Between Pete Crow-Armstrong, Caleb Williams, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, the future is bright in Chicago.
The future of Chicago sports appears to be bright. The Cubs are led by MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is 24 years old. The Bears just won the NFC North and reached the Divisional Round behind 24-year-old quarterback Caleb Williams. The White Sox are leading the AL Central amid a resurgent season and are led by 24-year-old Colson Montgomery. The Blackhawks just inked 21-year-old rising star Connor Bedard to a long-term contract that keeps him in the Windy City through 2031.
And the Bulls are just starting off their rebuild, but they have several intriguing young pieces that project to be foundational parts of the team's future. Caleb Wilson (20), Matas Buzelis (21), Josh Giddey (23), Dailyn Swain (21), Noa Essengue (19), Rob Dillingham (21) and Leonard Miller (22) are all rostered ahead of the upcoming season and under the age of 24.
Chicago fans have been treated to various crossovers from their favorite athletes over the past year. Last season, Williams and Crow-Armstrong sat courtside to watch Buzelis' Bulls and were smacking the glass while watching Bedard's Blackhawks. On Thursday night, Buzelis got to return the favor and cheer on Crow-Armstrong's Cubs.
Buzelis, Williams and Wilson — the Bulls' No. 4 overall pick in this summer's NBA Draft — sat just behind the Cubs' third base dugout during Chicago's 2-1 win over the National League-leading Brewers. Crow-Armstrong homered in the third inning to score both of the Cubs' runs, and his cheer crew spent the game rallying up the Wrigley Field crowd.
The group, which also featured Lyrical Lemonade's Cole Bennett, started a "PCA" chant from the stands.
Crow-Armstrong said he'd been trying to get everyone out for a game, but the Brewers game was the first time they could make it. Williams recently finished training camp for the Bears, while Buzelis and Wilson were in a good part of the offseason between Summer League and the preseason.
"Those are good people," Crow-Armstrong told reporters after the game. "Those are my people. Those are great representatives of Chicago. I felt the energy from the crowd when they got put on the board. Chicago's got a lot to look forward to with those three."
Following the win over Milwaukee and a series victory over the Marlins, the Cubs are 81-63 on the season and firmly in the National League's top Wild Card spot. Chicago and Crow-Armstrong will undoubtedly be playing baseball into October. The Bears have among the best odds to win the NFC this fall and reach the Super Bowl for the first time in two decades.
The Bulls' expectations will be a little different than their Chicago counterparts. Entering a rebuild, it's widely expected that the Bulls will be among the worst teams in the NBA this season, but the excitement that Wilson and Buzelis are anticipated to bring should give the city plenty of optimism for the future.
