Home » Best Chicago sports team tournament: The championship

Best Chicago sports team tournament: The championship

Bracket: Axios Visuals
Bracket: Axios Visuals

Are we ready for the final matchup in our journey to choose the best Chicago sports team of all time?

The big picture: These two juggernauts were tested but survived for this ultimate Chicago competition.

  • The Bears dispatched the Hawks, while the Bulls squeaked by the Cubs.

This matchup was what we were waiting for.

Photo of two football players walking off field
Walter Payton and Jim McMahon leave Soldier Field after beating Tampa Bay on Sept. 8, 1985 in the season opener. Photo: Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The 1985 Bears: The Bears won almost 40 years ago, yet they’re still folk heroes in Chicago. The team had so many stars: Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, William “Refrigerator” Perry, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and a coach named Ditka.

  • The Bears were on the cover of all the magazines, and “The Fridge” even did a Bob Hope special.
Photo of basketball players on court.
Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Ron Harper and Toni Kukoc. Wow. Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The 1996-98 Bulls: The Michael Jordan-led Bulls played three decades ago, but judging by “The Last Dance” ratings, many fans are clamoring to see them again. Icons like MJ, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc and a coach named Phil.

  • Every Chicago kid had a poster of Jordan, and a Rodman billboard snarled traffic on the Kennedy.

There’s no wrong answer here. Voting is open until 4:30pm.