Chicago Sports

Calling the concussion suffered Thursday night by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa “terrible,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday the Bears have been mindful about what quarterback Justin Fields and others can do to protect themselves from head injuries during the game.

“Certainly, we’re always concerned when gets on the edge, and making sure he protects himself,” Eberflus said. “But It’s always an issue. We want to do a good job on our defense to make sure we’re not doing and committing those fouls. We want to be clean. We don’t ever want to give them 15 yards and we certainly don’t ever want to hurt anybody.”

Calling a head injury different from one to other body parts, Fields said that “at all times you have to think about protecting yourself.”

The Dolphins have faced criticism for letting their quarterback return to a Week 3 game and then start four days later. They’ve already ruled him out for this week’s game.

Injury report

Running back David Montgomery missed his fourth-straight practice with a right ankle injury. The Bears first identified his injury, suffered in the Texans game, as one to both his right knee and ankle before amending it in Wednesday’s injury report.

Cornerback Jaylon Jones, who has played 57 defensive snaps over the last two games, sat out of practice with an illness.

Safety Dane Cruikshank, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, missed practice. Linebacker Matt Adams (hamstring) and tight end Ryan Griffin (Achilles) were limited. Both have missed the previous two games.

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The Bears are desperate to brighten up their dreary passing game, so even the faintest flicker of excitement is enough to spark optimism.

Their hope this week is that wide receiver N’Keal Harry can make a difference against the Vikings on Sunday. He has been out since suffering a high-ankle sprain early in the preseason and having surgery, but the Bears designated him for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

All that means is Harry is allowed to practice, and coach Matt Eberflus indicated he’d be limited at first. So there’s no guarantee he’ll be activated this week.

But if he is, the Bears will take all the help they can get.

“We’d have a big-bodied receiver that [gets] open and has good catch radius,” Eberflus said. “That’s an important thing to have [for] third down and red zone.

“He’s got a unique skillset… like a tight end. Tight ends are typically open because they’ve got smaller guys covering them. He has all that.”

Harry stands out among the Bears receivers because he’s the only one built like a linebacker. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he’s bigger than middle linebacker Nick Morrow.

Unlike Darnell Mooney and Dante Pettis, who have to outrun defenders to get open, Harry has the size to force his way open no matter how tightly he’s covered.

“He would be a good matchup for smaller DBs,” quarterback Justin Fields said. “One-on-one, especially red zone, just throwing up a jump ball to him — that’s one of the things he does really well. So just being able to throw more 50-50 balls.”

That all sounds great in theory, particularly to a quarterback who ranks last in the NFL in completions, completion percentage, yards passing, touchdown passes and passer rating. But Harry’s impact is far from a certainty.

None of those assets have gotten him very far in the NFL, and the Bears were able to acquire him for the low price of a 2024 seventh-round draft pick.

The Patriots drafted Harry in the first round at No. 32 overall in 2019, and he flamed out in three seasons. His best performance was in 2020, when he caught 33 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. He has never put up 75 or more yards in a game.

Both sides were done with each other at that point. Harry requested a trade going into the 2021 season, and while the Patriots didn’t grant him one, he was no longer part of their plans.

He played 12 games after missing time with a preseason shoulder injury and averaged 42% of the snaps when active. He finished with 12 catches for 184 yards.

There was little doubt the Patriots would move on from Harry, and they dealt him to the Bears two weeks before training camp opened.Even with very little time to work together, Fields believed he and Harry established “a good bit” of chemistry.

The Bears also are hoping rookie Velus Jones will be part of their new look on offense.

They drafted Jones in the third round to be a multifaceted playmaker, mainly at wide receiver, but haven’t tested him out yet. He was hurt much of the preseason and missed the first three games, then made his debut as a return specialist against the Giants and muffed a punt with the game on the line.

Jones moved on from that quickly and has been working to prove he can handle a role in the offense this week.

“It’s all about making sure I’m on top of everything,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to show them they can trust me out there.”

Harry and Jones are both unknowns, but the Bears’ known quantities haven’t been giving them enough. Bringing in fresh faces can’t hurt.

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Just like baseball and basketball, American football is one of the most watched sports in America. Americans are passionate about this sport and never stop showing their support for the teams. Whether in the rain or the sun, no matter the time and place of the games, they prioritize being there and showing their support for their home teams. The fans support in many ways; buying the teams’ jerseys, posters, and figurines, taking part in NFL betting, attending every game to cheer the players, etc. 

Thousands of fans of the sport come out to watch the game, pouring heart and soul into their teams and dreaming of celebrating the team’s victories and trophies with them. Watching your team play and win the game is one of the best and most unforgettable moments for every die-hard fan, and if you have been opportune to experience these moments, you’d understand what the true love of a fan is. To most fans, the NFL is more than just a sport; it has become a tradition for years and will continue to be within and outside the United States. 

Of all the 32 teams in the NFL, it is hard to see a team without its fan base. But of all the teams, some have the largest fan bases. This is why we have decided to make a rundown of the top 10 NFL teams with the most fans. Who do you think has the best and strongest fan base and popularity among the teams? This article will reveal this and provide reasons the teams were chosen. 

Let’s talk about the teams with the most fans, from the least popular to the top 1 team. 

Number 10: Seattle Seahawks

Number 9: Denver Broncos

Number 8: Chicago Bears

Number 7: Philadelphia Eagles

Number 6: New England Patriots

Number 5: Las Vegas Raider

Number 4: Pittsburgh Steelers

Number 3: Dallas Cowboys

Number 2: Buffalo Bills

Number 1: Green Bay Packers

Number 10: Seattle Seahawks

The team was established in 1974 but didn’t join the NFL until 2002. Seattle is the home city of the team. The Seahawks are the only team to have ever played in the AFC and NFC and have won 10 division titles and three conference championships. There haven’t been many teams that have maintained constant success. This may be why the Seahawks have an outstanding record. Although it has recently developed into one of the league’s most devoted fanbases, we won’t know how devoted these supporters are until the team begins to struggle in the upcoming seasons.

Number 9: Denver Broncos 

Established in 1959, the Broncos started playing in 1960 and joined the NFL in 1970. Even with the poor performance of the team in recent seasons, the Broncos’ fans have maintained their loyalty to the team. The Broncos consistently rank among the league leaders in attendance, regardless of the team’s performance on the field. Denver had eight home games last season and averaged 76,236 fans per game.

Number 8: Chicago Bears 

The Bears have won nine NFL championships, including one Super Bowl. The team was established on September 20, 1919, and joined the NFL just a year after its establishment. The team has a reputation in America as one of the finest sports teams in the NFL. Their fans have stayed with them in times of victories and droughts and have shown their loyalty and faith in the team constantly. 

Number 7: Philadelphia Eagles

Since being established on July 8, 1933, the Eagles have always had a strong and vibrant fan base. The team had an intense rivalry with the New York Giants and some other teams. Eagles’ fans are everywhere, and you can easily identify them with their jerseys in public. The fan club keeps increasing as the team continues to make them proud. 

Number 6: New England Patriots

The Patriot was established in 1959 and joined the NFL in 1970. The Patriot fans are known to brag about their victories, even the old ones. The team has always sold out all their matches, so it’s always a full crowd every time they have a game. 

Number 5: Las Vegas Raiders

Despite the constant moving of the team from one city to another, the fans have stayed with the team through thick and thin. These fans are some of the most loyal fans of all time. 

Number 4: Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s not surprising that the Steelers have a fervent fan base since they are one of the NFL’s most decorated teams. The fierce loyalty of Pittsburgh sports fans has paid off in recent years with championships in football, baseball, and hockey. 

Number 3: Dallas Cowboys

Dallas led the league in attendance last season, drawing 93,421 fans on average per game, 14,000 more than the Packers, who were ranked second. The Cowboys’ fan base was the largest in the NFL in 2021. 

Number 2: Buffalo Bills

It’s been a long time coming. Since the final of the team’s four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl in 1993, Bills supporters have had to endure countless bad years. They lost every one of those Super Bowls. Regardless, the fans have remained more loyal than ever. You’d always see the fans active on social media, proving their love for the team. 

Number 1: Green Bay Packers

As of today, the Packers’ fan clubs are the largest. The city is small, but the Packers fans have extended beyond just the city’s people. They have gained fans in many parts of America and outside the country. Last year, the team gained over 70,000 new fans for its nine games in Lambeau Field. 

 

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Just like baseball and basketball, American football is one of the most watched sports in America. Americans are passionate about this sport and never stop showing their support for the teams. Whether in the rain or the sun, no matter the time and place of the games, they prioritize being there and showing their support for their home teams. The fans support in many ways; buying the teams’ jerseys, posters, and figurines, taking part in NFL betting, attending every game to cheer the players, etc. 

Thousands of fans of the sport come out to watch the game, pouring heart and soul into their teams and dreaming of celebrating the team’s victories and trophies with them. Watching your team play and win the game is one of the best and most unforgettable moments for every die-hard fan, and if you have been opportune to experience these moments, you’d understand what the true love of a fan is. To most fans, the NFL is more than just a sport; it has become a tradition for years and will continue to be within and outside the United States. 

Of all the 32 teams in the NFL, it is hard to see a team without its fan base. But of all the teams, some have the largest fan bases. This is why we have decided to make a rundown of the top 10 NFL teams with the most fans. Who do you think has the best and strongest fan base and popularity among the teams? This article will reveal this and provide reasons the teams were chosen. 

Let’s talk about the teams with the most fans, from the least popular to the top 1 team. 

Number 10: Seattle Seahawks

Number 9: Denver Broncos

Number 8: Chicago Bears

Number 7: Philadelphia Eagles

Number 6: New England Patriots

Number 5: Las Vegas Raider

Number 4: Pittsburgh Steelers

Number 3: Dallas Cowboys

Number 2: Buffalo Bills

Number 1: Green Bay Packers

Number 10: Seattle Seahawks

The team was established in 1974 but didn’t join the NFL until 2002. Seattle is the home city of the team. The Seahawks are the only team to have ever played in the AFC and NFC and have won 10 division titles and three conference championships. There haven’t been many teams that have maintained constant success. This may be why the Seahawks have an outstanding record. Although it has recently developed into one of the league’s most devoted fanbases, we won’t know how devoted these supporters are until the team begins to struggle in the upcoming seasons.

Number 9: Denver Broncos 

Established in 1959, the Broncos started playing in 1960 and joined the NFL in 1970. Even with the poor performance of the team in recent seasons, the Broncos’ fans have maintained their loyalty to the team. The Broncos consistently rank among the league leaders in attendance, regardless of the team’s performance on the field. Denver had eight home games last season and averaged 76,236 fans per game.

Number 8: Chicago Bears 

The Bears have won nine NFL championships, including one Super Bowl. The team was established on September 20, 1919, and joined the NFL just a year after its establishment. The team has a reputation in America as one of the finest sports teams in the NFL. Their fans have stayed with them in times of victories and droughts and have shown their loyalty and faith in the team constantly. 

Number 7: Philadelphia Eagles

Since being established on July 8, 1933, the Eagles have always had a strong and vibrant fan base. The team had an intense rivalry with the New York Giants and some other teams. Eagles’ fans are everywhere, and you can easily identify them with their jerseys in public. The fan club keeps increasing as the team continues to make them proud. 

Number 6: New England Patriots

The Patriot was established in 1959 and joined the NFL in 1970. The Patriot fans are known to brag about their victories, even the old ones. The team has always sold out all their matches, so it’s always a full crowd every time they have a game. 

Number 5: Las Vegas Raiders

Despite the constant moving of the team from one city to another, the fans have stayed with the team through thick and thin. These fans are some of the most loyal fans of all time. 

Number 4: Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s not surprising that the Steelers have a fervent fan base since they are one of the NFL’s most decorated teams. The fierce loyalty of Pittsburgh sports fans has paid off in recent years with championships in football, baseball, and hockey. 

Number 3: Dallas Cowboys

Dallas led the league in attendance last season, drawing 93,421 fans on average per game, 14,000 more than the Packers, who were ranked second. The Cowboys’ fan base was the largest in the NFL in 2021. 

Number 2: Buffalo Bills

It’s been a long time coming. Since the final of the team’s four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl in 1993, Bills supporters have had to endure countless bad years. They lost every one of those Super Bowls. Regardless, the fans have remained more loyal than ever. You’d always see the fans active on social media, proving their love for the team. 

Number 1: Green Bay Packers

As of today, the Packers’ fan clubs are the largest. The city is small, but the Packers fans have extended beyond just the city’s people. They have gained fans in many parts of America and outside the country. Last year, the team gained over 70,000 new fans for its nine games in Lambeau Field. 

 

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The questions aren’t just going to go away.

The verbiage may be different, the timing of when they’re asked has changed, but Patrick Williams wasn’t about to get the free pass he received as a rookie or even last season when he was a second-year player battling through major left wrist surgery.

This is Year 3 for the Bulls forward. The NBA season when young players are expected to finally showcase the hard knocks learned through the first two years, and flash.

Compounded when that player is the fourth overall pick in the draft like Williams was in 2020.

And while the 21-year-old continued saying all the right things – like he did again on Wednesday – it’s getting to the point where actions carry the day, while words are starting to sound empty.

Especially in the wake of his latest preseason debut in which he shot 2-of-7, scored just five points, and looked out-classed by 2019 first-round pick Zion Williamson.

So does he even understand his importance in this organization’s success moving forward?

Not only did he reiterate that he did, but admitted that there was a growing pressure with that.

“It’s definitely different,” Williams said of that pressure this season. “Whether it’s [the media], my teammates, my coaching staff, they’re all just telling me to be aggressive. Not really because I was a certain pick or anything like that, but just because I have the talent to. Whether I was the fourth pick or the 40th pick, if you have the talent, you have the size, guys are going to want you to do it. When I [am aggressive], we’re a better team, and I’m a better player.”

A point that DeMar DeRozan has been trying to get Williams to buy into since last year.

While some in the Bulls organization wanted to undersell his passiveness, DeRozan chose to live in reality.

It was DeRozan who spent a week this summer taking Williams into his workout world, and DeRozan who set the bar of what this 2022-23 campaign has to look like for his younger teammate.

“It’s big,” DeRozan said of Williams’ expected jump. “And I told him that. Even before the season ended last year, I was telling him how important this summer is for him.

“Me telling him that wasn’t to put pressure on him. It was more so giving him the comfort of him understanding what he can do on the court.”

But something seems to continually get lost in translation.

While Tuesday was a meaningless preseason game, what remained alarming was Williams said he understood what he needed to do on the court, but again didn’t deliver. Too many passive moments, too many possessions of being a backseat passenger very content with the seating arrangement.

“I think for Patrick his focus and concentration needs to be totally from the shoulders up,” coach Billy Donovan said. “That’s where it is. Sometimes you see a guy like [rookie] Dalen [Terry Tuesday] night, he’s just innately [aggressive] … you know what I mean. Sometimes Patrick can overthink, over-analyze and when he does get to that place where he’s maybe thinking too much or he’s not being instinctive, and then he gets to that point where he looks passive. And I think that’s something that he’ll have to continue to grow and get better at. That’s where the challenge is.”

But changing who he is comes with some difficulty. Williams said he knew that and it was being addressed daily.

“Mentally, it’s a huge part of it, what you tell yourself,” Williams said. “The self-talk you have with yourself throughout the game. I’ve been trying to focus on that.”

Hopefully for Williams and the Bulls it works soon, because the questions aren’t going away.

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The White Sox clearly dropped the ball this year. However, they can turn it around next year with the core they have. Here’s how.

2022 was quite a disappointment for the Sox. After many had high hopes for this team with the high level starting pitching they have, the White Sox have gone 4-9 in their last 12 games, and have fallen out of playoff contention. Here’s what went wrong and how they can fix it to become contenders next year.

First off, it all starts with management. Now that Tony LaRussa is gone, the White Sox need to find a new managerial leader. They can go with someone like Don Mattingly who is now available and had a solid few years managing the Dodgers. They can also go with Joe Espada, bench coach for the Astros, who has a great understanding of how the game has evolved and has already interviewed for head coaching positions for the Rangers and Cubs.

Next up, adding another big bat to the lineup would give this team the spark they need. The White Sox have a lot of young talent in the likes of Tim Anderson, Eloy Jiménez, and Yoan Moncada. They are one big piece away from becoming a contender come playoff time in 2023. I think cutting ties with A.J Pollock is the right move, as he’s vastly underperformed this year. They should make an effort to sign Aaron Judge, or Michael Brantley this offseason. They can even go with another big name on this list if any of these guys opt out of their contracts. A high level bat will push them to the next level.

One portion of the team that needs to be fixed is the bullpen. The Sox relievers have combined for a 4.09 ERA thus far, which is 11th worst in baseball. I know they went out and got Joe Kelly at the deadline, but he hasn’t looked like his old self, pitching to a putrid 6.23 ERA during his tenure so far with the White Sox. Adding another solid arm or two and having that bullpen depth will take this team a long way.

As far as starting pitching is concerned, the White Sox do have a lot to look forward to. Dylan Cease has looked fantastic this year, pitching to a 2.06 ERA which is the second best in baseball among all starters. Michael Kopech has looked solid this year, as well as Johnny Cueto, who was a nice acquisition earlier in the year. Lance Lynn has always been a reliable arm in the rotation. Lucas Giolito is having a down year pitching to a 5.05 ERA, but if he can get back on track and be close to the pitcher he’s been the last couple years, this White Sox rotation can be a force to reckon with heading into next year.

We can all agree the collapse of the White Sox so far this year hasn’t been the prettiest site to watch. With that being said, the team does have a great foundation and with the right additions, this team can come back better than ever next year, and have a shot at competing for a title.

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Not that the Bears are loaded at wide receiver, but one of the concerns about quarterback Justin Fields this season is that he has been too quick to scramble out of the pocket. In doing so, he’s missing opportunities to throw.

Fields addressed that Wednesday and a very brief news conference, saying that “for the most part” he has made the right call when deciding whether to stand in the pocket or take off running.

“You’re not gonna make the perfect decision every time,” he said. “You’ve just gotta live with that and move on to the next play.”

That’s not easy when the offensive line struggles to pass block. Pro Football Reference charts them allowing pressure on 29.3% of passes, which is the second-highest frequency in the NFL.

After a rocky rookie season, Fields’ performance has dropped off under the new coaching staff. He ranks last in the league in completions (34), completion percentage (50.7%), yards (471), touchdown passes (two) and interception (6% of his passes). His 58.7 passer rating is 15 points behind Mitch Trubisky for worst in that category.

Fields had his best game of the season Sunday in the 20-12 loss to the Giants, but still wasn’t very effective. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 174 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and lost a fumble. He threw for just 57 yards in the second half.

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Myles Turner would be great addition to the Bulls. Do they have enough to offer for him?

Many of the contenders in the Eastern Conference made moves to improve their chances being a contender for the NBA championship. From Atlanta trading for Dejounte Murray, the Cavaliers trading for Donovan Mitchell, the return of Ben Simmons for the Nets in addition to another year for some of the experienced teams in the conference such as Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, and Philadelphia.

As the Bulls try to make the playoffs for the consecutive years for the first time since 2014-2015, the Bulls still need to find some toughness particularly in defensive categories such as blocks and rebounds. The Bulls ranked 25th in blocks and 22nd in defensive rebounding last season. Many Bulls fans wish the the big men on the team could provide more in terms of defensive rebounding and blocks. In the playoff series lost to the Bucks last season, the Bucks had almost more than 50 defensive rebounds than the Bulls and Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 28.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists and had his way in the paint because of the lack of interior defensive presence.

If the Bulls want to go deep in the playoffs, they would need a big man to match up with the many talented big men in the Eastern Conference. So what about the Pacers Myles Turner? Turner is a 26-year old center who has been mentioned in several trade rumors this summer and has several contenders for his services. Turner has career averages of 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks and has shot 35% from three-point range. Also, he has led the league in blocked shots twice.

Reportedly, the Pacers are asking for a lot in return for Turner and will continue to field offers for the young center. The Pacers are coming off a 25-57 season and look to be tanking this season to get a high lottery pick in a draft that is projected to be loaded with talent. The Pacers traded Malcolm Brogdon this summer and his $22.6 million salary to the Celtics for young players and a draft pick. The Pacers are looking for young cheap players and to shed salary so that they could be possible free agent destination in the future.

So who would the Bulls dangle in a trade for Myles Turner? The most obvious candidate would be Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is on the last year of his deal which would be attractive to the Pacers because they do not want any long-term salary commitments and could possible get some draft picks that the Bulls have to offer. If the Pacers made the trade before the NBA trade deadline, they could even try to trade Vucevic to another team that is looking for an offensive-minded center who has some playoff experience.

Some of the concerns teams have with Myles Turner is that he is coming off a foot injury that limited him to 42 games last year. The year before he was limited to 47 games due to an injury to his toe. Also, he is not quite the scorer that Vucevic would be and has never averaged more than 14 points per game. However, most teams who are trading for Myles Turner see his ability to defend and provide spacing with his ability to make shoot from the perimeter.

The Bulls do not have many options on the roster to improve their defense and one of their best perimeter defenders Lonzo Ball will miss significant time with a knee injury. Can general manager Arturas Karnisovas pull off another deal like he did with acquisition of Demar Derozan and Lonzo Ball? If the Bulls want to be a contender, then they need to address the need for a defensive presence in the front court and Myles Turner is the ideal player to fill the gap.

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Myles Turner would be great addition to the Bulls. Do they have enough to offer for him?

Many of the contenders in the Eastern Conference made moves to improve their chances being a contender for the NBA championship. From Atlanta trading for Dejounte Murray, the Cavaliers trading for Donovan Mitchell, the return of Ben Simmons for the Nets in addition to another year for some of the experienced teams in the conference such as Milwaukee, Miami, Boston, and Philadelphia.

As the Bulls try to make the playoffs for the consecutive years for the first time since 2014-2015, the Bulls still need to find some toughness particularly in defensive categories such as blocks and rebounds. The Bulls ranked 25th in blocks and 22nd in defensive rebounding last season. Many Bulls fans wish the the big men on the team could provide more in terms of defensive rebounding and blocks. In the playoff series lost to the Bucks last season, the Bucks had almost more than 50 defensive rebounds than the Bulls and Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 28.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists and had his way in the paint because of the lack of interior defensive presence.

If the Bulls want to go deep in the playoffs, they would need a big man to match up with the many talented big men in the Eastern Conference. So what about the Pacers Myles Turner? Turner is a 26-year old center who has been mentioned in several trade rumors this summer and has several contenders for his services. Turner has career averages of 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks and has shot 35% from three-point range. Also, he has led the league in blocked shots twice.

Reportedly, the Pacers are asking for a lot in return for Turner and will continue to field offers for the young center. The Pacers are coming off a 25-57 season and look to be tanking this season to get a high lottery pick in a draft that is projected to be loaded with talent. The Pacers traded Malcolm Brogdon this summer and his $22.6 million salary to the Celtics for young players and a draft pick. The Pacers are looking for young cheap players and to shed salary so that they could be possible free agent destination in the future.

So who would the Bulls dangle in a trade for Myles Turner? The most obvious candidate would be Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is on the last year of his deal which would be attractive to the Pacers because they do not want any long-term salary commitments and could possible get some draft picks that the Bulls have to offer. If the Pacers made the trade before the NBA trade deadline, they could even try to trade Vucevic to another team that is looking for an offensive-minded center who has some playoff experience.

Some of the concerns teams have with Myles Turner is that he is coming off a foot injury that limited him to 42 games last year. The year before he was limited to 47 games due to an injury to his toe. Also, he is not quite the scorer that Vucevic would be and has never averaged more than 14 points per game. However, most teams who are trading for Myles Turner see his ability to defend and provide spacing with his ability to make shoot from the perimeter.

The Bulls do not have many options on the roster to improve their defense and one of their best perimeter defenders Lonzo Ball will miss significant time with a knee injury. Can general manager Arturas Karnisovas pull off another deal like he did with acquisition of Demar Derozan and Lonzo Ball? If the Bulls want to be a contender, then they need to address the need for a defensive presence in the front court and Myles Turner is the ideal player to fill the gap.

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Gliding over the “L” as it approaches Addison, through Murphy’s Bleachers, up over the top of Wrigley, inside the stadium’s iconic scoreboard, into the locker room and out onto the grassy field of the Friendly Confines in time for the first crack of the bat.

That’s the twisty-turny, soaring journey viewers take in a four-minute drone video that was published across the Cubs’ social media as an end-of-season thank you message to fans. As of Monday evening, the video has been viewed more than 7 million times on Twitter alone, not to mention views through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

The viral video was shot earlier this summer, with the help of a Minneapolis-based production studio. With a “lean crew” of just three people, Sky Candy Studios paid a visit to the Windy City in late July, the company’s founder Michael Welsh said.

Over the course of a Saturday and a Sunday, Welsh piloted an FPV-style drone with a GoPro attached through the nooks and crannies of Wrigleyville. The “high-precision drone,” which weighs under nine ounces, is meant to cruise through tight spaces and wouldn’t do any damage if it were to bump into something — or someone, Welsh said.

“It’s incredibly small and safe and allows you to do these maneuvers that in the past you weren’t able to do with drones,” said Welsh, who initially started flying drones about 12 years ago when he was in the Army.

The final product includes five different videos that are stitched together “with some creative editing magic,” Welsh said. For each of the five videos, Welsh says they probably did about five takes, with a lot of prep and talking with the people who appear in the shots. Inside Murphy’s Bleachers, for example, they let patrons know a drone was coming through and they should ignore it. At first, Welsh said people can’t help but look at the camera flying by them, but by the third take “they’re kind of bored with it.”

“You have to run these takes a handful of times before you get it right, because there’s always a small thing that goes wrong,” Welsh said, admitting he did crash one time attempting to fly the drone through the open windows of a firetruck — a shot that appears around the video’s one-minute mark.

Similar style videos have gone viral in recent years, including an inside look at the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility. Welsh also piloted the drone in that video, which was used as promotion for the HBO series “Hard Knocks.” And back in early 2021, video from a drone flying through a Minneapolis bowling alley got more than 2 million views on YouTube — Welsh appears in that one and helped produce it.

When they got the chance to work with the Cubs, the Sky Candy team leapt at it, he said. When scoping out the “iconic” stadium, Welsh said the first thing he thought of was “we have to fly through the scoreboard.”

“That’s just something you look for — those fun moments to fly through,” he said.

While there have been some big hits, Welsh has also had some flops before, he said, adding that the key to making a successful video is giving the viewers something new and interesting in every frame.

“I think people get captivated by it,” he said. “I think it’s almost as if the drone is your avatar and you get to feel as though you’re flying through spaces in a very short amount of time.”

Keeping the viewer engaged also depends on the sounds that are included. Using sounds from the scene — in this case, things like the train, announcers and fans cheering — puts the viewer there in a way that wouldn’t be the same if music were put over the video, Welsh said.

But that immersive sound experience is not as easy as simply gathering noise as you fly. Since the drone is loud, the crew doesn’t capture the audio while gathering video. Instead the separate elements are mixed in post-production and, for the Cubs video, was largely reliant on archival audio clips provided by the team — such as the instantly recognizable voice of Harry Caray.

The video tour of Wrigley ends just as the Cubs take the field, but for this part, the drone was benched. The crew had initially planned to fly the drone onto the field, but the MLB wasn’t willing to play ball, so instead Welsh followed Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki onto the field with the GoPro in hand.

It ended up being Welsh’s favorite part of the video — but also the most nerve-wracking.

“You only get one shot at that,” he said. “I was running up the stairs and I was so worried I was going to slip and fall and ruin the shot.”

But it paid off. “I thought it was really cool to end the video running out into the field right before opening pitch, we’ve never had that opportunity before to end it like that and I think the fact that we got access to run out with a player — that was my favorite part.”

Courtney Kueppers is a digital producer/reporter at WBEZ. Follow her @cmkueppers.

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