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Chicago Fire Sale

The R.S.N. hellscape, once the province of smaller markets, is now about to jump the shark.

chicago white sox baseball
It seems like the regional sports network crisis has come to roost in Chicago, the country’s third-largest media market. Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images
John Ourand
June 4, 2024

The regional sports network crisis, which has been roiling the Pittsburghs and San Diegos of the world in recent months, wasn’t expected to reach the big-market teams for years. Larger-market franchises, like the Dodgers and Yankees, obviously enjoy more immense fandoms and populations of cable subscribers—and, therefore, more leverage. And yet, now it seems like the headache has come to roost in Chicago, the country’s third-largest media market.