Chicago Tribune

Paul Sullivan: 2021 rekindled our love for watching sports the way we did in the ‘before’ times. But COVID-19 concerns remained, from variants to vaccines.

Trying to come to grips with the state of the sports world in the final days of 2021 isn’t easy. We’re ending the year the way we began it, stressing over our favorite athletes and teams while another COVID-19 surge forces colleges and professional sports leagues to put their fingers on the pause button again. And that’s a shame for 2021, a year that rekindled our love for watching live sports ...

Trying to come to grips with the state of the sports world in the final days of 2021 isn’t easy.

We’re ending the year the way we began it, stressing over our favorite athletes and teams while another COVID-19 surge forces colleges and professional sports leagues to put their fingers on the pause button again.

And that’s a shame for 2021, a year that rekindled our love for watching live sports in packed stadiums and celebrating with each other in the up-close-and-personal manner we had grown accustomed to in the “before” times.

The crowd of partying Milwaukee Bucks fans watching playoff games in the “Deer District” outside of Fiserv Forum provided us with a clear reminder of how much fun sports can be.

“It’s what we do this for and why we love sports because it creates this community,” Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said in September. “The Deer District and that scene for

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune10 min read
After 25 Years Of Selling Tamales In Chicago, An Undocumented Immigrant Mother Returns To Mexico Without Her Family
Claudia Perez’s children could count on one hand the number of times they had seen their father cry. The day their mother left was one of them. Perez had worked her whole life for a dream that did not come true: Save enough money to take her family b
Chicago Tribune4 min read
Paul Sullivan: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 2-run Home Run — His 1st Big League Hit — Fuels Cubs To 3-1 Win Over Astros
CHICAGO — “Where’s the phenom?” coach Willie Harris yelled outside the Chicago Cubs clubhouse Thursday morning. Moments later, Pete Crow-Armstrong appeared from out of the blue and followed Harris down the tunnel toward the cages. One of the most tou
Chicago Tribune2 min readCrime & Violence
R. Kelly’s Chicago Conviction To Stand After High Court Rejects Appeal
CHICAGO — R. Kelly’s sex-crime conviction and 20-year sentence in Chicago’s federal court will stand, an appeals court ruled Friday in a blistering opinion. “For years, Robert Sylvester Kelly abused underage girls. By employing a complex scheme to ke

Related