With the 15th Anniversary of the Chicago Fire coming up on Wednesday (the match) and Monday (the date proper) the Fire has collaborated with Bumpy Pitch to create a Chicago Fire themed shirt that represents the history of soccer and Chicago in a unique way. The Municipal Device shirt will retail for $30 in the Chicago Fire Fan shop and online at www.bumpypitch.com beginning Tuesday, October 2 with $5 benefitting the Chicago Fire Foundation
While the 1871 at the bottom of the shirt is an obvious nod to the Great Chicago Fire (and, well, the club’s name) not as much is known about the Y-shaped municipal device, an often overlooked and mostly forgotten piece of Chicago Civic Pride. Below I wax poetic about the municipal device and what this t-shirt means to me.
The Chicago River weaves along the wings of the urban landscape, dodging the looming steel towers and keeping composure as it splits to hug both sides of Goose Island. The deft waters feint past defending bridges, quickening pace when the terrain declines. The North Branch does not hesitate as it approaches the Loop, diving headfirst into the westward Main Stem of the river, deflecting south, flowing as one.\
In commemoration of the iconic river intersection, Chicago created the municipal device - a Y-shaped symbol representing the three branches converging at Wolf Point. The mark, embedded throughout the architecture of Chicago, is subtly engrained throughout the city – on the cornerstones of civic buildings, the undersides of bridges and etched into the consciousness along Navy Pier. Although it began as a simple show of two waterways uniting, its meaning has transformed in today’s Chicago.
Over the last 200 years, waves of immigrants have splashed upon the shores inhabiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods. On summer evenings, communities spread cultural pride as street festivals fill the lakefront air. Just as two branches of the river come from wide expanses to join together, the citizens of this city, representing four stars and one badge, become one under the Chicago name.
Below, the Fire coaching staff, captain Logan Pause and forward Chris Rolfe model the new t-shirts in front of the "Tradition. Honor. Passion." taglines in the Fire locker room...