|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 16:53:05 GMT
The Chicago Bears are likely headed to the suburbs - the team has agreed to purchase 300-plus acres of land that currently includes Arlington International Racecourse. Chicago Bears sign a $197.2m purchase agreement for Arlington Heights racetrack land - taking the next step in a potential move from Soldier FieldI'm sure there are some competitors, but I would be hard pressed to name a bigger stadium blunder than the new Solider Field. It looks like a monstrosity rising out of the museum campus on the lakefront, and it has the smallest capacity of any stadium in the NFL. All in order to preserve a few ridiculous columns from the prior stadium. Incidentally, Mayor Lori Lightfoot's initial reaction to the Bears interest in Arlington was to Tweet in June that the team should "focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October." |
|
|
|
Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 16:59:08 GMT
Was just going to post this.
It actually makes sense, and will probably happen. Teams need to own their stadiums in order to maximize revenue. They just can't do that at Soldier Field.
The sports book thing is apparently a big deal, and so are the naming rights.
And, they'll have a lot of land to develop in Arlington Heights.
It does seem that the Soldier Field redevelopment was a big waste of money. It looks like a space ship crashed into the stadium. And, it's still the smallest capacity in the league, because, and Dick mentions, they're shoehorned in by Lake Shore Drive, and the WWI memorial columns.
|
|
|
|
Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:00:27 GMT
My auto mechanic has the auto racing picture in his office.
|
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:03:15 GMT
I only listened to the radio in the morning, but the universal reaction seems to be positive, from both fans and media. People aren't particularly sentimental, I guess, about the Bears being on the lakefront in the city. People just want a winning football team.
|
|
|
|
Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:07:41 GMT
I only listened to the radio in the morning, but the universal reaction seems to be positive, from both fans and media. People aren't particularly sentimental, I guess, about the Bears being on the lakefront in the city. People just want a winning football team. For Baseball/hockey/basketball, with games happening on weeknights, it makes sense to be downtown, near the business community. But, for a weekly event, like football, where people are coming from home, that's much less important. And, the Bears fanbase is definitely based in the North/Northwest suburbs. And, despite being right downtown, Soldier Field is kind of a pain in the ass to get to, even from the city. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 17:10:15 GMT
The team can do whatever it wants if it doesn’t seek public funding. But they will be asking for money, right?
|
|
|
|
Post by TheSportsPredictor on Sept 29, 2021 17:12:41 GMT
They’d probably tear down Soldier Field and redevelop that space in two minutes, right? Many cities it would sit there unused for decades.
|
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:18:05 GMT
They’d probably tear down Soldier Field and redevelop that space in two minutes, right? Many cities it would sit there unused for decades. Either that or try to lure the Jags or an expansion team. |
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:19:05 GMT
The team can do whatever it wants if it doesn’t seek public funding. But they will be asking for money, right? I would guess so, although I think they want to own the stadium. Current Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Park District, and that's a problem. |
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:20:40 GMT
I only listened to the radio in the morning, but the universal reaction seems to be positive, from both fans and media. People aren't particularly sentimental, I guess, about the Bears being on the lakefront in the city. People just want a winning football team. For Baseball/hockey/basketball, with games happening on weeknights, it makes sense to be downtown, near the business community. But, for a weekly event, like football, where people are coming from home, that's much less important. As you know, there is very little around Soldier Field, other than the museums. Compare, even, to Notre Dame Stadium these days. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 17:25:15 GMT
I am surprised the Giants and Jets didn’t make more of a push to develop the Meadowlands, since they don’t get the same revenues the Rams will get from SoFi Stadium.
|
|
|
|
Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:32:06 GMT
For Baseball/hockey/basketball, with games happening on weeknights, it makes sense to be downtown, near the business community. But, for a weekly event, like football, where people are coming from home, that's much less important. As you know, there is very little around Soldier Field, other than the museums. Compare, even, to Notre Dame Stadium these days. Yep. My brother was in town for the Wisconsin - Notre Dame game. Just walking to from any restaurant/bar/hotel is kind of a hump. And, there's not enough good parking nearby for an actual tailgating scene. |
|
|
|
Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:36:22 GMT
The team can do whatever it wants if it doesn’t seek public funding. But they will be asking for money, right? I would guess so, although I think they want to own the stadium. Current Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Park District, and that's a problem. I don't think they will (or basically can) tear down Soldier Field. That it's a WWI monument makes it hard for the Bears, but for the same reason they can't tear down the columns to expand the stadium, they can't tear them down to demolish the stadium. And, because it's on park land, it's not like they can just build condos there. The MLS team plays there. If the Bears were to move out, it probably gives the park district a lot more flexibility. I think they'd get a lot more aggressive about booking concerts, and I think they would look to add more Big 10 games, and games from other Midwest schools. Every school in the Midwest has a big alumni base here, which makes a game here attractive. |
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:36:33 GMT
Here's a crazy thought ... what about the White Sox there?
|
|
|
|
Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:37:38 GMT
I would guess so, although I think they want to own the stadium. Current Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Park District, and that's a problem. I don't think they will (or basically can) tear down Soldier Field. That it's a WWI monument makes it hard for the Bears, but for the same reason they can't tear down the columns to expand the stadium, they can't tear them down to demolish the stadium. And, because it's on park land, it's not like they can just build condos there. The MLS team plays there. If the Bears were to move out, it probably gives the park district a lot more flexibility. I think they'd get a lot more aggressive about booking concerts, and I think they would look to add more Big 10 games, and games from other Midwest schools. Every school in the Midwest has a big alumni base here, which makes a game here attractive. The attractiveness of playing college games at Soldier Field is that it is an NFL stadium. Guess where those schools are going to want to play those games in the future? Hint: Not Soldier Field. |
|
