Winners and Losers: How White Sox Moving to South Loop Would Impact Fans

To say this news of the team potentially building a new ballpark in the South Loop created a stir would be a bit of an understatement. We're only five months removed from the first public comments about the team looking for a new ballpark, whether it be in the city, Chicago suburbs, or even Nashville, Tennessee, began to surface.

The thought of the White Sox leaving the Bridgeport neighborhood they've called home since moving to Chicago from St. Paul, Minnesota before the Western League's 1900 season has caused quite a reaction. We're already getting puff pieces and talking points from Jerry Reinsdorf's media lapdogs that this new ballpark would be a legacy-defining move for the owner who's despised by an overwhelming majority of the fan base. As details continue to emerge, I'm sure this chorus will only grow louder.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Let's face it, this franchise is used to being ridiculed. Whether it comes from fans of the other team in the Chicagoland market or the national media, the public perception of the White Sox is rarely positive. The team's current home, Guaranteed Rate Field, has been at the epicenter of much criticism since the team moved across the street from fabled Comiskey Park in 1991.

What was the first of the modern-era ballpark boom in the 1990s, then-Comiskey Park had negative reviews from the outset. As retro-style parks like Camden Yards in Baltimore became the craze, Comiskey Park seemed like a missed opportunity for the franchise. Much of this can be blamed on Reinsdorf himself as he wanted to, wait for it, build a ballpark similar in likeness to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City (this isn't a joke) instead of being at the forefront of the retro ballpark movement. The team was pitched an idea for a retro-style ballpark, Armour Field, by Chicago native architect, Phillip Bess, but the concept was never given any serious consideration.

At the end of the day, Reinsdorf wanted to move the team to the suburbs, particularly Addison. Stadium resolutions in the late '80s were shot down, and after extorting the city and state into funding the new ballpark across the street from Comiskey Park, we have the team's current home.

Back to the present day. Given the negative perception that still exists about the Bridgeport neighborhood that the team calls home (thanks in large part to tired narratives from fans of the city's other team), you'd think the news of a potential move to the South Loop would be received with resounding applause. So, I wanted to gauge the temperature of White Sox fans on this cold January day.

The voting in the most important poll you will see this year has been closer than I think even I anticipated. The majority of respondents have stated that the South Loop move would make their ability to attend games easier, but the number of people stating it would make attending games more challenging is still significant.

Many voters responded by giving their opinions on a potential move and their desire or distaste for the rumored site. The geographical divide is a very fascinating one, in my opinion.

Dividing Lines

I've attempted to crowd-source more feedback on this topic through a variety of means, and the consensus seems to be this: city residents with direct access to the Red Line will see minimal impact as it's simply a two-stop difference from the team's current location. Individuals living in neighborhoods west and northwest of Bridgeport will be positively impacted, fans in the northwest suburbs will see dramatic improvements because of public transit options, while supporters in the neighborhoods directly around the team's present home, the southwest suburbs, and Northwest Indiana will be most negatively impacted.

I think we can all reasonably agree that the core of this team's fan base resides in South Side neighborhoods near the ballpark, the south suburbs, and Northwest Indiana, like myself. But this core fan base hasn't helped the franchise grow in the last 40 years, so we simply aren't who this move is targeting.

Despite the narratives that are perpetuated, baseball attendance in Chicago wasn't always the one-sided affair it has become since 1985. In fact, from 1901 through the end of the 1984 season, the Sox actually outdrew their North Side brethren 44 times compared to 40, including 16 times in a 20-season stretch during the Go-Go Sox heyday. There are some wild 20-year pendulum swings in attendance among the city's two franchises, which largely corresponded to on-field performance — what an amazing concept.

Since 1985, however, the White Sox have had the highest annual attendance in Chicago only twice in 1991 and 1992, the immediate boom following the opening of New Comiskey Park. That short-lived boost didn't create the lasting impact that supporters hoped it would, but there are a myriad of reasons for that.

So, would a ballpark in a new area of the city lead to a boom for the franchise, unlike the failed attempt in the early '90s? I think Jerry Reinsdorf firmly believes this to be the case, and thus we'll see this concept backed with great force.

Target Market

A move to the South Loop would signal a drastic change for the American League's charter franchise, that the core of the team's fan base is no longer the focus. Leaked stadium concepts and the idea that the White Sox are trying to create a neighborhood destination hub similar to what other franchises have, like the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, etc., is the goal.

I can't tell you how many times in my professional career I've had corporate outings held at or desired to be held at the other ballpark in Chicago because of the neighborhood's vibrance instead of 35th/Shields. I've had to fight like hell to get client events held at Sox games because Bridgeport isn't the destination neighborhood. A move to the South Loop would eliminate this, and that's undoubtedly a goal of this plan.

At the same time, a new ballpark and surrounding team-owned development would only drive the franchise value higher, which is often at the epicenter of these decisions. I have no doubt pushing the value of this franchise higher for its sale, whenever that may be, is also a major consideration at play.

Make no mistake about it, residents of Bridgeport, the south suburbs, and Northwest Indiana haven't helped this fan base grow in size or exposure in the last 40 years, and the organization knows this. The White Sox view this as perhaps a final opportunity to rebrand the franchise and finally get a boost in attendance that comes from tourists, corporate events, and Midwest transplants settling nearby and adopting a new team. This is really the only way this fan base and franchise will grow in the future.

Simply put, this is who a move to the South Loop is geared toward. The Sox haven't built up enough of a foundation in the neighborhood they've resided in for over 120 years, so this is the chance to change that for generations to come.

For a Better Day

It will take time to undo the last 40 years of damage that the Reinsdorf regime has caused, but in due time a move to the South Loop could be the catalyst to help turn the tide of this franchise from an afterthought to a major player. If done correctly, a ballpark in the South Loop with picturesque views could be the envy of baseball. We can debate whether or not the White Sox will be able to get out of their own way and do things correctly, but there will be plenty of time for that.

At the end of the day, I know that without significant changes to public transportation options, my ability to attend Sox games would be negatively impacted by this move, as it would for those residing near the current ballpark and south suburbs. I accept this and fully understand we aren't who this potential move is geared toward. If this franchise is truly to grow in the future, this is a move that needs to be made.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that for better or worse my mood for six months of the year is directly correlated to the performance of this team. If a move to the South Loop ensures that this team will be a perennial contender, I'll gladly take it. I'll adjust however I need to in order to attend games, even if that frequency goes down as a result. I think most true fans of this team would be willing to make that tradeoff. If sleep has to be sacrificed to ensure more baseball is played in October, so be it.

Change can be hard and unwelcome in many respects, but it's a fact of life. It appears that a drastic change could be coming to the White Sox organization and fan base. The neighborhood that has been a core component of the team's identity could be no more in the very near future. A move to the South Loop could be the driving force to making the post-Reinsdorf-led White Sox the major market player we have always yearned for them to be.

If the second half of my life sees the Sox playing in a different neighborhood and having more success as a result of it, I'm here for it no matter how difficult it may be for me.