Every Cubs era seems to have one. A player who divides the fan base. Right now it's Ian Happ. Before him, Aroldis Chapman—for reasons that had nothing to do with baseball. Before that: Jason Heyward, Alfonso Soriano, and more. Andy Dolan from the Pointless Exercise Podcast has been living inside every version of this argument for twenty years. The names change. The arguments don't.

Marc Silverman's grandfather was an inaugural Bulls season ticket holder in 1966. Marc grew up at the Chicago Stadium, experienced three championships as a fan, then covered three more as a reporter. Then he boycotted them. The Waddle and Silvy host joins The Lore to talk about what pushed him to walk away from the team he loves most — and whether Chicago can fall back in love with the Bulls again. "I hate the Bulls so much because I love them." This is that conversation.

Three self-proclaimed ballpark nerds spent two years designing a virtual White Sox stadium from scratch. Not because anyone asked them to — but because they couldn't believe nobody was building what fans actually wanted. Travis Sawchik of Chicago Magazine and Mark Anderson of MLBCathedrals walk through their vision for Comiskey III — what old Comiskey got right, what Rate Field got wrong, and why the South Loop site might be the best stadium opportunity in baseball. The skyline. The river. The seats you can actually see the game from. This is what getting it right looks like.

Ted McClelland wrote a piece in Chicago Magazine arguing that letting the Bears go to Indiana might actually make sense. So we tested that argument — and went deeper into what Chicago has gotten wrong with its stadiums for decades. Mike North — the legendary Score host who was behind the mic for all of it — breaks down the emotional cost of old Comiskey Park, the missed opportunity of new Comiskey, and why crossing a state line is something Chicago can't stomach. Two voices. Two perspectives. One question Chicago isn't done answering

The Cubs are finally extending their core — and spending like a big-market team again. It's exactly what fans have been asking for. So why do the vibes still feel off? Sam Olbur of Locked On Cubs joins The Lore to talk about whether the Cubs are actually chasing a championship — or just getting comfortable with the baseline.

The Bulls keep selling out despite ownership that hasn't prioritized winning in years. Chicago sports radio is drowning in Bears content. And the White Sox have a new money man with a lot to prove. The Athletic founding editor Jon Greenberg joins The Lore's first mailbag episode to dig into the questions Chicago sports fans are actually asking — and a few they're afraid to. Jon's been in these rooms long enough to know where the bodies are buried.

Chicago hasn't had athletes hang out like this publicly. Not like Caleb Williams and PCA — intentionally visible, culturally present, owning the spotlight before they've won anything. ABC 7's Dionne Miller joins The Lore to talk about what this new generation of Chicago athletes actually means — and why Ben Johnson, the most intense man in the building, fits right alongside them. Something is shifting in Chicago sports culture. This is what it looks like.

When something big happens in Chicago sports, who do you turn to? For a long time the answer was Dan Bernstein. Now nobody's really sure — and that says everything about where Chicago sports radio is right now. Sun-Times media columnist Jeff Agrest breaks down what the city lost, who's filling the void, and whether sports radio can find its edge again. The voice matters. Chicago has always known that.

Bobbleheads. Throwbacks. Cade Horton truck-stop couture. The Cubs' 2026 giveaway calendar might be one of their best ever — but what does it actually say about the brand? Andy Dolan of the Pointless Exercise Podcast breaks it all down. The good, the weird, and the ones that should never have left the design meeting.

n this episode of Lore, Brett Taylor reflects on the unlikely arc of Bleacher Nation — from an early blog to a daily gathering place for Cubs fans through the rebuild, the rise, and the championship. It’s a conversation about timing, trust, and why the things that work eventually change — without losing what made them matter.