97.1 The Ticket -- The Chicago Fire have been around for most of Major League Soccer's existence. Formed in 1998, the club's badge, or logo, has been unchanged for two decades.
For good reason. The Fire have had one of the cleaner, most recognizable and most enjoyable badges in the league. It resembled a fire department badge and fit nicely somewhere between a traditional American sports logo and a European soccer -- err, football -- crest.
When the club unveiled a new look on Thursday, fans were not happy. Not only is the logo a major downgrade for the club's identity, the forced connection to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that destroyed most of the city seems ill-advised.
There was quite the uproar on social media Thursday, with most everyone preferring the club's original look.
The change in identity comes as the club moves forward under new ownership. After playing at a soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview, the club will be moving back to playing its games at Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears.
To make matters worse, the logo was reportedly designed by an agency from New York -- a big slap in the face to Chicago.
