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Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:38:10 GMT
There aren't very many music acts that can fill Soldier Field. The ones that can prefer to play at Wrigley Field anyway.
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Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:38:53 GMT
And, yeah, the Bears will push Arlington Heights hard for money and/or tax breaks.
Certainly they'll want road/access improvements, which they won't pay for.
And, they'll likely get it too. Arlington Heights can't just have a huge, empty plot. A mixed use development, that includes a stadium, training complex, as well as housing, retail, and park land would be a very attractive development.
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Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:40:57 GMT
Here's a crazy thought ... what about the White Sox there? Lack of neighborhood amenities aside, doesn't their current stadium work pretty well for them? And, while Soldier Field is closer to downtown, I think they'd face a lot of the same problems the Bears face, and they might have a hard time getting a properly dimensioned stadium in the footprint they would be working with.
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Post by YankeeFan on Sept 29, 2021 17:47:06 GMT
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. There aren't very many music acts that can fill Soldier Field. The ones that can prefer to play at Wrigley Field anyway. The attractiveness of Soldier Field for a college game is that it's both close to a lot of alumni, and a fun destination for others. A long weekend in Chicago, that includes going to a game, is a lot more attractive than a long weekend in the suburbs. Wrigley has done well with concerts the last few years, but they're restricted on the number of dates in their deal with the city, and, obviously, by the Cubs schedule. I'd also credit a lot of that success in booking bands to the work done by the Cubs/the Ricketts family, not necessarily to the venue, though the uniqueness of it certainly add some charm. You are right that there are few stadium acts these days though. Might have to put together multiple act shows to draw that kind of crowd.
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Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 17:56:30 GMT
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. There aren't very many music acts that can fill Soldier Field. The ones that can prefer to play at Wrigley Field anyway. You are right that there are few stadium acts these days though. Might have to put together multiple act shows to draw that kind of crowd. And that seems to be the way things are going, right? Think of the Green Day/Weezer/FallOut Boy show. Or the Alanis/Liz Phair/Garbage tour.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 18:06:36 GMT
Chicago is a garbage city run by garbage people. It deserves a garbage football team. But even more, it deserves to lose an NFL franchise.
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Post by dirtybird on Sept 29, 2021 18:10:43 GMT
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. You live there, so you'll be able to better speak to it, but I always felt like Chicago was kind of a mediocre sport for a neutral site sporting event. Visiting the city is great, don't get me wrong. But I think it requires a level of intentionality and local knowledge. It's not a place you roll into, go to the bar district and hang out with good food nearby. (Wrigleyville being an exception)
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Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 18:17:19 GMT
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. You live there, so you'll be able to better speak to it, but I always felt like Chicago was kind of a mediocre sport for a neutral site sporting event. Visiting the city is great, don't get me wrong. But I think it requires a level of intentionality and local knowledge. It's not a place you roll into, go to the bar district and hang out with good food nearby. (Wrigleyville being an exception) I think this is mostly true. Sports writers rave about, for example, Indianapolis, because everything you need is located in a walkable downtown.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 18:19:15 GMT
You live there, so you'll be able to better speak to it, but I always felt like Chicago was kind of a mediocre sport for a neutral site sporting event. Visiting the city is great, don't get me wrong. But I think it requires a level of intentionality and local knowledge. It's not a place you roll into, go to the bar district and hang out with good food nearby. (Wrigleyville being an exception) I think this is mostly true. Sports writers rave about, for example, Indianapolis, because everything you need is located in a walkable downtown. Nashville,too. Soldier Field is in an awkward spot, and the city is too big for an outsider to enjoy if they are just dropping in for a day.
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Post by ecwyanks on Sept 29, 2021 18:56:39 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. There's a pretty big mall with a water park and indoor skiing. There's still some land around it, but it's pretty developed. The turnpike is right there which leads to the GW Bridge, Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. Traffic already is pretty crazy. There's a lot of people for a state that isn't that big.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 20:05:24 GMT
There is the new mall, but the Giants and Jets don’t control any of it. Bears are seeking to copy what the Rams are doing. Or look to what the Packers and St. Louis Cardinals have done with associated developments.
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Post by Whitman on Sept 29, 2021 20:12:47 GMT
There is new mall, but the Giants and Jets don’t control any of it. Bears are seeking to copy what the Rams are doing. Or look to what the Packers and St. Louis Cardinals have done with associated developments. The Cubs, too.
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Post by ecwyanks on Sept 29, 2021 20:51:45 GMT
There is new mall, but the Giants and Jets don’t control any of it. Bears are seeking to copy what the Rams are doing. Or look to what the Packers and St. Louis Cardinals have done with associated developments. Correct. and the state isn't going to sell land, which is very limited, to either of those teams. They can push all they want, there's a lot less land in NJ than Missouri or Wisconsin.
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Post by dirtybird on Sept 29, 2021 23:02:20 GMT
You live there, so you'll be able to better speak to it, but I always felt like Chicago was kind of a mediocre sport for a neutral site sporting event. Visiting the city is great, don't get me wrong. But I think it requires a level of intentionality and local knowledge. It's not a place you roll into, go to the bar district and hang out with good food nearby. (Wrigleyville being an exception) I think this is mostly true. Sports writers rave about, for example, Indianapolis, because everything you need is located in a walkable downtown. Indy was the counterpart I'm thinking of. It's just loaded with places where you can drop in and be pretty content (also, Indy has phenominal traffic flow during events, something I don't totally understand but appreciate). I have friends and Chicago, and every time we go, we end up a great dive bars, hole in the wall food places, etc. But without guides, I would have no idea. And they're always neighborhood spots and always kinda a trek. You can find much better stuff in Chicago than Indy, but you'll work for it.
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Post by sharky, Hunter’s text buddy on Sept 30, 2021 2:13:13 GMT
Nobody wants to talk about the demise of arguably the most beautiful racetrack in the country?
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