CHICAGO | Da Bears | Now these shitheads wanna drive their clown car over to Indiana?

[twister244]

Originally Posted by left of center

Could be. Johnson has not made it a secret that he is willing to have the city fund the Bears stadium, despite the city's dire financial straits. He isn't exactly the best with money matters however. Hopefully there is enough opposition in City Hall to keep him from handing the Bears org a blank check.

Frankly I am ready for them to go. Bears have been an absolutely awful team for almost the entirety of my life. The only reason I watch football anymore is for my fantasy leagues

Johnson has absolutely zero political capital to stand on for funding an NFL stadium. It was already pretty bad before, but with the whole "point of no return" story we just had - Forget it.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by twister244

Johnson has absolutely zero political capital to stand on for funding an NFL stadium. It was already pretty bad before, but with the whole "point of no return" story we just had - Forget it.

If Johnson was shrewd or actually politically savvy in any way, he’d start talking to the White Sox org to fill the gap at Soldier Field…and not because they need/want to go there (even though it does seem logical if they want to be closer to downtown, like the 78 proposal from last year), but also as a bargaining tool to call any bluff the Bears are making.

If the Bears do legitimately want to leave the lakefront, bye, Felicia…even though it’s such a breathtakingly stupid move. But it’s a big enough space to fill with another team, and wouldn’t cost relatively more to renovate it into a baseball park, compared to building a new stadium from the ground up.

[MorganChi]

Originally Posted by sentinel

If Johnson was shrewd or actually politically savvy in any way, he’d start talking to the White Sox org to fill the gap at Soldier Field…and not because they need/want to go there (even though it does seem logical if they want to be closer to downtown, like the 78 proposal from last year), but also as a bargaining tool to call any bluff the Bears are making.

If the Bears do legitimately want to leave the lakefront, bye, Felicia…even though it’s such a breathtakingly stupid move. But it’s a big enough space to fill with another team, and wouldn’t cost relatively more to renovate it into a baseball park, compared to building a new stadium from the ground up.

Another NFL franchise ?

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by MorganChi

Another NFL franchise ?

Potentially; Chicago is big enough to maybe have two franchises…but the logistics of that, especially getting the league to agree to expanding to include a new franchise (assuming there are no existing teams that would relocate), and given that there are any other cities that don’t even have one team…I think that would be a much harder option than trying to get an existing, local team on board.

[Chi-Sky21]

Sox park is fine, no reason to leave especially when they pay so little. I don't even think the lakefront there is a good place for a baseball park. 81 games with crowds if they are good right where everyone wants to be during the summer? Not the best planning. The NFL will NEVER give another city TWO teams. Only way we get a new team is if Bears leave the state and that makes no sense for them.

[left of center]

Not to mention that its difficult to get to Soldier Field with transit, whereas Sox Park is right off the red line. I think their current home is just fine. They simply need to redevelop all the parking lots around the stadium, ala the Bulls at the UC (which ironically is also owned by Reinsdorf). All the infrastructure is already there, streets, utilities, etc. The organization just needs the vision to pull it off.

[DCReid]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Potentially; Chicago is big enough to maybe have two franchises…but the logistics of that, especially getting the league to agree to expanding to include a new franchise (assuming there are no existing teams that would relocate), and given that there are any other cities that don’t even have one team…I think that would be a much harder option than trying to get an existing, local team on board.

Not getting another franchise with all of the other cities/metros competing, some of which are growing rapidly like Orlando. One could argue that Central Texas could get one, but Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys apparently will not allow that. Chicago had the Cardinals but they moved in 1960 first to St Louis and are now in Phoenix.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Sox park is fine, no reason to leave especially when they pay so little. I don't even think the lakefront there is a good place for a baseball park. 81 games with crowds if they are good right where everyone wants to be during the summer? Not the best planning. The NFL will NEVER give another city TWO teams. Only way we get a new team is if Bears leave the state and that makes no sense for them.

Sox park is not fine (and that is the fault of the Sox). It is charmless and utilitarian to the core. Baseball parks, more than just about any other entertainment venue, need their signature and uniqueness to draw fans in when a team is mediocre. There are many activities for people to do in the summer, and when you ask them to spend $50-200 for three hours, you'd better have something more than just your great fast food offerings.

Sox Park will never be that place. MAYBE if the Sox built up their lots into a real community that could change, but even then, that is a big if. The stadium itself is always likely to be lacking in character.

I don't even think the lakefront there is a good place for a baseball park.

Maybe. Or it could be the coolest and most unique location in all of MLB that would bring in hordes of tourists and the downtown crowd. Watching dingers being blasted up into the west colonades over left field would be an epic view. Then watching them being out to right field with the Field Museum in view would be nearly as cool. The stadium would/could have loads of personality. Something sorely lacking at The Rate.

I think with substantial reconfiguring, it could be an epic stadium. With 25k fewer seats than the current configuration, it wouldn't be as snarly to get in/out. Sprinkle in a modest downtown trolley/ light rail line to the museum campus/SF, and it could have a good chance of success.

[Chi-Sky21]

So you want a 15k seat stadium? hahahahahah. I mean i know our attendance is down but you gotta be joking. And like i said, most sox fans i know have no problem with the current park. We like to go tailgate and go to the game. Or hit up chinatown and take the redline 1 stop. No big deal. But to each his own. Most of us would rather the new owner just put a good product on the field. THAT is all that matters. And the reality is, people coming to see a ball park are going to Wrigley not sox park new or old.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

So you want a 15k seat stadium? hahahahahah. I mean i know our attendance is down but you gotta be joking. And like i said, most sox fans i know have no problem with the current park. We like to go tailgate and go to the game. Or hit up chinatown and take the redline 1 stop. No big deal. But to each his own. Most of us would rather the new owner just put a good product on the field. THAT is all that matters. And the reality is, people coming to see a ball park are going to Wrigley not sox park new or old.

Where do you get 15? 60k-25k would get you to a 35k stadium.

And like i said, most sox fans i know have no problem with the current park.

Let's keep it real. What fans? The supposed fans don't come to Sox Park unless they are REALLY good. So obviously they do have a problem with the park. People vote with their feet. Now, you can lean into the whole "they are just discerning customers" trope that Sox fans love to tell themselves, but that is a cope. If the park was a pleasent place to attend in itself, the Sox would draw more.

I think enough Chicagoans would love to go to a second ballpark that provides a whole different experience from Wrigley. It need not be another retro imitation baseball village trying to be Wrigley II, mind you. Heck, many Cubs fans love going up to Milwaukee for that reason, that it provides a different experience.

The fact is that Sox Park is viewed as pretty soulless and tasteless to all but the most die-hard Sox fans. One can say, "all that matters is what's on the field". That is not true, though. It is not true in Tampa or Oakland (before this season), where good play isn't enough to keep fans consistently coming through the turnstiles. Then, when bad teams have poor seasons (as most do) then it becomes a circular issue of fans won't come and teams won't spend money. The parks themselves have to provide a baseline of attraction to pull fans in, or else teams will be non-competitive over the long haul.

[Chi-Sky21]

I thought you were going off of sox parks capacity. Rereading i see you meant soldier field. Obviously they would have less seating than that and hopefully BETTER. And as for your points about sox park itself i guess we just have to agree to disagree.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

The fact is that Sox Park is viewed as pretty soulless and tasteless to all but the most die-hard Sox fans. One can say, "all that matters is what's on the field". That is not true, though. It is not true in Tampa or Oakland (before this season), where good play isn't enough to keep fans consistently coming through the turnstiles. Then, when bad teams have poor seasons (as most do) then it becomes a circular issue of fans won't come and teams won't spend money. The parks themselves have to provide a baseline of attraction to pull fans in, or else teams will be non-competitive over the long haul.

There's nothing wrong with the core structure of Sox Park though. The field, the grandstands, etc are all basically the same as competitors like Comerica, Great American, PNC etc. The stuff fans complain about is all skin-deep, cosmetic stuff that could easily be fixed in a renovation. Put up a new brick facade to match the old Comiskey, build some nice plazas and cafes around the ballpark, maybe move 35th St so the concourses aren't pinched.

But the Sox won't do it, because they have an ownership problem. They want a $1B solution to a $300M problem, and they want taxpayers to pay for it just like they paid for the initial construction.

[twister244]

So - I'm assuming pretty much everyone doesn't care much anymore about this given the news coming out Kevin Warren has basically announced AH is their location?

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by twister244

So - I'm assuming pretty much everyone doesn't care much anymore about this given the news coming out Kevin Warren has basically announced AH is their location?

Not really.

I would have much preferred the Reese site. I don't buy that it wasn't large enough or that something couldn't have worked out there. I would be interested to know why it wasn't pursued, but I doubt we will ever really know.

I'd argue there is no better NFL stadium location than along the south lakefront. The photos and videos of the stadium on national broadcast serve as a great tourism promotion. I understand the Bears don't care about that, though.

So bring on AH. Hopefully, the stadium itself will be badass, and 100% funded by the Bears.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

BREAKING NEWS!!!


the bears still suck.

But do they suck enough to provide for the HVAC system for the stadium?

[LeonUk]

[LeonUk]

thats a big move, interested to see the changes it brings for both sides.

[BuildThemTaller]

Like hoping for something resembling a modern offensive system, I'll believe the Bears will fund and build their own stadium when it happens. Until then, I'm going to continue thinking of them as a poverty franchise.

[Danillo]

Nothing the Bears (or basically any sports team, really) say matters. They've proven themselves to not be honest dealers, and until there's actual construction somewhere I don't see how anyone can differentiate posturing from reality.

[2PRUROCKS!]

New render of the Chicago Bears stadium design for Arlington Heights on Manica's website. Looks like they took the design for the Lake front south of Soldier Field and plopped it down in AH.

https://manica.global/page/new-chicago-bears-stadium