8 hours ago, Harry Chappas said:

The Bears in Arlington will sell out.  NFL doesnt give a s%*# about optics they put two teams in LA that nobody wants,

If Chicago lines up Khan and the $2B renovation why wouldnt he move.

The Bears somehow ponying up a billion dollars seems out of character to me but maybe Virgina is assumed to sell but that appears to be a JR scenario.  The Bears are cheaper than the White Sox.

Virginia is 100. She won't be selling and will never see the Bears play in AH.

2 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Literally the most overplayed incorrect meatball stuff in Chicago. 

You are right when it comes to player salaries as there is a cap that they need to abide by.

It has changed in the last 5 years with the enhancements at Lake Forest but non player spending on coaching, staff and other organizational costs always lagged and was a large talking point about coaches building staffs.

Warren's hiring appears to signify a change in philosophy so maybe you are right but this is an organization that put nothing into the product and now is going to spend over a billion dollars to take on the risk of Arlington....sorry that I continue to ask this questions especially if the answer is out there.  I find it similar to the Chicago mayoral candidates with all their "ideas" but no rational plan to implement.

Maybe COVID hammered the cubs in Wrigleyville but their billion dollar investment isn't running as smoothly and this is the Bears plan from what I can tell.

 

1 hour ago, Harry Chappas said:

You are right when it comes to player salaries as there is a cap that they need to abide by.

It has changed in the last 5 years with the enhancements at Lake Forest but non player spending on coaching, staff and other organizational costs always lagged and was a large talking point about coaches building staffs.

Warren's hiring appears to signify a change in philosophy so maybe you are right but this is an organization that put nothing into the product and now is going to spend over a billion dollars to take on the risk of Arlington....sorry that I continue to ask this questions especially if the answer is out there.  I find it similar to the Chicago mayoral candidates with all their "ideas" but no rational plan to implement.

Maybe COVID hammered the cubs in Wrigleyville but their billion dollar investment isn't running as smoothly and this is the Bears plan from what I can tell.

 

Man they been spending money since Lovie was the coach.  This isn’t the 80s and 90s anymore, NFL teams all spend money like it’s going out of style.  The mccaskeys just bought a billion dollar plot in AH and told you they plan on financing most of it themselves and you respond with “they are so cheap” it’s just such a weird knee jerk response that makes zero sense anymore.  Now if you want to complain about HOW they spend, have at it,  they have made a lot of bad personnel decisions, but they haven’t been cheap for a long time

On 2/6/2023 at 11:42 AM, greg775 said:

Without getting political, this (to me) is one of the biggest stories in Chicago sports history and (at least I) you don't hear much about it. Again I don't want to force my political views out here (everybody who reads my comments know I'm not a fan of my city anymore cause of my perception of leadership at top) but it seems to me there's not nuff outrage that a huge city like Chicago is losing its NFL team to a place called Arlington Heights. To me it's a collosal loss for the city, but again, maybe that's just me. I'd think there'd be outrage for a lot of people regarding this situation. Peace out as always and may debris from a balloon never fall your way.

1. Arlington Heights is 35 minutes away from Solider Field. Let's stop pretending the Bears are moving to Calgary. 

2. Anyone that has gone to a game at Solider Field the last decade (plus) knows how much of a nightmare it is to get there and leave, not to mention the stadium always having the worst field conditions in the league 

3. Because of the location, there is very little room for expansion (the video the city created in a last ditch effort is a bigger fantasy than Star Wars) and Arlington Heights will allow them to create an entire entertainment district around the stadium, plus allow the franchise to actually own the building and make it a venue that can be used 365 days out of the year. 

Most Bears fans are excited/optimistic about the idea of the Bears finally leaving Solider.  

18 minutes ago, Tony said:

 plus allow the franchise to actually own the building and make it a venue that can be used 365 days out of the year.

This would include a Super Bowl, Final Four, and a CFP Championship, three events that Chicago is never getting without it.

2 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Man they been spending money since Lovie was the coach.  This isn’t the 80s and 90s anymore, NFL teams all spend money like it’s going out of style.  The mccaskeys just bought a billion dollar plot in AH and told you they plan on financing most of it themselves and you respond with “they are so cheap” it’s just such a weird knee jerk response that makes zero sense anymore.  Now if you want to complain about HOW they spend, have at it,  they have made a lot of bad personnel decisions, but they haven’t been cheap for a long time

Warren was the first time I would agree with you.  Poles and Eberflus may work out but there is no history to dictate that.  The fact that Ted Phillips was running that franchise with a McCaskey was laughable and no way indicative of a professionally sports run franchise.

Other than Angelo and Lovie, I always felt their GM and coach had no authority in building a franchise. 

Maybe Warren does but he also could be a short term guy if Goddell moves on.

Maybe the McCaskey family sold off shares and now have a more functioning organization with a real Board that is making these decisions 

 

 

37 minutes ago, CentralChamps21 said:

This would include a Super Bowl, Final Four, and a CFP Championship, three events that Chicago is never getting without it.

Correct. On top of it, the Bears would own the stadium, so concerts and other events the Bears weren't seeing of that money. This would change a lot of things for the better with the Bears

52 minutes ago, Harry Chappas said:

Warren was the first time I would agree with you.  Poles and Eberflus may work out but there is no history to dictate that.  The fact that Ted Phillips was running that franchise with a McCaskey was laughable and no way indicative of a professionally sports run franchise.

Other than Angelo and Lovie, I always felt their GM and coach had no authority in building a franchise. 

Maybe Warren does but he also could be a short term guy if Goddell moves on.

Maybe the McCaskey family sold off shares and now have a more functioning organization with a real Board that is making these decisions 

 

 

Like none of this supports your theory that they are cheap.  In fact I’m not even sure what you are agreeing with me for

30 minutes ago, Tony said:

Correct. On top of it, the Bears would own the stadium, so concerts and other events the Bears weren't seeing of that money. This would change a lot of things for the better with the Bears

Do people who live in Dallas piss and moan that the cowboys aren’t anywhere near Dallas?  The giants and jets literally play in another state lmao.  49ers are in San Jose, right?  It’s just silly.  If you built an entire city from the ground up then you can talk about the perfect spot for a stadium but we don’t have that luxury and unfortunately that location is a traffic trap 

58 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Do people who live in Dallas piss and moan that the cowboys aren’t anywhere near Dallas?  The giants and jets literally play in another state lmao.  49ers are in San Jose, right?  It’s just silly.  If you built an entire city from the ground up then you can talk about the perfect spot for a stadium but we don’t have that luxury and unfortunately that location is a traffic trap 

This entire topic came about from a very un-educated person on the subject. As you said, this doesn't seem to be an issue for any other team that doesn't actually play in the city that's in their name, but for whatever reason, the Bears simply CAN'T MOVE away from the city of Chicago. It's meatball, old-world thinking. The Bears have made plenty of mistakes over the years, no one is denying that, but they have also been hamstrung by their stadium for years. 

1 minute ago, Tony said:

This entire topic came about from a very un-educated person on the subject. As you said, this doesn't seem to be an issue for any other team that doesn't actually play in the city that's in their name, but for whatever reason, the Bears simply CAN'T MOVE away from the city of Chicago. It's meatball, old-world thinking. The Bears have made plenty of mistakes over the years, no one is denying that, but they have also been hamstrung by their stadium for years. 

I can’t imagine many teams have to get permission from the city park district to make changes

3 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

I can’t imagine many teams have to get permission from the city park district to make changes

What I find a bit remarkable about this situation is that moving the Bears to Arlington Heights seems to be the best for the Bears, almost certainly the best for the city of Chicago, definitely the best for AH and the whole urban area if they're actually able to build this entertainment district,  but hurts a couple of very specific, provincial interests, and therefore mayor after mayor of Chicago keeps trying to keep them in Soldier Field to protect those interests. 

12 minutes ago, Tony said:

This entire topic came about from a very un-educated person on the subject. As you said, this doesn't seem to be an issue for any other team that doesn't actually play in the city that's in their name, but for whatever reason, the Bears simply CAN'T MOVE away from the city of Chicago. It's meatball, old-world thinking. The Bears have made plenty of mistakes over the years, no one is denying that, but they have also been hamstrung by their stadium for years. 

The NY teams don't even play in the same state their names suggest.

8 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

What I find a bit remarkable about this situation is that moving the Bears to Arlington Heights seems to be the best for the Bears, almost certainly the best for the city of Chicago, definitely the best for AH and the whole urban area if they're actually able to build this entertainment district,  but hurts a couple of very specific, provincial interests, and therefore mayor after mayor of Chicago keeps trying to keep them in Soldier Field to protect those interests. 

It definitely is a show off toy for those specific interest parties and it becomes a bit less thrilling when you gotta take I 90 to get there 

1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

What I find a bit remarkable about this situation is that moving the Bears to Arlington Heights seems to be the best for the Bears, almost certainly the best for the city of Chicago, definitely the best for AH and the whole urban area if they're actually able to build this entertainment district,  but hurts a couple of very specific, provincial interests, and therefore mayor after mayor of Chicago keeps trying to keep them in Soldier Field to protect those interests. 

If a team ever moves, be it 30 miles or 800 miles away, there are always going to be parties that get hurt by it. That's business. The Bears don't owe the city of Chicago anything, quite frankly. 

45 minutes ago, Tony said:

If a team ever moves, be it 30 miles or 800 miles away, there are always going to be parties that get hurt by it. That's business. The Bears don't owe the city of Chicago anything, quite frankly. 

And Jerry as the next owner up with a stadium lease expiration is just thrilled.

 

14 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

And Jerry as the next owner up with a stadium lease expiration is just thrilled.

I don't think baseball can work as well in the suburbs as football. There are only 8-9 home games and they're almost all on weekends.

Baseball has 81 home games on all days of the week. Moving any direction from the city really hurts your attendance from one part of the metro area.

On 2/6/2023 at 11:42 AM, greg775 said:

Without getting political, this (to me) is one of the biggest stories in Chicago sports history and (at least I) you don't hear much about it. Again I don't want to force my political views out here (everybody who reads my comments know I'm not a fan of my city anymore cause of my perception of leadership at top) but it seems to me there's not nuff outrage that a huge city like Chicago is losing its NFL team to a place called Arlington Heights. To me it's a collosal loss for the city, but again, maybe that's just me. I'd think there'd be outrage for a lot of people regarding this situation. Peace out as always and may debris from a balloon never fall your way.

The Chicago Tribune has consistently covered this story and the hosts on 670 the Score have talked about it quite a bit. If you grew up going to Bears games you would know what a pain it is to get to and from them after parking your car. It’s a loss for Chicago’s revenues, but this is something that is bound to happen so many people are indifferent or are happy about it. Some Arlington Heights residents are upset about it because they don’t want their town to turn into Wrigleyville and are worried about their tax bills getting hit, but their home valuations will rise.

On 2/6/2023 at 12:09 PM, Harry Chappas said:

Is there any reporting on how the stadium will be financed?  If Chicago does renovate the current Soldier Field and puts a second team there, that would be interesting......or Jacksonville moving into Arlington as well.

 

Tax plan proposal filed in Springfield that could aid Bears’ proposed Arlington Heights development

Per the Chicago Tribune article:

“Legislation was filed in Springfield on Monday that could help the Chicago Bears finance their proposed development in Arlington Heights by freezing the property tax assessment on the former Arlington International Racecourse property for up to 40 years.

The plan, which would require the Bears to invest at least $500 million in converting the 326-acre site to a stadium and surrounding mixed-use development, has been floated for weeks and is being met with some skepticism, even from the state lawmaker who filed the legislation.”

On 2/6/2023 at 11:10 PM, Harry Chappas said:

The Bears in Arlington will sell out.  NFL doesnt give a s%*# about optics they put two teams in LA that nobody wants,

If Chicago lines up Khan and the $2B renovation why wouldnt he move.

The Bears somehow ponying up a billion dollars seems out of character to me but maybe Virgina is assumed to sell but that appears to be a JR scenario.  The Bears are cheaper than the White Sox.

I discussed the bolded with two people at work who live in Illinois and they looked at me funny. Like why would the Jacksonville Jaguars want to come to Chicago and play in this cold and in Soldier Field. They didn’t think the town was large enough to have two football teams. My counter was Khan’s connection to Illinois, the fact that there will be a vacant stadium that he could upgrade and the fact that a team from Jacksonville could jump at the chance of being in the Chicago market.

1 hour ago, The Beast said:

I discussed the bolded with two people at work who live in Illinois and they looked at me funny. Like why would the Jacksonville Jaguars want to come to Chicago and play in this cold and in Soldier Field. They didn’t think the town was large enough to have two football teams. My counter was Khan’s connection to Illinois, the fact that there will be a vacant stadium that he could upgrade and the fact that a team from Jacksonville could jump at the chance of being in the Chicago market.

I think Chicago can definitely support a second NFL team but from what I understand the Bears can block another team from moving to Chicago which they would most certainly do.  George McCaskey must have been elated when the Cardinals left town.    No more local competition for football fans.

19 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Like none of this supports your theory that they are cheap.  In fact I’m not even sure what you are agreeing with me for

I stated that it appears that they are trending away from being cheap.  But one year ago they went with the same plan on GM and head coach and until recently they were run by their team accountant and life long employee.  So I am not ready just yet to say that they team is going to be in on financing potential $1B plus deals.

Maybe this is all Pat Ryan's doing and his move to own the team some day.  If so then it all makes sense.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, The Beast said:

I discussed the bolded with two people at work who live in Illinois and they looked at me funny. Like why would the Jacksonville Jaguars want to come to Chicago and play in this cold and in Soldier Field. They didn’t think the town was large enough to have two football teams. My counter was Khan’s connection to Illinois, the fact that there will be a vacant stadium that he could upgrade and the fact that a team from Jacksonville could jump at the chance of being in the Chicago market.

LA has shown you don't yet fans to back the team, just the owners and the NFL.  The Bears get Arlington - Khan gets Soldier Field and a EPL game comes to the U.S.

Edited February 8, 20233 yr by Harry Chappas

2 hours ago, The Beast said:

I discussed the bolded with two people at work who live in Illinois and they looked at me funny. Like why would the Jacksonville Jaguars want to come to Chicago and play in this cold and in Soldier Field. They didn’t think the town was large enough to have two football teams. My counter was Khan’s connection to Illinois, the fact that there will be a vacant stadium that he could upgrade and the fact that a team from Jacksonville could jump at the chance of being in the Chicago market.

They wouldn't. There's zero chance the Jaguars come to play in Soldier Field when there's a much, much better stadium 20 miles away.

There's no way the Jaguars move to Chicago. Jacksonville has 1.7M in the metro area, the stadium is in a decent location, the weather is great, and it's the only pro sports team around here. The team is finally pretty good and the city rallied behind them.

No pro football team is moving to be in Soldier Field unless the city spends billions and completely disrupts the south loop and museum campus for years.

22 hours ago, Tony said:

1. Arlington Heights is 35 minutes away from Solider Field. Let's stop pretending the Bears are moving to Calgary. 

2. Anyone that has gone to a game at Solider Field the last decade (plus) knows how much of a nightmare it is to get there and leave, not to mention the stadium always having the worst field conditions in the league 

3. Because of the location, there is very little room for expansion (the video the city created in a last ditch effort is a bigger fantasy than Star Wars) and Arlington Heights will allow them to create an entire entertainment district around the stadium, plus allow the franchise to actually own the building and make it a venue that can be used 365 days out of the year. 

Most Bears fans are excited/optimistic about the idea of the Bears finally leaving Solider.  

Arlington Heights is 35 minutes away at 5AM on a Sunday morning maybe.  It is a 90 minute plus drive at 4:00PM on a Friday afternoon easy.