The new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is the realization of a business plan based on creating a regional sports network in a period of accelerating market decline, and doing so with three pro teams that are currently among the worst in their respective leagues. 

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? CHSN’s leaders insist it’s anything but, and Tuesday’s debut of the RSN marks an intent to buck prevailing market trends and serve the Chicago market in a way it hasn’t been before.

CHSN formally begins Tuesday night with an exhibition game of the NHL’s Blackhawks, kicking off a coverage plan featuring that team, the NBA’s Bulls, and MLB’s White Sox starting with the 2025 season. Originally announced in June, CHSN marks a significant step by Jerry Reinsdorf, Bulls and White Sox owner, to take greater control of his local media fortunes.

Reinsdorf struck agreements with Tennessee-based Standard Media and the Wirtz family who owns the Blackhawks to form the CHSN joint venture, which will succeed NBC Sports Chicago. That Comcast-controlled entity had shown the three teams since 2004, and it is now shutting down.

“I get asked ‘why now?’ a lot in various ways,” Jason Coyle, the former Stadium president serving in the same role for CHSN, tells Front Office Sports. “What I find myself saying is, ‘Give us a chance. Drop in on any day, and see what we do.’ We’re going about trying to tell everyone that we’re different, and then show them.”

Distribution Matters

CHSN does not have a carriage agreement with Comcast, a dominant entity in the Chicago area, and as talks continue between the two sides, that situation will be closely watched. If a deal is struck there, it’s likely that CHSN will be placed on a more premium tier, similar to how Comcast has treated other RSNs around the country, including those owned by Diamond Sports Group.

The new RSN, however, does have distribution deals with DirecTV, now merging with Dish Network, and AT&T’s U-verse. Industry sources said another deal with Astound (formerly RCN) is imminent. CHSN also will be prioritizing over-the-air availability also increasing in favor with teams leaving the traditional RSN environment. 

“We see an opportunity to start over and try to develop a different type of model,” Coyle says. 

Local Focus

In addition to core game coverage of the three pro teams, CHSN will feature extensive pregame and postgame coverage based in part from a new atrium studio at the United Center, home of the Bulls and Blackhawks. A similar setup is being developed for the White Sox’ Guaranteed Rate Field. In both locales, the idea is to capture on camera a fan energy not unlike what’s seen on ESPN’s College GameDay. 

CHSN’s studio programming, meanwhile, will include a battery of original content and seek a deep focus on all parts of the Chicago sports market, including high school competition. A network cornerstone will be The Chicago Lead, a nightly show featuring a variety of news, features, and analysis—and often act as the direct lead-in into team-specific pregame coverage.

“This is purpose-built for the Chicago market,” Coyle says. “Even down to the name. ‘Chicago’ hasn’t been front and center in the names of many of the other channels here. But there’s going to be a lot of custom-built programming tailored specifically to this market.”

As for the teams, the White Sox just set a modern-era MLB record for losses in a season. The Bulls have not won a playoff series since 2015 and have been in the postseason just once in the last seven years, and the Blackhawks have an active non-playoff streak going into its fifth season. 

Chicago’s other RSN, Marquee Sports Network, remains in operation and is centered on its coverage of MLB’s Cubs and the WNBA’s Sky.

The Timberwolves, following their first conference finals appearance in 20 years, traded away four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. And salary-cap management played a massive role in the decision.

On Friday, The Athletic reported Minnesota was trading Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first-round pick (via the Pistons). Towns is set to make $220 million over the next four years. 

The T-Wolves—who are still entering this season with the league’s second-highest payroll—would have paid nearly $150 million to just Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Rudy Gobert in each of the next two seasons. 

Randle and DiVincenzo each have smaller and shorter contracts and could be used as trade pieces down the line. Their deals also offer the Wolves a better chance to get below the league’s dreaded second apron after this year.

What Are the Second Apron Penalties?

The NBA instituted its new CBA in 2023—which came with two different figures above the salary cap, called aprons. If teams were to pass those marks, they were set to face penalties, with the second apron, naturally, including more severe punishments.

It will be much harder for second-apron teams to make trades, as they will not be allowed to use trade exceptions to ensure matching salaries. They will also be stripped of the taxpayer mid-level exception, a free-agency option that many top teams use to add additional roster depth. (For example, the Nuggets used this to sign Dario Šarić.)

Perhaps the most damaging penalty is that teams that pass the second apron for three out of five seasons will have their first-round pick automatically moved to the end of the round.

Another Philosophy

The Wolves were serious contenders who defeated the defending champion Nuggets last year, so running back the same core made sense in a wide-open Western Conference. While the team would sacrifice future roster flexibility and potentially incur massive fees, some front offices or ownership groups would argue a championship heals all wounds.

That’s what some in Boston seem to feel.

In 2025–2026, Boston is expected to pay a record $500 million for its payroll, with more than half of the charges coming from tax penalties. The fees have reportedly divided ownership and were a driver in the decision to put the team up for sale.

“With the new CBA and the penalties that are associated with it … I think that those are all things that we have to be super aware of,” Brad Stevens, Celtics president of basketball operations, said at the team’s media day last week. “We need to just keep doing what we’re doing, and business as usual, and do what you can to build the best team that we can and see what happens from there.”