Courtney Cronin
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Courtney Cronin
ESPN Employees Author
- Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, initially masking the Minnesota Vikings earlier than switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Across the Horn and host of Finest Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She additionally co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She beforehand labored on the San Jose Mercury Information as a multimedia sports activities journalist.
Kalyn Kahler
CloseKalyn Kahler
ESPN
- Kalyn Kahler is a senior NFL author at ESPN. Kalyn experiences on a spread of NFL subjects. She reported concerning the affect of teaching brokers on NFL hiring and came upon what present and former Cowboys gamers actually take into consideration the tour teams of followers that roam about The Star on daily basis. Earlier than becoming a member of ESPN in July of 2024, Kalyn wrote for The Athletic, Defector, Bleacher Report and Sports activities Illustrated. She started her profession at Sports activities Illustrated as NFL columnist Peter King's assistant. She is a graduate of Northwestern College, the place she was a varsity cheerleader. In her free time, Kalyn takes Spanish courses and teaches Irish dance. You'll be able to attain out to Kalyn through electronic mail.
CHICAGO — Ari Levy, the co-owner of the Chicago hot-dog stand The Wieners Circle, was scrolling by social media whereas watching the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Payments sport final Thursday when a second of inspiration struck.
Levy, 46, noticed a daring declaration on X that was selecting up steam.
“Ollie Gordon scores an anytime landing and I am going to textual content my ex, who's getting married on Saturday, that I nonetheless love her,” the put up learn.
Gordon, a Dolphins working again, discovered the tip zone on a 2-yard run with 6:29 to play within the first quarter of Miami's 31-21 loss. The retweets and likes — over 44,000 — poured in and piqued Levy's curiosity to create a promotion between his hot-dog stand and his favourite soccer crew, the Chicago Bears.
“It obtained me considering, what can we do to simply get in on the enjoyable?” Levy informed ESPN. “What's a considerably unbelievable however achievable quantity for [quarterback] Caleb [Williams] to hit? I checked out some knowledge and thought there was perhaps a 5 to 10 p.c probability that he would hit [four touchdowns]. He did it as soon as final yr, so I assumed we might get in on it.”
The subsequent morning, Levy fired off a put up on X. As Williams and the Bears appeared for his or her first win of the season, followers in Chicago can be handled to free sizzling canines on Sept. 23 if the quarterback threw 4 landing passes, one thing he did as a rookie in a win over Jacksonville.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 21, 2025
The put up was reshared over 1,700 occasions and obtained greater than 7,900 likes. Late Sunday afternoon, as Levy watched the Bears take down the Dallas Cowboys 34-14 whereas Williams threw landing passes to broad receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, DJ Moore and tight finish Cole Kmet, The Wieners Circle co-owner was shocked when he heard the quarterback acknowledge his restaurant's promotion.
“I've heard concerning the four-touchdown factor,” Williams mentioned postgame. “Congrats, all people, you bought free sizzling canines.”
The Wieners Circle ordered an additional 2,000 sizzling canines forward of Tuesday's giveaway the place patrons may go to the Lincoln Park location for a free sizzling canine between 11 a.m. and eight p.m., or till they ran out. Levy credited Chicago-based bread firm S. Rosen's for donating 2,000 poppyseed buns to assist the giveaway.
By midday on a sunny September Tuesday, the road stretched up Clark Road and across the nook of Drummond Place. Native information vehicles arrange in entrance of the well-known hot-dog stand to seize the scene. Automobiles drove by with the home windows rolled down and shouted, “Go Bears!”
When the Vienna Beef hot-dog truck whizzed by and honked its horn, the road of lots of of Bears followers and Chicagoans patiently awaiting their free sizzling canines cheered.
Rain or shine, Chicago confirmed up 🌭 pic.twitter.com/ZciXzGfsKM
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 23, 2025
Jose Figueroa, who calls himself the “No. 1 Bears fan” pumped up the group as they waited, strolling backwards and forwards in entrance of the road on the sidewalk. “Let's go Bears!” he shouted again and again as he waved his arms.
Figueroa, a Bucktown resident, wore an apron with a Chicago-style sizzling canine on it that might cross him for a Wieners Circle worker, however he was there in an unofficial capability.
“I obtained right here at 8 a.m.,” he mentioned. “I am simply volunteering and needed to come back down and convey everybody collectively.”
Gina Parentino and Michael Dad or mum had the day without work from work, so that they waited an hour in line for his or her free sizzling canines. Dad or mum mentioned he was nonetheless residing off of the '85 Bears however is feeling optimistic now concerning the 2025 crew.
“If Sunday was a preview of what we will hold getting, that is nice,” Dad or mum mentioned.
Parentino added: “If the Cubs can win after 108 years, Bears can win after simply 40, we obtained this.”
Joe Patrick, 67, a lifelong Bears fan, was fishing Tuesday morning close by on Lake Michigan.
“I like The Wiener Circle, and I used to be within the neighborhood, so I would be loopy to not come and assist the Bears,” Patrick mentioned. “The Bears are going to win each sport till they lose one, after which they'll win each sport after that till they lose that one.”
José Figueroa is the unofficial hype man for the Weiner's Circle and the Bears today- retaining the group going in the course of the hour lengthy await promised 4 touchdowns without cost canines promotion. He obtained right here at 8 am pic.twitter.com/lAAZIFfzFb
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) September 23, 2025
Allison Miller and Davin Strouse waited in step with their golden retriever, Clark, who donned a Bears jersey for the event. Miller and Strouse moved to Chicago six years in the past and have gone to 1 Bears sport a yr since.
They had been sitting within the North finish zone Sunday and counting Williams' landing passes. They'd seen The Wieners Circle's put up about free sizzling canines if Williams handed for 4 touchdowns, however they did not assume it will ever occur.
“Most likely not,” Miller mentioned.
“With the best way the season has gone,” Strouse mentioned, “however he hit two fairly fast, and that flea-flicker was fairly outstanding.”
When Williams had three landing passes by halftime, Miller and Strouse began speaking about the opportunity of free sizzling canines with the opposite Bears followers of their part, and when Moore caught the fourth landing within the north finish zone, proper in entrance of them, all of them high-fived to their free hot-dog future and the Bears' win.
“The trick performs and even the scheme offers you plenty of hope,” Strouse mentioned. “And the best way Caleb performed on Sunday, hopefully it is a turning level.”
