White Sox Win! South Side Fan Experience Tops All Chicago Teams, Study Says

CHICAGO, IL — For the past year, everything has been coming up Cubbies when it comes to Chicago's two Major League Baseball teams. That seems fair considering the only thing regularly coming up for Chicago Cubs fans for the more than a century was the contents of their stomach after facing constant, vomit-inducing disappointment every season. But don't feel too down, White Sox fans: The South Siders were ranked No. 1 in overall fan experience among Chicago-area sports teams, according to a national study.

In the J.D. Power 2017 Fan Experience Study released Wednesday, catching the White Sox at Comiskey Park U.S. Cellular Field "The Cell" Guaranteed Rate Field narrowly beat out watching the Chicago Fire play a Major League Soccer match at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. The White Sox also were the only MLB team to rank highest in the study across the 11 markets surveyed.

The J.D. Power study looked at fans' experiences attending major pro sporting events and measured their satisfaction at them. Along with Chicago, 10 other sports markets were included in the study — New York, Southern California, Houston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Philadelphia, South Florida and Washington, D.C. — and the pro teams evaluated were from the major sports leagues, such as the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The study, which is in its second year, determined its team rankings by examining seven areas, which included, in order of importance:

• seating area and game experience
• security and ushers
• leaving the game
• arriving at the game
• food and beverage
• ticket purchase
• souvenirs and merchandise

Fan satisfaction was measured on a 1,000-point scale, and other areas, such as team performance and team image, were measured but not part of the official ranking, J.D. Power said. The White Sox earned a score of 809 to capture its top ranking. The Fire was close behind with a score of 806.

"We know franchises and clubs with winning records generally do not have problems filling seats, but this study is about finding out which teams are giving their fans the best experience for their dollar. … Top performers in this study show that they really understand what it’s like to give a world-class experience to their fans," Greg Truex, J.D. Power's senior director of sports research, said in a statement.

So how did the Cubs — one of those "clubs with winning records" — fare in the study? The Wrigley Field experience was ranked second-to-last among Chicago's teams with a score of 767. And J.D. Power pointed out that the North Siders particularly struggle with the the food and beverage experience at the Friendly Confines, which had a score of 695.

The Cubs avoided coming in dead last by handily outscoring the Bears. The Solider Field experience earned a 751 score in the study. The Blackhawks (790) and Bulls (783) — the two teams that play at the United Center — placed third and fourth, respectively.

RELATED: Rain Postpones White Sox Home Opener, Not Fans' Fun Beforehand

The Bears' last-place showing isn't a surprise when looking at all the cities in the study. All the NFL teams evaluated in the study were ranked at the bottom of their markets. That includes the Dallas Cowboys (784) and the New England Patriots (758).

"These results have to make NFL teams sit up and take notice — particularly when coupled with their sagging TV ratings. The league needs to learn what is influencing their low scores and how they can be improved so that pro football is able to retain its overwhelming popularity," Truex said.

Established in 1968 and based in Costa Mesa, California, J.D. Power is a global marketing information services company that provides advisory services and data and analytics. Most people are familiar with the firm thanks to car commercials citing its automotive rankings.

Go to J.D. Power's website to see the complete findings from the 2017 fan experience study.

Chicago White Sox fans before the 2017 home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Monday, April 3, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Photo by Tim Moran)

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