Shoot for the hoop — Champion is an electromechanical single-player from Chicago Coin, one of the pioneering names of the earliest coin-op amusement industry, wrapped in a basketball theme. With light-based scoring, it’s a genuine antique from the formative decades of the modern game, celebrating the fast-break thrill of the hardwood.
The available details on this early machine are modest, as they often are for the oldest titles, but what we know places it firmly in its era: it offered the classic arcade proposition of five balls per game, that irresistible bit of value that drew players to the glass generation after generation. Chicago Coin was one of the industry’s true foundational manufacturers, active in the decades when pinball was still finding its form, and machines bearing its name connect the hobby to its deepest roots. The basketball theme was a perennial favorite, universally appealing and easy to enjoy, giving the machine a cheerful, sporty charm typical of the era’s athletic titles.
Champion is a piece of history for the collector who cherishes the earliest chapters of the hobby and the pioneering companies that built it. Documentation on the specifics is thin, which only adds to the intrigue for those who love chasing pinball’s forgotten corners. It’s a machine that trades deep rules and flashy toys for the simple, honest charm of its era, the kind of piece treasured for its history and its provenance. For anyone who reveres the roots of the game and the timeless appeal of basketball, it’s a worthy find — a relic from an age when the whole industry was young. Drop your coin, keep the ball alive, and shoot for the championship. Some machines are cherished for where they come from, and this Chicago Coin classic is one of them. (Note: available data on this title is limited.)