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Chicago Tribune
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
‘Feels like home': Brooke Fletcher excited to extend family ties to Chicago White Sox as part of broadcast team
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The past month has felt like a full-circle moment for Brooke Fletcher. As a new member of the Chicago White Sox broadcast team, Fletcher has been at camp gearing up for the upcoming season and taking part in CHSN's spring training telecasts along with John Schriffen and Steve Stone. And her family has ties to the Sox. Her father, Scott, played for the team in the 1980s and early 90s and her brother-in-law, Gordon Beckham, spent seven years with the Sox during his 11 seasons in the big leagues. 'It's been a little surreal,' Brooke Fletcher told the Tribune on Thursday at Camelback Ranch. 'Just thankful for the opportunity, just to be able to cover the White Sox and having the history with my family. It's been cool.' Scott played parts of 15 years in the majors, including six seasons with the Sox from 1983-85 and 1989-91. 'The White Sox have always had a place in our family's heart,' Scott said in a phone interview with the Tribune on Friday morning. 'We love (Chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) and just being around so many of the White Sox people who are still there. Brooke put on her Instagram one time when she was young, she had her White Sox uniform on. So it was like, man, really blessed and you see how things come together sometimes. 'That's pretty special that it's worked out for her to be with the White Sox.' Brooke's duties include providing in-game reports from near the dugout as well as pre- and postgame coverage. 'I'm just mainly excited to be able to share the stories and shine a light on this young group,' she said. Fletcher will get the chance to do just that Sunday, working alongside Connor McKnight in the booth for the Spring Breakout prospects game against the Colorado Rockies at Camelback Ranch (4:05 p.m., CHSN). Pitchers Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith and Grant Taylor, shortstop Colson Montgomery and outfielder Braden Montgomery are among the players on the Sox roster for the event. 'Just so much talent,' Fletcher said. 'There are guys that might take a few seasons to get up to the bigs, and there are guys that are right on the cusp. There's a lot to look forward to.' Fletcher's journey to the Sox included working as a host for 'The Rally,' serving as a sideline reporter for AppleTV+ on its MLB broadcasts and covering the Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings for Bally Sports Detroit. She's a sideline reporter for the Big 10 Network, aiding in their football coverage. And she hosts CHSN's program, 'The Chicago Lead.' 'She's worked very hard at it and I'm really happy for her and thank the Lord that she is where she is,' Scott Fletcher said. 'She's accomplished a lot, I told her she's accomplished a lot in a short time, and I'm really proud of her.' Throughout camp, Fletcher has heard from folks who tell her they remember her father. 'Everybody's been so welcoming,' she said. Fletcher said baseball 'feels like home.' 'I grew up going to the ballpark, watching my brother (Brian) play,' Fletcher said. 'I was working baseball tournaments — my dad held national baseball tournaments, I was working the front gate. 'Just understanding the lifestyle of it and also being a fan. I just love this game so much.' Sox option Jared Shuster to Triple A The Sox optioned the left-handed pitcher to Triple-A Charlotte before Friday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds. 'We had some guys ahead of him,' manager Will Venable said. 'We came in looking at him in the starter's role. We thought he looked good. We just have some guys ahead of him, and going to give him the opportunity to go to work and get back into reliever shape. He'll be an option for us at some point during the summer.' Shuster has an 11.57 ERA in four spring outings (one start). He has allowed nine runs on 15 hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. He had a 4.30 ERA in 39 appearances (four starts) for the Sox last season. 'His changeup was really good,' Venable said. 'I know that's something that he's been working on and is important to his arsenal. I thought he had a really good one and as we continue to see that velo tick up, I think it's going to play even better. I think that's part of the discussion with having him in the reliever role also, is to really get the velo up and play up the good changeup.' Injury update Right-hander Mason Adams left Friday's game with discomfort in his right elbow. He exited after issuing a walk with one out in the second inning. Adams has a 4.91 ERA in four games (two starts) this spring. He has eight strikeouts, one walk and has hit two batters in 7 1/3 innings. The Sox said Adams will undergo further testing Saturday.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago Sports Network and Wind Creek sponsorship deal teams new sports network and casino
There's still no deal with Comcast, but the Chicago Sports Network announced a major marketing agreement Wednesday with the recently opened Wind Creek casino that could be a game-changer for both fledgling ventures. The sweeping sponsorship package will add the Wind Creek name to 'The Chicago Lead,' the network's signature 6 p.m. roundup and lead-in to nightly play-by-play broadcasts. In addition, CHSN will broadcast the show live each month from the south suburban casino, along with other high-profile onsite promotional events. 'We're a new brand, we're a new facility,' said Ken Rohman, chief marketing officer for Wind Creek Hospitality. 'It gives people a reason to come into the casino.' Wind Creek will also be a prominent commercial advertiser across all CHSN platforms and programs. CHSN President Jason Coyle called the sponsorship a 'truly significant' step in the evolution of the startup regional sports network, but both he and Rohman declined to disclose the terms of the agreement. Both CHSN and Wind Creek launched in the fall, with the casino enjoying a somewhat smoother early trajectory than the regional sports network. A joint venture between the Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox and Nashville-based Standard Media, the Chicago Sports Network supplanted NBC Sports Chicago, the 20-year-old regional sports network whose broadcast rights expired in September. CHSN went live in October on pay-TV platforms DirecTV and Astound, and over the air with WJYS-Ch. 62 in Chicago. It has since added streaming service FuboTV and rolled out its own direct-to-consumer streaming app. But two-thirds of the way through its inaugural Bulls and Blackhawks seasons, CHSN has yet to reach a carriage agreement with Comcast, essentially blacking out the teams to 1 million Chicago-area viewers. A Comcast spokesperson Tuesday said there were 'no updates' to the ongoing negotiations with CHSN, presaging a lost season for many fans of Chicago's struggling NBA and NHL teams. Opening day for the White Sox, coming off the most losses in a season in major league baseball history, is on deck for next month. Coyle likewise said there was 'nothing new to report' on the Comcast front, declining to offer specifics on the negotiations. 'We're ready to go when they are,' Coyle said. Meanwhile, Wind Creek Chicago Southland opened its new 70,000-square-foot casino in East Hazel Crest on Nov. 11 to large crowds, and its business has continued to grow. The facility features 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games and other attractions, with a 252-room hotel set to open early this year. Last month, Wind Creek generated nearly $13.3 million in adjusted gross receipts and drew more than 171,000 visitors, ranking second among the state's 16 casinos, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. Owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alabama-based Wind Creek started with a bingo palace in 1985. It opened its first casino in 2009 and now operates 9 casinos and two dog tracks in the U.S. and Caribbean, including its new suburban Chicago property. Rohman, a Chicago native now based with the company in Alabama, said his understanding of the city's passion for sports helped drive the deal with CHSN. While it only opened in November, Wind Creek is already in its third season of a six-year deal as the official casino of the Chicago Bulls, a sponsorship that preceded its launch by two years. The casino had initially targeted a 2023 opening, but COVID-related construction delays pushed the start date back a year, Rohman said. Adding a twist to the new Wind Creek promotional partnership, CHSN has an ownership connection to a rival casino company. Standard Media, which owns 15% of CHSN, is part of Standard General, the New York-based hedge fund which also controls the Bally's casino chain, including its nascent flagship in Chicago. While Wind Creek has yet to open its planned sportsbook, the tie-in with CHSN is a natural marketing partnership that will not only build the brand, but actually deliver potential customers to their door, Rohman said. 'By bringing live audiences in, they're taking it one step further than with traditional media,' Rohman said. 'Traditional media is: Advertise to your people and pray that they'll come. The partnership we've got with CHSN is they're bringing their fan base in a bus for us.' rchannick@
Chicago Tribune
12-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sports Network and Wind Creek sponsorship deal teams new sports network and casino
There's still no deal with Comcast, but the Chicago Sports Network announced a major marketing agreement Wednesday with the recently opened Wind Creek casino that could be a game-changer for both fledgling ventures. The sweeping sponsorship package will add the Wind Creek name to 'The Chicago Lead,' the network's signature 6 p.m. roundup and lead-in to nightly play-by-play broadcasts. In addition, CHSN will broadcast the show live each month from the south suburban casino, along with other high-profile onsite promotional events. 'We're a new brand, we're a new facility,' said Ken Rohman, chief marketing officer for Wind Creek Hospitality. 'It gives people a reason to come into the casino.' Wind Creek will also be a prominent commercial advertiser across all CHSN platforms and programs. CHSN President Jason Coyle called the sponsorship a 'truly significant' step in the evolution of the startup regional sports network, but both he and Rohman declined to disclose the terms of the agreement. Both CHSN and Wind Creek launched in the fall, with the casino enjoying a somewhat smoother early trajectory than the regional sports network. A joint venture between the Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox and Nashville-based Standard Media, the Chicago Sports Network supplanted NBC Sports Chicago, the 20-year-old regional sports network whose broadcast rights expired in September. CHSN went live in October on pay-TV platforms DirecTV and Astound, and over the air with WJYS-Ch. 62 in Chicago. It has since added streaming service FuboTV and rolled out its own direct-to-consumer streaming app. But two-thirds of the way through its inaugural Bulls and Blackhawks seasons, CHSN has yet to reach a carriage agreement with Comcast, essentially blacking out the teams to 1 million Chicago-area viewers. A Comcast spokesperson Tuesday said there were 'no updates' to the ongoing negotiations with CHSN, presaging a lost season for many fans of Chicago's struggling NBA and NHL teams. Opening day for the White Sox, coming off the most losses in a season in major league baseball history, is on deck for next month. Coyle likewise said there was 'nothing new to report' on the Comcast front, declining to offer specifics on the negotiations. 'We're ready to go when they are,' Coyle said. Meanwhile, Wind Creek Chicago Southland opened its new 70,000-square-foot casino in East Hazel Crest on Nov. 11 to large crowds, and its business has continued to grow. The facility features 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games and other attractions, with a 252-room hotel set to open early this year. Last month, Wind Creek generated nearly $13.3 million in adjusted gross receipts and drew more than 171,000 visitors, ranking second among the state's 16 casinos, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. Owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alabama-based Wind Creek started with a bingo palace in 1985. It opened its first casino in 2009 and now operates 9 casinos and two dog tracks in the U.S. and Caribbean, including its new suburban Chicago property. Rohman, a Chicago native now based with the company in Alabama, said his understanding of the city's passion for sports helped drive the deal with CHSN. While it only opened in November, Wind Creek is already in its third season of a six-year deal as the official casino of the Chicago Bulls, a sponsorship that preceded its launch by two years. The casino had initially targeted a 2023 opening, but COVID-related construction delays pushed the start date back a year, Rohman said. Adding a twist to the new Wind Creek promotional partnership, CHSN has an ownership connection to a rival casino company. Standard Media, which owns 15% of CHSN, is part of Standard General, the New York-based hedge fund which also controls the Bally's casino chain, including its nascent flagship in Chicago. While Wind Creek has yet to open its planned sportsbook, the tie-in with CHSN is a natural marketing partnership that will not only build the brand, but actually deliver potential customers to their door, Rohman said. 'By bringing live audiences in, they're taking it one step further than with traditional media,' Rohman said. 'Traditional media is: Advertise to your people and pray that they'll come. The partnership we've got with CHSN is they're bringing their fan base in a bus for us.'
