The city of Chicago has a rich history of sports dating back to when the Chicago Cubs began as the Chicago White Stockings in 1876. The club and the city have grown significantly since then, with attendance at Wrigley Field last season reaching almost 2.6 million. The team was sold in October 2009 for approximately $845 million, the highest price ever paid for an American sports team at the time. Attendance for the Chicago White Sox, who won the World Series in 2005, reached over 2.2 million in 2009. Chicago’s United Center hosts over 200 events each year and is home to both the Bulls and the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks’ 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup wins brought 2 million fans each year to downtown Chicago to celebrate the victory. The Chicago Bears, one of Chicago’s other great sports franchises, play their home games at Soldier Field located on Lake Michigan just south of Grant Park. According to Forbes magazine, the Bears’ estimated team value is over $1 billion.