CD art for the single "Run this Town" by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kayne West
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Loyola’s men’s soccer team draws a crowd of over 2,000 to Toyota Park
Ashley Slovinski
CMUN 332, Interviewing, Loyola University Chicago
Although Loyola didn’t shatter the NCAA Division I attendance record for a single game played in Illinois, the game held at Toyota Park on September 12, 2009, against the St. Louis Billikens was still a “huge success” according to Loyola’s ticket sales manager Brian Sisson.
The record of 4,700 fans in attendance is currently held by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Sisson said the athletic department determined this number by calling all of the Illinois Division I teams to find out what their highest attendance number was in previous seasons. Loyola hoped to surpass SIUE's record by 300, with a total crowd of 5,000 fans or more. The estimated average attendance for most Division I games in Illinois is 2,500 according to Sisson.
Although Saturday’s game against SLU only drew a crowd of 2,211 fans, it is still a giant leap from the average attendance of 300 for Loyola men’s soccer games. The largest crowd the men’s soccer team had received before this game was a little over 1,000 fans in August 2008 when Loyola played Santa Clara, a team that was ranked fifth in the nation at the time.
Out of the 2,000 fans that attended the game, roughly 1,000 were students.
“That was great,” Sisson said. He said the athletic department’s goal was to attract at least 500 students, which they were able to double.
The rest of the crowd was made up of Loyola soccer alum, faculty and staff, family and friends of both teams, and outside community members. Sisson said that 150-200 of those who attended were Chicago youth, who were sponsored by members of the Loyola community and outside fans to attend the game. The youth were from Misericordia, an organization working with children suffering from developmental disabilities, and a couple youth soccer teams from the Chicago area. The youth were able to play a short game on the field during half time.
The athletic department had been promoting the event since spring of 2009, using e-mail blasts to different soccer organizations in the Chicago and northwest Indiana areas, posters surrounding both campuses, advertisements on Loyola’s Plasma screens at both campuses, and postcards sent to soccer facilities and stores throughout Chicago. The department has already decided to make this an annual event and plans to begin promoting next year’s game at Toyota Park even sooner. Sisson said the department wants to make the game “the fall event of the season” for the men’s soccer program.
“The idea was to encourage the whole group of students who had a good time [at the game] to carry over to the rest of the season and build a core group of fans to continue through other seasons,” he said.
Sisson said that the department wanted to make this game a great experience and “more than just a soccer game, but an event.” He said the game was “positive as a whole” and hoped to grow this success throughout the future games they plan to hold at Toyota Park.
CMUN 332, Interviewing, Loyola University Chicago
Although Loyola didn’t shatter the NCAA Division I attendance record for a single game played in Illinois, the game held at Toyota Park on September 12, 2009, against the St. Louis Billikens was still a “huge success” according to Loyola’s ticket sales manager Brian Sisson.
The record of 4,700 fans in attendance is currently held by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Sisson said the athletic department determined this number by calling all of the Illinois Division I teams to find out what their highest attendance number was in previous seasons. Loyola hoped to surpass SIUE's record by 300, with a total crowd of 5,000 fans or more. The estimated average attendance for most Division I games in Illinois is 2,500 according to Sisson.
Although Saturday’s game against SLU only drew a crowd of 2,211 fans, it is still a giant leap from the average attendance of 300 for Loyola men’s soccer games. The largest crowd the men’s soccer team had received before this game was a little over 1,000 fans in August 2008 when Loyola played Santa Clara, a team that was ranked fifth in the nation at the time.
Out of the 2,000 fans that attended the game, roughly 1,000 were students.
“That was great,” Sisson said. He said the athletic department’s goal was to attract at least 500 students, which they were able to double.
The rest of the crowd was made up of Loyola soccer alum, faculty and staff, family and friends of both teams, and outside community members. Sisson said that 150-200 of those who attended were Chicago youth, who were sponsored by members of the Loyola community and outside fans to attend the game. The youth were from Misericordia, an organization working with children suffering from developmental disabilities, and a couple youth soccer teams from the Chicago area. The youth were able to play a short game on the field during half time.
The athletic department had been promoting the event since spring of 2009, using e-mail blasts to different soccer organizations in the Chicago and northwest Indiana areas, posters surrounding both campuses, advertisements on Loyola’s Plasma screens at both campuses, and postcards sent to soccer facilities and stores throughout Chicago. The department has already decided to make this an annual event and plans to begin promoting next year’s game at Toyota Park even sooner. Sisson said the department wants to make the game “the fall event of the season” for the men’s soccer program.
“The idea was to encourage the whole group of students who had a good time [at the game] to carry over to the rest of the season and build a core group of fans to continue through other seasons,” he said.
Sisson said that the department wanted to make this game a great experience and “more than just a soccer game, but an event.” He said the game was “positive as a whole” and hoped to grow this success throughout the future games they plan to hold at Toyota Park.
City council takes a unified stance on the Olympic bid
Ashley Slovinski and Matt Alonzo
City News Bureau at Loyola University Chicago
The Chicago city council unanimously voted on Wednesday to pass an ordinance authorizing Mayor Daley to sign the Final Host City Contract for the 2016 Olympic games. The contract holds the city’s taxpayers responsible for any deficit caused by the games.
Political unity took center stage as the ordinance, which provides for extensive oversight and transparency, passed with a 49-0 vote and a standing ovation in the council chamber.
According to a recent Tribune poll, public opinion for the Olympic bid has dwindled due to the Host City Contract that has taxpayers footing a potentially unlimited bill for construction and operational overrun. Despite this, most of the aldermen’s comments on the ordinance took the form of congratulatory pats on the back.
“We should honor [Mayor Daley’s] courage and fortitude in moving the city forward to this great moment in our history,” Ald. Edward Burke (14th) said. “But of course what else would we expect from a Chicago Mayor Daley.”
After the vote on the ordinance and show of overwhelming support for the bid, Mayor Daley concluded the discussion by asking the aldermen to “think of the future” and not let political concerns weigh on their decisions.
“It’s not about politics,” the mayor said. “This is not about Richard M. Daley’s legacy, this is about the city of Chicago. The Olympic movement is bigger than me.”
Some aldermen did express previous concerns about the contract but talked at length about how the compromise ordinance addressed all of the issues and ultimately provided the required protection taxpayers were looking for.
“I had some reservations,” Ald. Ray Suarez (31st) said. “But…every concern that the [Civic] Federation touched on the committee had already made sure that the safeguards were in place.”
Most of the aldermen spoke of the economic boost that they believed the games were sure to bring. Ald. Ed Smith (28th) said as many as 72,000 jobs may come to the city as a result, while other aldermen spoke of the increased revenue from tourism dollars and the possibility of raising the city’s currently deteriorating property values.
“I believe that the ordinance we have from [Alderman] Flores today includes every provision that was specified by the Civic Federation in their report in order to be a successful bid,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd).
The International Olympics Committee will select the host city for the 2016 games on October 2, 2009. The three other cities in the running are Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro.
City News Bureau at Loyola University Chicago
The Chicago city council unanimously voted on Wednesday to pass an ordinance authorizing Mayor Daley to sign the Final Host City Contract for the 2016 Olympic games. The contract holds the city’s taxpayers responsible for any deficit caused by the games.
Political unity took center stage as the ordinance, which provides for extensive oversight and transparency, passed with a 49-0 vote and a standing ovation in the council chamber.
According to a recent Tribune poll, public opinion for the Olympic bid has dwindled due to the Host City Contract that has taxpayers footing a potentially unlimited bill for construction and operational overrun. Despite this, most of the aldermen’s comments on the ordinance took the form of congratulatory pats on the back.
“We should honor [Mayor Daley’s] courage and fortitude in moving the city forward to this great moment in our history,” Ald. Edward Burke (14th) said. “But of course what else would we expect from a Chicago Mayor Daley.”
After the vote on the ordinance and show of overwhelming support for the bid, Mayor Daley concluded the discussion by asking the aldermen to “think of the future” and not let political concerns weigh on their decisions.
“It’s not about politics,” the mayor said. “This is not about Richard M. Daley’s legacy, this is about the city of Chicago. The Olympic movement is bigger than me.”
Some aldermen did express previous concerns about the contract but talked at length about how the compromise ordinance addressed all of the issues and ultimately provided the required protection taxpayers were looking for.
“I had some reservations,” Ald. Ray Suarez (31st) said. “But…every concern that the [Civic] Federation touched on the committee had already made sure that the safeguards were in place.”
Most of the aldermen spoke of the economic boost that they believed the games were sure to bring. Ald. Ed Smith (28th) said as many as 72,000 jobs may come to the city as a result, while other aldermen spoke of the increased revenue from tourism dollars and the possibility of raising the city’s currently deteriorating property values.
“I believe that the ordinance we have from [Alderman] Flores today includes every provision that was specified by the Civic Federation in their report in order to be a successful bid,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd).
The International Olympics Committee will select the host city for the 2016 games on October 2, 2009. The three other cities in the running are Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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