Are Bears fans so confident that their team will roll an opponent with a losing record that they're already thinking about the NFC Conference Championship? Have they gotten soft in this January weather? Saving their money for a Verizon iPhone? Whatever the reason, demand is lagging for tickets for the Sunday's Bears-Seahawks playoff game at Soldier Field. more ›

As the playoffs approach, postseason tickets for the Cubs and Sox have become the hot commodity around town. And if you're a fan wondering why it's so much harder to get playoff tickets this year than in previous years, there's a simple answer: the teams are releasing fewer seats than ever to the general public. Season ticket holders account for roughly 22,000 of Wrigley's 42,000 seats. Officials aren't saying how many seats were set aside for the general public (a Cubs lottery for tickets garnered over 600,000 applicants), and a growing number of seats are set aside for MLB employees, players, celebrities, and local politicians: aldermen have the option of buying "two tickets for every Cubs home playoff game at face value and can also pay for access to a Sox skybox for each game." more ›

Because those Ticketmaster fees just aren't enough of a pain in the ass, the City of Chicago is suing websites eBay and StubHub, claiming that as "reseller agents," the sites are required to an amusement tax on sports and cultural events tickets sold on the sites under a Chicago ordinance. If the city succeeds, future purchases on these sites could see an additional tax of up to 8% tacked on to the price. The two websites have vowed to fight the lawsuit, issuing a joint statement:

"We do not believe that the City's Amusement Tax applies to either eBay's or StubHub's business models nor do we believe that the Amusement Tax can properly be assessed here. We intend to fight this litigation vigorously."