DePaul VP of Facilities: New Arena to be "Wrigley Field South"

Everyone involved with DePaul Athletics is incredibly excited about their new arena on the shores of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago.

It's easy to see why. The Blue Demons currently play at the Rosemont Horizon, a building located 12 miles off-campus down a constantly clogged expressway.

Spearheading the excitement is DePaul's Vice President of Facilities and Operations Bob Janis. When asked about the development and progress of the new arena, Janis had the following to say,

"There is just going to be a whole new synergy and dynamic down here, and we're going to be right in the middle of everything," Janis said. "They are going to call it the DePaul version of Wrigley Field on the south end of the Loop." - DePaul VP of Facilities Bob Janis on new arena's impact

On one hand, it's easy to roll your eyes and laugh Janis' comment off. DePaul has a habit of being a laughingstock, of sorts, on the internet these days.

I'm not going to do that, though. I'm going to, instead, admire and appreciate Janis' optimism. The Chicago Cubs represent everything every Chicago sports team should want to be at the moment. For the Blue Demons to aspire to be similar is lofty, albeit (technically) achievable.

Janis' Wrigley comparison makes sense for another reason, too. It was announced last week that a neighborhood would be developed near the Lakefront Arena.

A big key to returning DePaul to its once great status is having a footprint in Chicago.

That's exactly what the Blue Demons are trying to do here.