Chicago Bears bought Arlington Heights track only to build next to Soldier Field?

[ISUTex]

Our little trick leaving Wrigley Field was to walk a few blocks north to the Irving Park/Sheridan train stop, get on going southbound, and enjoy our choice of seats while the train pulls up to the masses at Addison.

We usually stop somewhere and eat pizza afterwards. Trains clear up after an hour or so.

 

[JP4CY]

Unless you want it open for Concerts during the Spring/Summer.

That's a good point. USBank is domed, New LA is domed, new Allegiant is domed, Ford is domed.

First time I've seen a retractable that was open in a while was the Cowboys night game recently.

 

[Rabbuk]

That's a good point. USBank is domed, New LA is domed, new Allegiant is domed, Ford is domed.

First time I've seen a retractable that was open in a while was the Cowboys night game recently.

I think the Chicago fire might play at soldier field again now too, not sure when that season is

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Dome. Even the stadiums with retractables are closed most of the time anyway.

And just a regular Dome. It cost a fortune for US Bank to be able to darken the translucent roof for the Final Four.

I can't even imagine how many Final Fours, Super Bowls, WrestleManias that Chicago has left on the table by not having a venue for them.

 

[HFCS]

I think the Chicago fire might play at soldier field again now too, not sure when that season is

I went to a couple Fire games and while the soccer specific stadium is cool, Soldier field is small and tight as well. Seems like an ideal way to keep growing the team and league to play somewhere like that permanently and you always have potential out of town vacation families there unlike current MLS stadium that will never draw in many tourists. The two games I attended were pretty good crowd.

MLS season avoids the majority of lakefront horrific cold weather.


***edit, I guess they moved back to Soldier Field in 2020. Not sure if covid related or just something they'd have done anyway.

 

[Rabbuk]

I went to a couple Fire games and while the soccer specific stadium is cool, Soldier field is small and tight as well. Seems like an ideal way to keep growing the team and league to play somewhere like that permanently and you always have potential out of town vacation families there unlike current MLS stadium that will never draw in many tourists. The two games I attended were pretty good crowd.

MLS season avoids the majority of lakefront horrific cold weather.

I thought their Bridgeport(?) Stadium was really cool when I went. It was packed and no bad seats.

 

[HFCS]

I thought their Bridgeport(?) Stadium was really cool when I went. It was packed and no bad seats.

Yeah I liked it and it wasn't a huge hassle to park. I guess they moved back to Soldier Field in 2020 but not sure why.

Because tickets are reasonable it'd be a great family vacation activity at Soldier Field. Sox tickets are a good value too but no way I'd take a family to Cubs/Bulls/Bears for what tickets were when I last checked. I'd be upgrading the hotel before considering dropping that kind of money.

 

[cyfan92]

Retractable roofs are very 2010. It's a gigantic waste of money since they are closed 99% of the time. Especially in a cold weather climate

 

[VeloClone]

Okay living about 10-15 minutes from this property let me see if I can get my pluses and minuses out.

Minus - Leaving the city of Chicago, I believe Chicago is the only city with all four major sports within the city limits.
You lose history, although one can argue the mistake by the lake took care of that.
I am sure they will lose some city fans that come to games/events, but the Bears really don't care about Soldier Field.

Positives - You go from a 7 acre site to one with over 300 acres
The stadium will be easier to get to, the Metra already has a stop at the location and I am sure an expansion of transit will happen.
Stadium will be 5 minutes from a major highway, and have plenty of parking.
The ability to approach the stadium from 360 degrees will be helpful. Getting in an out of Soldier Field is a nightmare it literally takes longer than the game, and with the limited parking, impacts the ability to tailgate.

There has been some rumbling that this is a step to making the team attractive to a buyer. Virginia is old, and if rumors are true the family won't be able to pay the estate tax when she passes, so they will be forced to sell at that point, no clue if that is just rumor or if there is truth in it. This just gives them a really attractive option to build a state of the art stadium and entertainment complex. This is the way forward for NFL franchises, hell Balmer is doing it with the Clippers.

I think it makes a ton of sense, and frankly look forward to going to a game there if this ultimately happens. I haven't been to Soldier field since 2013 and I don't have any plans to ever go back. Just way to difficult to get to. Honestly the only reason I would go to Soldier Field now is if ISU played there, which is very unlikely.

And since the Fire moved back to Soldier Field you can throw MLS in there.

Its not all one city, but the Twin Cities have all of their teams in the two main downtowns with MLB, NBA and NFL in Minneapolis and NHL and MLS in St. Paul. None of them are in the suburbs.

EDIT: I guess I should have kept reading since that appears to have already been covered.

 

[JM4CY]

Dome. Even the stadiums with retractables are closed most of the time anyway.

And just a regular Dome. It cost a fortune for US Bank to be able to darken the translucent roof for the Final Four.

I can't even imagine how many Final Fours, Super Bowls, WrestleManias that Chicago has left on the table by not having a venue for them.

Do WrestleManias sell out football stadiums?

 

[BigJCy]

Do WrestleManias sell out football stadiums?

Yes

 

[VeloClone]

Probably nice back in the day to be next to the airport.
TBH I think the new Twins park was done really well. TWolves arena is a dump. They should just fold the franchise or play in StP.

Its still one of the oldest arenas in the NBA, but they did sink a big chunk of money into it a few years ago so it isn't as bad as it was 10 years ago.

 

[VeloClone]

I agree. The Twins ballpark is terrific. US Bank stadium is nice, too. Put both in Bloomington, with all the parking lot room and easy access... BOOM. You got something good. And safer than downtown as well.

You may have a point about US Bank parking but Target Field has about the best parking possible. There are three GIANT ramps that connect directly to Target Field and you can get into all three ramps without ever driving on a city street if you choose since they have direct access to/from 394 and 94.

There is no place for tailgating if that is your thing before an MLB game though.

 

[deadeyededric]

Seriously doubt they will tear down a recently renovated stadium to sell off the land to developers, especially park land along the lake.

The stadium will be a financial drain if it sits empty.

 

[KnappShack]

The stadium will be a financial drain if it sits empty.

If the chitty can fool tourists into thinking Navy Pier is a destination then there's gotta be something they put into that space.

Maybe a Bubba Gump Shrimp and Ed Debevics combo to start

 

[HFCS]

And since the Fire moved back to Soldier Field you can throw MLS in there.

Its not all one city, but the Twin Cities have all of their teams in the two main downtowns with MLB, NBA and NFL in Minneapolis and NHL and MLS in St. Paul. None of them are in the suburbs.

EDIT: I guess I should have kept reading since that appears to have already been covered.

Wrigley being a classic historic stadium where it is works and adds a ton vs any other stadium and location, rebuild the thing brick by brick if you ever have to. Sox location is better than people think, yeah it's not a great area but it's near downtown and right on the red line. UC location is worse than both of those (not as bad as some say) but the actual facility is great and parking, while expensive, is not that difficult to deal with on game days.

Soldier Field's location is amazing (even though it makes it extra cold being RIGHT on the lake) but the capacity is a killer. #2 sports market in the United States has the smallest stadium in the NFL? That has been a horrible reality for years.

If the Cyclones ever play a game in Chicago in September it would be way more fun to have it at Soldier field even if this stadium in the western burbs is the best in the world. I had a great time with Iowa fans when they took it over for the NIU game.

 

[JP4CY]

Sounds like the deal was $200 million.
Bears will move to Arlington Heights in 2026.

 

[Die4Cy]

Next step is to make the hard break from the city of Chicago and officially decline to negotiate over a future at Soldier Field. Then, we will get to see mock ups of the new stadium. You know they have them already. So let's get to it.

 

[everyyard]

Wrigley Field is a ******* nightmare to get to. Parking is an expensive joke and the neighborhood has been transformed into a Ricketts family playground.

For the Bears they will have a world class stadium that they own. It can be used for year round events and help support additional development in the area.

From a Bears perspective it's a complete win. Soldier Field is a dump. It's not easy to get to. They don't own it and they have to play around with the Chicago Parks District who can't seem to figure out how to even keep a decent playing surface.

Soldier Field is not an NFL level stadium and maybe it never was.

who the **** parks at Wrigley?!?

 

[cyfan92]

Next step is to make the hard break from the city of Chicago and officially decline to negotiate over a future at Soldier Field. Then, we will get to see mock ups of the new stadium. You know they have them already. So let's get to it.

Already have concepts for the move to Arlington Heights



Source: https://midwayminute.win/the-arlington-heights-bears/