I moved back to Chicago in August of 2022 after three years in Nashville and had heard that the city was literally dying from the inside out. As a lifelong Chicagoan prior to this, it pained me to hear that not only were people leaving the city in droves for all sorts of reasons, but that Chicago was no longer a tentpole city that all Americans should visit. We took the kids down to the city for the summer and stayed in a hotel in the thick of things and I was shocked by the amount of tourists in the area hitting up all the major sites. There is no doubt in my mind that if this stadium gets built, it will be a hotspot for tourists who fly in for a long weekend and want to see all the things near the loop. The location is literally a short cab ride away from where people will be staying and/or visiting. I honestly think tourists and casual fans will eat up the experience if done right.
I also went to San Diego last year for spring break and hit up their stadium and it has a very similar feel to this proposal. And I was literally blown away about how it’s just part of the city and how the little plaza outside of it was actually a cool way to partake in the game without even being in the park. It was just such a different experience from the Rate or any other stadium that’s in the field of parking lots and I say that as someone who grew tailgating in lots A, B, & C. To me, this is a no doubt game changer for the franchise and while there will be some Sox fans impacted by the location (including myself), I think the greater revenue profile that comes with it will be worth those sacrifices.
I also hate Jerry Reinsdorf more than just about anyone, but if he can truly pull this off without any new state money (and carrying forward the existing hotel tax would be ok with me with certain caveats) then I don’t care that that he “wins” again per se. I just want championship level baseball on the south side before my elderly parents leave this world and my 10 & 7 year sons become actual adults who have experienced nothing but losing. This franchise hit a new low point in terms of hope, but this new stadium along with a new ownership group (which a new stadium could help accelerate) would almost certainly transform the franchise and hopefully allow us to finally become a best in class, major market franchise. That’s more important to me than Jerry’s kids inheriting a couple hundred million more upon his death.