Chicago

The Chicago Machine, a Major League Lacrosse team, has been playing since 2006. Their home field is Toyota Park, but they are playing their 2009 season opener and closer at Soldier Field.[37]

The Chicago Marathon has been held every October since 1977. This event is one of five World Marathon Majors.[38]

In 1994 the United States hosted a successful FIFA World Cup with games played at Soldier Field.

Chicago was selected on April 14, 2007 to represent the United States internationally in the bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[39][40] Chicago also hosted the 1959 Pan American Games, and Gay Games VII in 2006. Chicago was selected to host the 1904 Olympics, but they were transferred to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair.[41] On June 4, 2008 The International Olympic Committee selected Chicago as one of four candidate cities for the 2016 games.

Chicago is also the starting point for the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, a 330-mile (530 km) offshore sailboat race held each July that is the longest annual freshwater sailboat race in the world. 2008 marks the 100th running of the "Mac."

At the collegiate level, Chicago and its suburb, Evanston, have two national athletic conferences, the Big East Conference with DePaul University, and the Big Ten Conference with Northwestern University in Evanston.