Better late than never! Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city of Chicago have finally announced that fans can (and will!) return to the United Center before the end of this season.
According to the Sun-Times, the Bulls and Blackhawks can begin filling the arena at 25% capacity (about 5,250 fans per game) on May 7th, 2021.
Our progress since COVID-19 first hit our city makes this smart, safe reopening possible. @ChicagoBulls and @NHLBlackhawks fans, welcome back to the @UnitedCenter! Let’s go. #OpenChicago🏀🏒 pic.twitter.com/qZZRD4mN8K
— Archived: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@mayorlightfoot) April 29, 2021
Likewise, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox can see their attendance rates go from 20 percent to 25 percent.
The decision comes with just a couple of weeks left in both the Bulls and Blackhawks respective seasons. The Bulls have six home game remaining, but only four will feature fans, per the team’s latest press release, with the first coming on May 7th against the Boston Celtics. Similarly, the Blackhawks have only four home games remaining and only the final two will feature fans on May 9th and May 10th.
I know it may not be the number of games we want to see, and I know both teams may be pretty much out of the playoff pictures, but fans and players alike deserve a taste of normalcy. I can’t wait to see folks back in the UC! Let’s go!
And thanks, Tommy and Benny, for getting this done!