cruise,” Chicago Tribune, September 18, 2024.

39 Brittany Ghiroli, “Jerry Reinsdorf Open to Selling White Sox: Sources,” The Athletic, October 16, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5848339/2024/10/16/jerry-reinsdorf-chicago-white-sox-sale/?source=emp_shared_article.