6 minutes ago, Mouthsider said:

I’m a Gen Z myself, and honestly my friends and I couldn’t give a s%*# if a new stadium is in the South Loop. That alone doesn’t do anything for us casuals besides make the stadium further away/harder to get to. What really matters is that they make the area around it convenient to hang out around. They’d need to put up bars, pubs, etc. and mimic the Wrigleyville model, and that would need to occur in parallel to the construction of a stadium.

However, that’s also why I don’t understand why they can’t just develop the sea of parking lots around 35th and Shields. My buds and I already have bars around there that we like (ok, only Cork and Turtles, but those are the only convenient options), and we would love it if there were more options available. So it kind of feels like they’re not even giving the existing location a chance.

Then again, there’s the potential of building an Oracle Park-style stadium where dingers land in the Chicago River, so who am I to complain.

They probably have zero interest in upkeep and remodel costs going forward to keep the stadium in top shape and also develop the land anymore. At this point they just want NEW. And I get it with Ishbia, he wants his own palace and doesn’t want to be saddled with whatever costs come up at Guaranteed rate once he owns it

39 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

They probably have zero interest in upkeep and remodel costs going forward to keep the stadium in top shape and also develop the land anymore. At this point they just want NEW. And I get it with Ishbia, he wants his own palace and doesn’t want to be saddled with whatever costs come up at Guaranteed rate once he owns it

I agree.

Soxtalk's junk filter works like a charm! It even blocks out idiotic laugh emojis.

3 hours ago, Mouthsider said:

I’m a Gen Z myself, and honestly my friends and I couldn’t give a s%*# if a new stadium is in the South Loop. That alone doesn’t do anything for us casuals besides make the stadium further away/harder to get to. What really matters is that they make the area around it convenient to hang out around. They’d need to put up bars, pubs, etc. and mimic the Wrigleyville model, and that would need to occur in parallel to the construction of a stadium.

However, that’s also why I don’t understand why they can’t just develop the sea of parking lots around 35th and Shields. My buds and I already have bars around there that we like (ok, only Cork and Turtles, but those are the only convenient options), and we would love it if there were more options available. So it kind of feels like they’re not even giving the existing location a chance.

Then again, there’s the potential of building an Oracle Park-style stadium where dingers land in the Chicago River, so who am I to complain.

3 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

They probably have zero interest in upkeep and remodel costs going forward to keep the stadium in top shape and also develop the land anymore. At this point they just want NEW. And I get it with Ishbia, he wants his own palace and doesn’t want to be saddled with whatever costs come up at Guaranteed rate once he owns it

Yeah, that's the key - building up a thriving "district" around the ballpark no matter where they end up - even if they stay at 35th St.

To answer @Kyyle23 's point, the problem is that remodeling isn't going to fix some key design flaws. I've been to a number of other ballparks and most have lots of decent seats in the 200 and 300 level if lower deck seats are not available before you really get pushed to the bad upper deck seats. At Rate Field, after the lower bowl there is a very small (only 5 rows deep) 300 club section before you get pushed all the way to the 500 level. The lower deck only has something like 22k seats with maybe another 3k or so for the pricey club level. After that, fans are in the 500 level, which the Sox have had problems selling tickets for over the years. Also, many other popular parks have the lower concourse at street level, too, which makes the park feel more connected to its surroundings.

One answer would be to build a new ballpark on the site of Old Comiskey and then build up a stadium district around it. Maybe Ishbia ends up there if the Amtrak development falls through. Would that work in drawing casual fans and would businesses in a surrounding stadium district there thrive the 280 days a year the Sox aren't playing a home game?

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by 77 Hitmen