The time has come…football is back and here to stay (we hope)! While I don’t live in Kansas anymore, I will always be a Chiefs fan at heart. Chiefs N Chopper! I do live in Chicago and will root for the Bears as the team of the city I live in but going to Solider Field (for me personally) just isn’t the same as Arrowhead Stadium. Arrowhead has an atmosphere that cannot be put into words…the fans make the experience what it is. It can be the day after Christmas and 15 degrees and you will still find them tailgating at 8:30 in the morning and screaming loud as ever in the game. The fans have a dedication to their team and stadium that makes Arrowhead one-of-a-kind.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs training camp is not in Illinois so I decided to yes…go check out the Chicago Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, IL. My main motivation was to take pictures (and test out my new lens) but I was interested to see a training camp from a fans perspective. It’s only an hour outside of Chicago so the fans come from all around; a lot with their little fans in tow. It is definitely geared towards families with theme days, kid activities and autograph days. The little boys (and a few girls) are memorized by the players while wearing their own Bears’ jersey, yelling out to Cutler while snapping a pic on their parents’ iPhone. It makes for a more personal experience for the kids and fans because they are in such close proximity to the players that for once it might feel like they are just every day people too.