Tag: Chicago

Select AMC Theatres sites to air College Football Playoff title game

Watch the Irish play for the title on the big screen.

If you want to go big while watching Notre Dame play Ohio State in the College Football Playoff title game, there’s one way you can. In November, ESPN and TNT announced a theatrical distribution agreement with Theater Sports Network. This would allow all playoff games to be theatrically shown.

As part of the agreement, AMC Theatres has announced that the title game will be shown in 11 locations, all of them throughout the Midwest. Given the locations of the game’s participants, it’s not surprising to see the games being shown where they are.

In South Bend, the game is being shown at the location on West Chippewa Avenue off South Michigan Street. Elsewhere, it will be shown at two locations in Indianapolis, one in Fort Wayne and four in the Chicago area. If you happen to be in Buckeyes territory, one location in Columbus is showing the game as well as two in the Cincinnati area.

You probably never expected to have this particular opportunity, but it’s there if you want it and live in one of the aforementioned areas.

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Destination: Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Chicago knows how to do Christmas. There’s a parade and light festival. There’s a Gourmet Dinner Cruise on Christmas Eve. You can see the holiday windows at Macy’s. And there’s the Christkindlmarket. We managed to get there on the very first day …

Chicago knows how to do Christmas. There’s a parade and light festival. There’s a Gourmet Dinner Cruise on Christmas Eve. You can see the holiday windows at Macy’s. And there’s the Christkindlmarket.
We managed to get there on the very first day this year, when crowds were relatively small and vendors were excited to be set up and open. The food is the star—although the ornaments and nutcrackers are fun competition. Here are our recommendations:

The Strudel. Any flavor works, but apple is traditional. Cherry. Almond apricot. Cheese. You can’t go wrong, or get a variety box.

The Hot Cider. It doesn’t matter what stand, really, but we liked the one from the German Brothers stand. (They were also selling the best German pancakes.) The cider was less sweet and hotter than others we sampled, but, really, they are all good. You can get yours in a paper cup or one of the three collectible mugs they sell to commemorate the market.

The German Pancakes. We like them with applesauce, simple and flavorful, but you can also get sour cream or other combos. Slightly crispy, completely tasty. Don’t forget the cider.

The Raclette Sandwich. Oh, you have to see it to believe it. The baguette. The hot, melty cheese. The delight in people’s faces as they dig in.

The Donor Kebab. You’ll get it with plenty of seasoned rotisserie meat, onions, cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, all piled into a large wrap. We first tasted this in Germany, and the market stand, Donermen, does it justice.

Moral of the story? Get to Chicago to find your Christmas spirit. It’s an easy train trip on the Blue Line; get off at Washington and you are there!

Photos by Paul K. Logsdon

Notre Dame to play annual game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in 2026

Make your travel plans now.

Whenever Notre Dame goes on the road to play Navy, a large venue always is in order. There’s a great deal that goes into the history of this rivalry, so a stadium worthy of it is a must.

Halloween 2026 will be the next time the Midshipmen act as the home team in this game, and a stadium new to both the rivalry and the Irish will enter the fold. During that season, the teams will meet at Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and Revolution in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Irish never have played at Gillette Stadium, and this rivalry never has had a game in the New England region. The Midshipmen made their first appearance at the stadium last year for the Army-Navy Game.

This is the second 2026 Irish road game to be scheduled at an NFL stadium. They will open the season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Irish and Badgers were to meet at the home of the Packers as part of the 2020 Shamrock Series, but COVID-19 squashed those plans. They ultimately met for that game in 2021 at Soldier Field in Chicago, the home of the Bears.

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2024-25 Chicago Bulls: A quick preview

The Chicago Bulls appear ready to dismantle their roster and focus on a full rebuild around their remaining young talent. After years without significant roster changes, the Bulls shook things up this summer by trading away DeMar DeRozan, their top …

The Chicago Bulls appear ready to dismantle their roster and focus on a full rebuild around their remaining young talent. After years without significant roster changes, the Bulls shook things up this summer by trading away DeMar DeRozan, their top offensive weapon, and Alex Caruso, their defensive anchor. Although they missed the optimal window to get maximum value for both players, their trades have now positioned the team for a youth movement.

The future now centers around guard Josh Giddey, rookie forward Matas Buzelis, Coby White, and Patrick Williams. Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, had an impressive Summer League showing and is expected to play a significant role this season. Standing at 6-foot-8 with rare ball-handling skills for his size, Buzelis brings much-needed versatility to the Bulls, though his shooting remains a work in progress.

Despite persistent trade rumors, Zach LaVine remains on the roster, leaving questions about whether the Bulls will trade him before the season or if he still fits into their future plans. Nikola Vucevic has also failed to meet expectations in Chicago, leaving the Bulls with a depleted frontcourt. The only reinforcement heading into the season is the addition of Jalen Smith on a bargain contract.

New York Yankees Museum features relics from Notre Dame-Army rivalry

Want to see pieces of Irish history in the Bronx?

The 2024 Shamrock Series will mark the first time Notre Dame has faced Army at Yankee Stadium since 2010. However, Irish football historians know that the teams playing each other in the Bronx goes back nearly a century.

The Irish and Black Knights faced each other at the original Yankee Stadium nearly every year from 1925 to 1946. The one exception was 1930, when the game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.

I was in New York this past weekend to make my first trip to Yankee Stadium, where I came across the New York Yankees Museum. That’s where I discovered programs from the teams’ games at the original stadium in 1941 (a scoreless tie) and 1945 (a 48-0 blowout victory for the Knights).

The relics didn’t end there though. There was a piece of the goalpost from the 1932 game (the Irish won, 21-0) and a marker indicating that the 1928 contest is when [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag] famously told his team to “Win One for the Gipper”, which it did, 12-6.

So if you ever get to visit Yankee Stadium, swing by the New York Yankees Museum before or during the game. Admission is free, and you’ll be in awe by every historical relic you see, but especially those related to the Irish.

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Bears defense stops Chiefs on 4th and 1

The #Chiefs vs #Bears final preseason game is progressing with Chicago’s defense making it hard for Kansas City to get down the field

The final preseason game for the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs is turning out to be intense for all the athletes looking to secure spots on their respective 53-man rosters after tonight.

The Chicago Bears defense has been on a roll, making the Chiefs work for their scoring drives and giving the Bears offense a chance to get a 20-7 lead to end the first half of the game.

Watch this footage shared on Twitter by the official NFL account where an early game drive by the Chiefs got stopped by the Bears when Kansas City attempted to get another first down at the 4th and 1 and was halted in place by Chicago’s defense.

Although the Chiefs aren’t playing their starters tonight, their talented backups are struggling to score on the Bears with many of Kansas City’s snaps ending for minimal yardage under pressure from Chicago. Watch for this competitive preseason game to heat up in the second half.

Remembering Bob Newhart with lost Notre Dame scholarship story

RIP legend.

The entertainment world has been left with an unfillable void with the passing of legendary comedian Bob Newhart at age 94. Those of us from the Chicago area forever will be grateful for the fact that despite all of his success, he never forgot his roots, perhaps most evidenced by the fact that one of his sitcoms was set there. He greatly will be missed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Newhart was a virtual guest on Conan O’Brien’s program. While talking about football, he relayed a humorous anecdote about playing the sport and why Notre Dame opted not to offer him a scholarship:

Whether or not that actually happened doesn’t take away from the fact that Newhart seemed to be a very easy person to talk to and had a pleasant demeanor. It’s admirable that he kept this up despite achieving more than most people do. Let’s honor him by emulating this as best we can.

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Commanders, D.C., attempting to bring NFL draft to the city

Could the NFL draft be coming to Washington?

The NFL announced this week that Pittsburgh would host the 2026 NFL draft. Next year’s NFL draft will take place in Green Bay.

Dallas, Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Detroit have hosted the draft since it went on the road in 2015. For years, the NFL draft was held in New York City at Radio City Music Hall.

With the next two host cities known, the 2027 NFL draft is the next one up for grabs. Which NFL city could be the next host?

If the Washington Commanders have a say, it will be in Washington, D.C.

According to Nicki Jhabvala and Mark Maske of The Washington Post, D.C. representatives and Commanders officials are vying to host the event and are confident they can land it in 2027.

As expected, the District will have plenty of competition.

But while several of those connected to the D.C. effort are confident that Washington will be selected as the site of an NFL draft in the coming years, others within the league cautioned that the competition is intense, as many cities with NFL franchises aspire to be picked to host the popular and increasingly lucrative event.

Per the Post’s report, the Commanders were among 12 teams in Detroit at the 2024 NFL draft to conduct site surveys.

The draft has proven to be an economic boom to each of the previous host cities, so landing the draft would be good for D.C. and the Commanders. With Dan Snyder no longer in the picture, Washington’s chances have dramatically improved.

Micah Shrewsberry learns one ‘can’t just walk into’ Notre Dame Stadium

The new Irish coach still is feeling his way around campus.

New Notre Dame coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] spent Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. He made the interview rounds on ESPN, which was covering the event. By far the highlight for him during the broadcast was revealing that he learned a hard truth about Notre Dame Stadium when he first arrived on campus. Specifically, he learned just how exclusive the stadium is:

It’s nice that Shrewsberry was able to be let into the stadium, but it most likely would not have happened if he weren’t a university employee. I made several trips to Purcell Pavilion for basketball coverage this past season and never once gave into the temptation to try and get inside the next-door stadium. For one, I could see that the gates were locked every time, and I surely would have come away disappointed had I decided to go for it. So I guess the only way I or anyone else in the general public can see the stadium again is to buy a ticket.

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Jewell Loyd had challenging experience at Notre Dame despite dominance

An eye-opening story.

[autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] is one of the most decorated players in Notre Dame history, and she has continued collecting awards with the Seattle Storm. But it turns out that while she dominated at Notre Dame, her time there was incredibly difficult.

In a new story from Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, we learn that Loyd, a native of Lincolnwood, Illinois, wasn’t happy in part because Notre Dame wasn’t nearly as diverse as the Chicago area. It got so bad that she frequently thought about transferring only to be talked out of it by her mom, who didn’t like the idea of her sitting out a year. Keep in mind this was before the transfer portal became what it is now.

While at Notre Dame, depression and anxiety set in for the first time in her life. It wasn’t until she struck up a friendship with teammate [autotag]Natalie Achonwa[/autotag] that she really began to feel at ease. But even that wasn’t enough to stop her from declaring for the WNBA draft after only three seasons with the Irish because of how unhappy she was.

This serves as a reminder that sometimes, people you love and care about need you to reach out. You don’t know what’s going on with them necessarily, but all they might need at that moment is someone willing to listen and offer support. Maybe that’s what you should do on this Mother’s Day weekend if you encounter such a friend or family member. It’s the least anyone can do.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89