Playing ketchup
For the first time since March, fans took in a live sporting event in the Chicago area
Wearing a calf-length poncho designed as a hot dog, Danny Schwartz walked into Rosemont’s Impact Field with his family Tuesday night, eager to see live sports for the first time in what Schwartz said felt like an eternity.
“I’ve missed it immensely,” said Schwartz, who with Haley Damm brought their 4-year-old son, Jackson, to see the Chicago Dogs independent pro baseball team play the Milwaukee Milkmen. “When the opportunity arose to come out here, we jumped at it.”
The family from Bartlett was in the crowd of 1,400 that watched the first professional sports event in the Chicago area since the Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks at the United Center on March 11. Since then, arenas and stadiums across the nation shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As other sports, including the NBA, WNBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, plot to play again, the Dogs season is underway — with a live audience.
Despite a rain-delayed, 4-3 extra-innings loss Tuesday, fans said sitting with friends and family in the stands was refreshing. Pregame, a video on the outfield board showed players saying, “Baseball’s back,” sparking applause among the mask-wearing fans.
“It feels great to come out of the house,” said Jerome Merritt, of Logan Square, who brought his 16-year-old son, Elijah. “It brings some normalcy back to everyone. It’s a step in the right direction. We’re just being real careful and real smart about everything.”
Merritt, whose wife is a frontline worker as a nurse, said he attended only because the organization enacted safety precautions.
“I think it’s great they’re practicing social distancing,” he said.
Red tape marked spacing regulations at the concession stands, and hand sanitizer stations were positioned at the top of seating sections. Credit cards were required for purchases. Only 15 customers could enter the stadium store at a time. A public address announcer frequently reminded fans to be mindful of social distancing, and stadium employees asked fans not to use drink railings.
Media requests to talk to players and coaches postgame were denied because of social distancing requirements, a team spokesperson said.
Fans were required to wear masks when walking around the concourse, but they could remove them once they were seated. Some fans instinctively high-fived after Tyler Ladendorf’s solo home runs in the sixth and ninth innings, and parents took photos of their children posing closely with team mascots.
The Dogs’ scheduled game Sunday in Milwaukee — the finale of a three-game road series against the Milkmen — was postponed after two Milkmen players tested positive for COVID-19, according to reports. The team announced the postponement only 15 minutes before the first pitch.
In Rosemont, rain delayed the home opener by about an hour, but fans still lined up in masks to get their temperature taken before entering the main gates.
The Dogs, who play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, averaged 3,700 fans last season. They’re limiting attendance at 6,300-seat Impact Field to 20% of capacity in accordance with the state’s phase four guidelines.
They are among six of the league’s 12 teams playing games. The others have not fielded teams this season because of the pandemic.
Other Chicago teams have started to play again — but not locally. The Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League are competing in the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah. The Fire of Major League Soccer had their opening game in the MLS Is Back Tournament in Florida postponed after five Nashville SC players tested positive for COVID-19. The Fire are now scheduled to open tournament play Tuesday against the Seattle Sounders .
The Cubs and White Sox are holding summer camps at their home ballparks before their openers July 24. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has cast doubts on the teams’ hopes of having fans in attendance this season.
That’s why Dogs fans said they were grateful to attend Tuesday’s game.
Louie Quezada, who lives on the Northwest Side of Chicago, stood in line for hot dogs with his 12-yearold son, Niko. Quezada has been furloughed from his hotel industry job since March, he said.
“We wanted to support the team and for the love of baseball,” he said. “And we wanted to get on with our lives a little bit. This is great. I want to spend time with my family, and that’s what I’m doing.”
He wasn’t worried about the risks of gathering in a large crowd at the game.
“Every time I walk out of my house, there’s a concern,” Quezada said. “I could get struck getting in my car. As far as COVID, yes, (I worry) but I worry about a lot of things in life. Hopefully, everyone takes care of each other and looks out for each other. It’s tough times. This isn’t easy. It feels great to be here.”
Ladendorf ’s home run in the ninth tied the game at 3-3. As rain drizzled on the smattering of remaining fans, the Milkmen’s Mason Davis singled to score Aaron Hill with the decisive run.
When fans left around 11:30 p.m., most still wearing masks, stadium workers in blue shirts bid them good night.
The employees waved signs reading “Hurry Back” and “See You Soon.”