The Chicago White Sox welcomed romance novel enthusiasts to their stadium on April 24 during the team’s ‘Windy City Series’ Night, an event honoring the popular sports-themed romance novels by Liz Tomforde. The event featured a sold-out promotional ticket package that included a limited edition White Sox version of Tomforde’s latest book, “In Her Own League,” and a meet-and-greet with the author for 250 VIP attendees.
The promotion drew in a new group of fans who are not typically associated with baseball games. Members of a local romance book club linked to The Last Chapter, which is described as the city’s first bookstore dedicated solely to romance novels, attended and participated in activities such as posing for photos at a themed booth. Tori Callais, who organizes the book club, said, “All of Liz’s books follow a different athlete. Each book has their own love stories, but it’s all collective friend group with shared characters. So you have a lot of found family and themes encouraging community building.”
Tomforde threw out the first pitch before the game against the Washington Nationals and met with fans who received copies of her newest release. Her Windy City Series consists of five novels featuring interconnected love stories among Chicago-based athletes and is currently being adapted into a television series by Amazon.
Rachel, an attendee at Friday’s game who declined to give her last name, praised Tomforde’s attention to detail in her writing: “I’m here tonight because I’ve read a lot of [Tomforde’s] books. Her writing is really realistic, especially as a sports fan. She gets it right. I’ve been into sports my whole life, and seeing her write about sports is cool to see.”
According to organizers from The Last Chapter bookstore, events like this help introduce new audiences—particularly women—to sporting environments they might not otherwise visit.
The White Sox have planned several other themed nights aimed at non-traditional baseball fans throughout their season.
