Chicago is about to get its own baseball circus. The new co-ed sportstainment team, the Chicago Snowballs, is set to debut on May 3, 2026, at Kerry Wood Field. The franchise is promising tight two-hour shows that blend legitimate baseball with circus acts, dance, and heavy crowd interaction, part family night, part variety show.
The Snowballs are billing themselves as "pro baseball's first co-ed sportstainment experience" and say players will receive salary plus profit sharing, with equal pay for men and women. As reported by NBC Chicago, the club plans to tour the Midwest and stage season-length shows that put crowd fun front and center.
Open tryouts ran in early January at the Rosemont Dome as the Snowballs looked for players who could both play and perform. As CBS Chicago reported, organizers were searching for "multi-talented athletes" such as the shortstop who plays an instrument or the outfielder who juggles, and callbacks followed. Time Out Chicago also highlighted the club's call for entertainers and performers alongside traditional baseball skills.
The numbers suggest the concept has an audience. The Chicago Tribune reporting shows that more than 650 people began the application process last year, roughly 300 finished it and about 100 prospects were invited to the January tryout week. The Tribune also notes the organization held its first full practice on Feb. 17 at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex dome and that owners claim thousands of fans are on a waitlist for tickets. "It literally is kids on a playground," CEO Cherie Travis told the Tribune, summing up the club's playful approach.
Where They’ll Play
The Snowballs will open at Kerry Wood Field on the city's North Side, a community ballpark used for high school and neighborhood games. The Chicago Park District lists the facility at 3400 N. Rockwell with seating for roughly 1,250 spectators. Local coverage has already noted plans for a Midwest tour, with stops outside the city discussed in regional reporting by The Telegraph.
A Show, But Still Baseball
Founders say the project is inspired by spectacle brands such as the Savannah Bananas and the Harlem Globetrotters, but insist the on-field product will still feature real competition. A team press release described each Snowballs event as a two-hour experience where players "become favorites not just for how they play, but for how they make people feel," and emphasized equal pay and profit sharing for male and female players. Coaches on the roster blend performance backgrounds with traditional coaching experience to balance stunts and strategy, according to GlobeNewswire.
Who Made the Cut
The inaugural roster is intentionally eclectic. The Chicago Tribune reports the Snowballs drafted players who work as firefighters, actors, IT managers, teachers, musicians and photographers, reflecting the local, mixed-background casting the owners wanted. The organization has also tapped youth-sports leaders and college coaches to its advisory ranks, a combination meant to keep the baseball credible even while the club leans into theater, according to the Tribune.
Tickets and Next Auditions
Demand appears strong already. The team's website invites fans to join a "founding fan list" and notes additional public auditions scheduled in March. The Snowballs have posted their first draftees and an audition calendar on Chicago Snowballs, and say they will publish ticketing details and community partnerships as the season approaches.
