Fabiola Flores of the Back of the Yards neighborhood council explains the importance of the annual event.

Chicago News Sports Events Culture

The Chicago sports scene has a rich history and it’s no wonder the city has earned the prestigious designation of city of the future. The city has a population of a little over 3 million and with a burgeoning economy to boot, it’s no wonder the city has managed to reinvent itself in the past few years. The renaissance has been accompanied by an improved downtown, a booming retail sector and a slew of impressive skyscrapers. So what better time than now to get out and about? The city’s central location provides easy access to a number of major cities around the globe and with the advent of the express train boosting commuter travel times by an order of magnitude, a trip to the city is a mere hop, hop, hop.

The aforementioned marvels aren’t the only reasons to head down to the Windy City this weekend. The area is home to a number of well-funded institutions, including Northwestern University, the Cook County Hospital, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, which together form the core of the state’s academic infrastructure. In fact, the university has one of the nation’s best athletic programs, arguably bettered only by its competitors in the metropolis.