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Chicago Bulls introduce retail collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, designed by Chicago artist Cody Hudson The MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) has developed a reputation over the years for encouraging experimentation and innovation. It takes a bold approach to re-imagine the classic Bulls logo in a way that doesn’t disrespect it. Chicago’s own Cody Hudson proves he was the right man for the job. Hudson has a penchant for creating colorful, abstract pieces of art. Hudson uses shapes and colors that infuse new meaning into everyday objects. In this case, a classic logo gets a quirky remodel. Hudson describes his creative process in this X video, explaining how he never has the end result in mind when he begins a project. This retail collaboration will showcase Hudson's designs on apparel featured on the Bulls’ website and at the Madhouse team store. If only Hudson could reimagine an effective front office strategy too, it would recreate excitement for the team not seen since D-Rose was rocking the rims at United Center.

NASCAR will return to Chicagoland Speedway in July 2026 4th of July weekend in Grant Park has become synonymous with NASCAR over the past three years. The announcement that the Chicago Street Race wouldn’t happen for a fourth year in a row was met with mixed reactions. On the one hand, last year’s race generated $128 million in economic impact and gave the rest of the country a chance to see Chicago in a positive light. However, the event does fall on one of the busiest weekends of the year, displacing events like the iconic Taste of Chicago. Reviving the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet could satisfy both sides. Joliet’s raceway was home to 90 major NASCAR races up until its last one held in 2019. NASCAR owns the track and has maintained it, but plans to make some renovations before the planned event next July. All hope is not lost, though, for NASCAR fans hoping to see the event again in Grant Park. Crain’s discusses how the Chicago Street Race could be rebooted in the future.

Byline Bank is basically saying, “Skip the parking drama—we’ve got your back,” by offering free rides on the #128 Soldier Field Express for Bears fans all season long (Byline Bank). Starting on Monday, September 8 , you can hop on straight from Ogilvie or Union Station, no CTA farecard swiping required . Return trips are also covered—so if the Bears are losing by a lot, at least you won’t have to hoof it home. So here’s to Byline: the bank that’s making Bears fandom a little smoother, one orange-wrapped bus at a time—now if only they’d sponsor free wings too.

Northwestern AD Singles Out Volleyball As Sport to Invest In Colleges nationwide have been scrambling to adapt to the new rules on revenue sharing ever since the House vs NCAA settlement in June. In Evanston, Northwestern has ambitious plans to focus on a growing sport that hasn’t been a significant revenue generator in the past. Northwestern is paying close attention to the growth of volleyball nationwide and wants to capitalize on it. It had its first-ever sold-out volleyball match last season against Nebraska, a nod to how things have changed. Schools now face the challenging task of allocating funds among their sports outside of football and college basketball. Northwestern is taking its chances on volleyball, while leveraging the soon-to-open $862 million new Ryan Field to entice recruits from all sports to enjoy the state-of-the-art stadium on Saturdays. Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson speaks on which women’s sports he’d like to have competing for national championships each year.

How MLB’s upcoming deals will change how you watch out-of-market, Sunday night and wild-card games MLB is somehow finding a way to satisfy its new and existing media partners as it negotiates new media rights deals. Between ESPN, Netflix, NBC/Peacock, and Apple, each has its own strategy aimed at maximizing an MLB deal for its audience. MLB aims to secure deals that rival those of the NBA and NFL, bolstered by high attendance and viewership numbers. It would seem impossible to satisfy the diverse demands of numerous brands, but MLB is on track to do so. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been aiming to pivot from a regional-heavy streaming model to a national one. Manfred understands how much consumer habits have changed since streaming began making its mark. Cable has been dying a slow, painful death for years. Providing fans with a multitude of streaming options is the only sensible path forward. The Tribune dives into where you can expect to watch the Home Run Derby and playoff games next season.

Bill Belichick Tells UNC Football Team Hulu Series Is Happening Bill Belichick has gone from Silent Bob to Mr. Congeniality. The man who made it an art form of stonewalling reporters while with the Patriots is now inviting the country into UNC’s locker rooms and offices. The Tar Heels will premiere on Hulu instead of its previous potential destination of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. Belichick remains easily the most compelling college football coach outside of Coach Prime. He’s even more polarizing with his college-age girlfriend and a 180° change in public persona. Either way, it makes for an entertaining series and season for a school that’s traditionally a basketball school. UNC football’s hardcore fans may be hesitant to watch the series, in case their win/loss record and behind-the-scenes footage mirror the chaotic offseason it has had since Belichick’s hiring. Find out more about why a UNC Hard Knocks fell through and how ESPN stands to gain.

Schools use field logos, higher concession prices and more to pay for the new era in college sports Staying in college, schools are trying to adapt and forcing fans to adapt to the rising costs of college sports. Power 4 schools are weighing their options and taking action to close budget deficits or stay ahead of their competitors in the recruitment process. On-field logos are now a thing after the NCAA lifted a ban on them last year. Higher concession prices aren’t revolutionary, but are a necessary evil enlisted by schools like Arkansas. Arguably, the most controversial money-raising tactic comes in the form of athletic fees. For example, Clemson has added a $300/yr athletic fee to the cost of attendance. It’s expected to raise about $7 million this year. Great for the athletic department to increase its odds of landing top recruits. Not so great for everyday students paying to attend school, and not the other way around. This tactic could be banned, though, if Congress passes the SCORE Act. No doubt that the other tactics are here to stay now that schools can legally pay athletes to play. AP News lists the creative ways schools are raising money to adapt to the NIL era.

Kobe Bryant Movie in the Works: Warner Bros. Nabs Spec Script About Lakers Star’s Dramatic Draft Day It seemed inevitable when news broke out of the tragic passing of one of basketball’s all-time greats that a film of his life would premiere at some point. Instead of charting the end, Warner Bros wants to explore his fascinating beginning. After rumors of a spec script made its way around Hollywood, Warner Bros acted swiftly to acquire the rights to the script. Everyone knows Kobe Bryant spent two decades with the Lakers, nabbing headlines, awards, and championships during his lengthy career. Not everyone remembers the drama that surrounded his arrival in LA. It’s way too early to tell how it will end up, but the buzz on the script gives high hopes for an intriguing film. It’s being described as “Moneyball” meets “Air”, the critically acclaimed 2023 film showing how Nike signed Michael Jordan. We’ve been let down far too many times by overhyped movies to buy in already (anyone see “Draft Day” with Kevin Costner?), but the plot seems promising. Here’s some insight on what happened for Kobe on draft day and who wrote the spec script.

Netflix, MLB reach first streaming agreement When Netflix streamed its first live sports event in 2023 in “The Netflix Cup”, it always had its eyes on expanding into more marquee events. It’s gone from that first one, in essence a celebrity golf tournament, to Christmas Day NFL games and now the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Netflix jumped the gun to get into baseball, since its deal to stream the next three Home Run Derbys isn’t yet official with MLB. The WBC deal allows it to prep its audience for what to expect when it lands the Home Run Derby deal. Shohei Ohtani and Japan have won three of the last five WBCs. Ohtani’s iconic strikeout of his then-LA Angels teammate Mike Trout to end the 2023 WBC Classic propelled him to superstar status. Netflix knows how huge he is in Japan and how much baseball means to the Japanese. Securing the WBC rights before the Home Run Derby could be a smart move by them. They could parlay it into an Ohtani doc that brings in even more viewers from Japan. This latest offering by Netflix represents their fourth major sports streaming deal and will likely not be their last. The Athletic covers this groundbreaking agreement between MLB and Netflix.