Metra is already in Arlington Heights! Double-decker trains are fun before/after games.
Chicago Bears bought Arlington Heights track only to build next to Soldier Field?
- Thread starter JP4CY
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Metra is already in Arlington Heights! Double-decker trains are fun before/after games.
Yeah, I do t see how the bears walk away from their 200million purchase and go to another city. It’s possible, but I never thought the McCaskys as being overtly wealthy like other owners.
Also, waiting for La Fox to join the bidding war
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It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It's my understanding the Soldier Field renovation isn't even close to being paid for.
Now the Bears are going back to the public well for funding? Will this need to pass a vote? Are the Bears shortsided in not having their own SoFi or AT&T in AH? With team control and ownership?
I have full faith the Bears and they dying state will **** it up. 100% until proven otherwise
The Bears don't have near the cash that Rams/Cowboys have. No where even close.
With the White Sox wanting a new stadium as well, I can't imagine asking the public for funding going over very well.
The City-Cook County-State of Illinois should give Reinsdorf a truck full of U-Haul boxes and send his ass to Nashville
There is significant different support levels of the Bears vs the White Sox for Chicago/Cook Co./Illinois. I could see support of the Bears while not supporting the Sox.
Yes, just to the South of it.
Issue Bears going to have is there is this "Friends of the Parks" group that will be headache for them and probably hold it up.
Yes, they are looking to build a domed stadium, just South of Soldier Field. It will still be Chicago Park District property though. I understand it's a beautiful location, but it has zero pre-game entertainment opportunities as it's all park/expressway/trains around that area.
"Friends of the Parks" stopped them from building the Obama Library, which actually included a lot of stuff to actually help citizens. I can't imagine a new stadium taking up more park space is going to go over well with them.
The Bears have to be one of the worst run organizations in the NFL. They are all about immediate savings and tax breaks instead of building something for the future. They won't be able to own anything immediate to Soldier Field. Passing on Arlington is a dumb idea, imo. And this coming from a guy who lives near Arlington Park, isn't crazy about the Bears going there and it would make my life a nightmare at times.
While I agree, there is no shortage of developers and investors in the area that they could raise the funds and control the stadium. Everyone I know thinks this is the stupidest idea, they are not getting any of the items they wanted with a new stadium, not control and revenue, not extra parking/ease of attendance, probably not that much more capacity.
Counting on the city to fix the transit to that area is unlikely the city doesn't have the money.
Putting my tinfoil hat on, I think the Bears don't view this as viable, but also don't want to be the reason the Bears leave the city. They will go through this process, the City won't be able to get the funds, as public funding of this is very unpopular. It will be the city's fault that the Bears move to AH.
All that said, it is totally on brand for the bears to be short sighted, and make a bad decision. They will end up in the same situation in 20 years they are in now, and everyone will wonder why.
Also, are we sure Kevin Warren is smart? Didn't impress with the B1G for me, mainly pissed a lot of people off, then ran to the bears. Ziggy in Minn is pretty smart and got a decent deal for a downtown stadium, but that is a much smaller city, that isn't guarded by a body of water on one side and doesn't have the same political issues Chicago does.
The Bears' ownership has been awful under the McCaskeys. They nickel and dime everything and require the breaks as that family only makes their money through the Bears, whereas most NFL teams' owners already got their money from other avenues.
I've been to a few games (and concerts) at Soldier Field and haven't been impressed at all with the lackluster tailgating and nearby restaurants/bars. Most go directly to the stadium from the train and back afterwards.
The McCaskey's only money is in the Bears and that's why the franchise has been so mismanaged, they aren't business people.
Building downtown where you don't control anything and can't develop around it is just an asinine decision. Best thing that could possibly happen as this point is for Virginia to die, the family can sell to someone that actually has money and the Arlington Heights plan can go forward.
Building downtown where you don't control anything and can't develop around it is just an asinine decision. Best thing that could possibly happen as this point is for Virginia to die, the family can sell to someone that actually has money and the Arlington Heights plan can go forward.
Arlington Heights school district overplayed their hand.
From what I have heard, the plan will likely replace the parking south of Soldier Field and replace Solider Field with more park space to try and appease Friends of the Park. Then the parking will likely be replaced and shared with the new White Sox development at "the 78".
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As a Packer fan who has been to Soldier field a few times. I always thought the Arlington option was a great thing for the bears. They could really make some money with a Cytown or Title Town type of area. That is the way of the future. It seams they had the right idea and now they have decided that the right idea was going to be the right idea and well, the Bears can't do the right idea. They have to make the wrong move every single time and that is not just Packers smack talk. It's actually funny watching the comedy of errors The Bears make.
We don't need more "Lifestyle centers" in the suburbs designed to extract as much money out of your wallet as possible.
There is a perfectly good downtown right freaking there. More stadiums need to be built in downtowns and make them more accessible by walking/transit.
There is a perfectly good downtown right freaking there. More stadiums need to be built in downtowns and make them more accessible by walking/transit.
I hate downtown stadiums. No parking and all of that. I would rather spend 20 or 30 bucks to park by the stadium and be able to not worry about taking transit. It's also freazing in Chicago for half the season and it's miserable trying to get to the stadium if you don't have a spot.
This would be yet another example of the Bears ownership failures. They just don't get how to run a successful sports organization, outside of just raking in cash from millions of legacy Bears fans. I grew up a Bears fan but gave up on them 15 years ago and have rooted for them to lose every game until they get new ownership. These past 15 years have been quite enjoyable for me watching them fail. But hey, they still have the '85 team and the fans still bring that up often. I have to remind them that was almost 40 years ago.
