77 Hitmen

Maybe Jerry needs to hire a good PR guy to do all the talking to the public. Every time he opens his mouth, he pisses off and alienates the fan base. This is just who he is and he's been a walking PR disaster for 43 years. The man is completely incapable of showing even an ounce of empathy to the fans. I have to wonder if Related Midwest does a collective face palm every time they read another JR quote in the media. As someone who hopes this new park gets built, I just hope Jerry is better at talking to the politicians than he is at talking to the fans.

I agree, but unfortunately that's not the world we live in. The Amazons, Foxconns, etc. get huge tax breaks. Billionaire sports owners get hundreds of millions in public funds for new stadiums, some of which only last 20 years. I agree that this sucks, but that's the way things are. As a Sox fan, I don't want my team to be the one "line in the sand" that is drawn against this. That being said, JR has to concede something. If his current ask isn't just an opening bid, but his last and final bid, then he's not going to get this approved.

That's not going to happen in a million years. The Cleveland lawsuit to keep the Browns history for an expansion team was pretty much the only time this has ever happened. Also, if the Sox move away, there's not going to be any new 2nd team coming. It'll be the Cubs only in Chicago, period. Nobody is moving here to play in Bridgeport. And yes, I totally sympathize for your reason for feeling this way!

I'm simply amazed at how many Sox fans actually want this team to move to another city than even a single public dime go to what looks like a fantastic new park. This has to be the only fanbase where die hard fans are willing to tell their elected officials to let their team leave. This isn't Cubs fans saying this, it's die hard Sox fans. Are there other fan bases where the diehards are so outraged at the idea of any public funding for a new stadium to the point of hoping their team moves away? Because just about every other team gets a ton of public money for new stadiums or massive renovations. Are Brewers, Diamondbacks, Titans, etc. fans hoping their state/city tells the team to go "pound sand" and move away? What about the Cleveland Guardians and Browns fans? I could list most MLB and NFL teams. We Sox fans must be one of a kind. And to clarify, I don't want the city/state to just had over a $1B check to JR without him spending any of his own money. That's what negotiations are for. The whole issue is very nuanced too with the hotel tax money being used and the huge debt owed on Soldier Field that the city could get some relief from with this deal. Anyone who thinks that, if the Sox moved to Nashville, the hotel tax will be redirected to much-needed social programs is fooling themselves. It'll either just go away or used to go towards Bears stadium needs.

Excellent summary. It's a very complex issue. It's not as simple as telling JR to take a jump off the top of the Sears Tower (or the GRF upper deck). I don't want a $1B hand out to him so that his family can sell the team for hundreds of millions more without him putting up a huge chuck of his own money toward this, but I can imagine there's a possible deal to be had here where both sides can get something they want.

Seems like the Bears deal is much worse. The renovated Soldier Field opened in 2003 and the McCaskeys wanted out less than 20 years later with the city/state still on the hook for $600M in payments on the Soldier Field reno. And can you imagine the outrage if it was Reinsdorf who was battling school districts now over property tax money? And I'm not saying this as a JR defender by any means. He's been a horrible owner and is now playing the "relocation" card to try to get the government to pick up the entire tab on this new stadium project.

Who is this new shareholder?

That was my thought. That Soldier Field repayment is totally backloaded and the city will be on the hook to make huge payments in the near future (by 2033?) if the hotel tax can't cover it. This gives them somewhat of a break from that awful deal. The Sox Machine podcast with Justin Laurence of Crain's has a pretty good discussion on it.

At least one of the Reps was Kelly Cassidy, whose district includes the Rogers Park part of the city.

But they don't need a unanimous vote to pass any stadium funding legislation, right? Having 3 legislators saying no way in hell doesn't mean this is doomed.

The-Money-Will-Be-Spent Field Also, add these features to the park in a nod to the Reinsdorf era: SportsVision Lounge "A Seat At The Table" Picnic Area Ribbie and Roobarb Kids Area White Flag Patio '94 Work Stoppage Bar and Grill