I want to take you back to the year 2002. While the 1990s may have been a good time for some Chicago sports teams, it was a forgettable decade for the Chicago Bears. With the start of a new century, fans of the team were excited for a new era. The on-field product may have been sub-standard, but excitement for the team was at a high. The Bears would draft or acquire future team icons such as Brian Urlacher (2000), Lance Briggs (2003), Charles Tillman (2003) and Roberto Garza (2005). While the Bears front office assembled what would become an eventual Super Bowl-caliber team, other parties were active in building the team’s future at Soldier Field.
Fast forward to 2022; nearly twenty years after the renovations, the Chicago Bears are again trying to move out of the city. This time, the Bears are trying to follow a clear and concise plan that avoids drama from the previous renovation. The Bears have their eyes set on Arlington Heights iconic race track, Arlington International Racecourse. Interest climaxed when in September 2021, the Bears bought the 326 acre property for $197.2 million.
While nothing is officially confirmed, the team has done everything they can do to express their desire to leave. The team recently had a town hall meeting at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, where Phillips made it clear they have no “Plan B” and are singularly focused on this property. A move to Arlington Heights would enable team owners to keep profits, while building a Chicago Bears mecca for fans of the team.
Many believe the McCaskey family is taking inspiration from Robert Kraft’s “Patriot Place” or the Green Bay Packers “Titletown”. These areas offer fans various shopping outlets for team gear as well as top notch entertainment. This comes after Bears Chairman, George McCaskey, reiterated the sentiment saying the team needed a “world-class” home after 100 years. Ted Phillips would back this by saying, “We will not be discussing any other alternative sites, including renovations of Soldier Field.”
Image courtesy of Hart Howerton and Chicago Bears
What makes the situation complicated is the Bears agreement with Chicago’s Park
District and Soldier Field. According to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, “The Bears’ lease for Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the organization can break that lease by paying a fee of $84 million as early as 2026.”
This could still work in the Bears’ favor, though, as the tandem of McCaskey and Philips assured fans this was a long term plan. The development and construction would ideally take ten years, but Phillips noted the stadium would likely be finished sooner.
While no decision is confirmed, the Bears will have to make an official decision sooner rather than later. If everything goes as planned with city officials in Arlington Heights, it would be hard to see the Bears not moving there. But the team will need to figure out funding for the project. The team does not want to rely on taxpayer dollars for the stadium, but it would like to use that money on land development surrounding the stadium.
This comes as Illinois state Rep. Kam Bucker (D-Chicago) urged the General Assembly to, “take all necessary steps to ensure that no state or local taxpayer money is used in the construction of new professional sport stadiums.”
While Buckner has made his stance known on taxpayer dollars funding the stadium, he is in favor of continuing to build up Chicago’s public transit system. This comes in the aftermath of COVID-19 and unreliable transportation, as well as ongoing crime in the city.
Going up the chain, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) reiterated a similar stance when talking about tax payer dollars subsidizing a billion dollar stadium. Pritzker claimed he would leave the decision up to the city and is looking to avoid this route on the state level.
“I can just tell you at the state level, we’re focused on balancing the budget and maintaining our positive course, in terms of fiscal balance, getting credit upgrades and having a strong fiscal plan,” Pritzker said in October 2021.
Current Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) expressed her displeasure in June with the Bears’ excitement to find a new home.
“Our city is home to some of the world’s finest sports teams who have played a vital role in the city’s re-opening,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “As part of the city’s recovery, many organizations are doubling down on their commitment to Chicago, and we expect the Chicago Bears to follow suit.”
She would follow this by saying, “And like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October. Everything else is noise”.
Elaborating further, Lightfoot briefly entertained the idea of bringing a second NFL team to the city in a Sept. 6 press conference. This could cause complications with Soldier Field’s second tennant, the Chicago Fire. The Fire are tired of poor field conditions, scheduling conflicts between them and the Bears and other issues with the Chicago Parks District.
Fans in favor of a new stadium want to move out of Soldier Field for a variety of reasons. The largest reason being poor game day experiences. Soldier Field has a notorious reputation amongst fans for having few parking lots and a tedious walk to the stadium. In addition to that, Chicago is the third largest market in the United States with the smallest seating capacity stadium in the NFL. Heavy foot traffic and a cluttered concourse make for an aggravating experience.
On the flip side, there is still a segment of fans that would like the team to remain at Soldier Field, or at the very least Chicago. Soldier Field was built in 1924, making it the oldest standing NFL stadium in the United States.
Interestingly enough, the Chicago Bears first played in Wrigley Field after their move from Decatur, IL in 1921. This would be the team’s home for 51 years until they moved again in 1971 to downtown Chicago for Soldier Field. The Bears have now spent 51 years at Soldier Field, tying their time at Wrigley Field.
Outside of history, there are also fans that would like the team to play at the same stadium as some of the all-time Chicago Bear greats. This includes Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Brian Urlacher, Matt Forte and recent players like Khalil Mack.
While Lightfoot might not be wrong about her latter comment, it is not a good look for the mayor of the city you play in to publicly call you out. Especially when the team is expressing interest in leaving the city boundaries.
Soon after, Lightfoot and her team shared with the Bears their early concepts for a renovated Soldier Field. This included building a dome over the stadium, rebuilding the end zones and increasing seating to 71,000. The Bears rebuked Lightfoot and stated they were standing by their previous statement.
Image courtesy of Landmark Development
While the Bears are rich in history, it is time to create new legacies and better entertainment. This team is entering a new age with a new quarterback, a new head coach and new general manager. If the Bears truly want to have a fresh start, a new stadium would go a long way.