Chicago City Wire

Amy Jacobson, co-host of Chicago’s Morning Answer, said she was recently disallowed from directly asking Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot why Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the only district in the state not playing sports. 

Jacobson said she wanted to ask Lightfoot why CPS was not playing sports at a news conference held in the South Shore Cultural Center.

“The press conference took place in a cavernous room with plenty of seating,” Jacobson said in an email. “All chairs 6 feet apart I found one off to the left of the lectern. I wasn't even there 5 minutes when a woman approached me and told me 'You have to leave. We have a pool reporter who is the only one allowed to ask questions.’”

Jacobson said she wouldn’t be leaving because it was a public place. She also showed her press pass and said she was wearing a mask and complying with all other regulations.

Jacobson said just in case she wasn’t allowed to ask her question to Lightfoot, she texted her question to the pool reporter, Mary Ann Ahern, who asked for her.

In what the Chicago Sun Times called a comment sending shockwaves across prep sports communites Lightfoot said it wasn’t Chicago’s call to play or not.

“Obviously, we’re going to follow the guidance of the Illinois State Board of Education, but also the Illinois High School Association,” Lightfoot said, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’ve been anxiously waiting for further guidance from them. As an unrepentant sports fan myself, I’d like to see kids get back. There’s some loosening of the guidelines to let some non-contact sports happen. But . . . as far as I know, we haven’t seen anything that’s specific to, for example, high school basketball. So I’d like to see us move in that direction, but the state really controls the play, no pun intended, on that issue.”

Jacobson said she later asked the mayor’s press secretary, Jordan Troy, and questioned why WIND was not allowed to be part of the radio pool for reporters and Troy told her they may make changes soon to allow more reporters in.

“I then gave her some unsolicited advice,” Jacobson said. “I said it's your job and those around the Mayor to let her know what is going on via sports. I reminded her that a number of NBA players came out of the Chicago Public Schools Basketball League. That thousand, millions of scholarship dollars are being lost due to a stoppage in sports. I told her the positivity rate is lower than it was in the fall when we had Cross Country, and Swimming. I reminded her that 567 children/teenagers have been shot since last March and 83 have died.”

Jacobson said children are dying from suicide and violence because they have nothing to look forward to because sports have been canceled.

“Recently my oldest had a breakdown,” Jacobson said. “He said ‘Mom you get to leave the house to go to work. We sleep here, eat here and learn here from 8am—3pm.' So YES sports would get them out of the house. A chance to live rather than exist. Do the right thing and #LETTHEMPLAY now!!!”

Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health announced in January that schools could play basketball and several other sports. CPS was given an extra week, allowing the district to play basketball until March 20, if the season starts.

Jacobson said other teams have already played several games.

“Our @chicagosmayor does not know that the ENTIRE State is playing BASKETBALL except for CPS!” Jacobson tweeted. “Some suburban teams have already played 3 games. God help us...Please tweet photos of BB games to show her that @ihsa @JBPritzker gave the green light 2 wks ago(.)” 

Jacobson urged CPS CEO Janice Jackson to sign off on allowing students to play sports immediately.

“The problem is @chicagosmayor learned TODAY that the entire State, even suburban schools, have been cleared by @IHSA_IL to play Basketball,” Jacobson tweeted. “@CPSuccessCHI is the only school district not playing BB, swim and cheer. We need @janicejackson to sign off on this now.”