Arlington Heights Bad News Bears?

[Punching Bag]

Lori Lightfoot Addresses Potential Bears Move to Arlington Park

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/nbcsports/lori-lightfoot-addresses-potential-bears-move-to-arlington-park/2504755/

Quote

During a press conference Thursday, Lightfoot was asked about the Bears flirting with the idea of a move to Arlington Park.

“I've seen a couple of reports. But a couple of data points that I think you should be aware of are the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033 and the NFL doesn't let any teams break their leases,” Lightfoot said.

 

There may be ways to break lease legally - Rams did it - the right clause and conditions need to occur.

 

 

Quote

Lightfoot was also asked if she believes the Bears are revisiting the idea of potentially relocating as leverage to boost capacity in Soldier Field.

“I think it's incumbent upon us as a city to step up and look at ways in which we can make sure that Bears fans, but also the Bears as an organization, have the best opportunities to maximize the fan experience and of course, maximize revenues. So we're going to keep those conversations going,” Lightfoot said.

 

I cannot see them holding parcel until Bears can find an out clause however.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Limeaid
typo

[1ManRaid]

Does this affect a game we play there or something?  I'm not sure what to do with this information.  Also you ended the post on an incomplete sentence with a comma, and the cliffhanger is killing me so I can only assume you forgot to include the parts that are relevant to the Bills.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, 1ManRaid said:

Does this affect a game we play there or something?  I'm not sure what to do with this information.  Also you ended the post on an incomplete sentence with a comma, and the cliffhanger is killing me so I can only assume you forgot to include the parts that are relevant to the Bills.

 

General football stuff is appropriate here.  Not limited to relevant to the Bills.

[Punching Bag]

16 minutes ago, 1ManRaid said:

Does this affect a game we play there or something?  I'm not sure what to do with this information.  Also you ended the post on an incomplete sentence with a comma, and the cliffhanger is killing me so I can only assume you forgot to include the parts that are relevant to the Bills.

 

Fixed comma typo.  

[Bferra13]

Meh. Either way. But probably just a power play by the team.

[Motorin']

Gross, that could be a two hour drive from Chicago in Bears traffic. 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Did they not just overhaul Soldier Field completely?

[machine gun kelly]

Joe, Correct.  They spent $655 mil. overhauling the stadium so I seriously doubt they are moving anytime soon.

 

Personally, I wish the Bills would do the same thing as the negative repercussions to moving to downtown or wherever will suck.  That’s just my opinion and I know this has been discussed to death so I’ll shut up as it relates to the Bills.

[Mr. WEO]

What is it about the Bears stadium location that is suddenly a problem?

[Fan in Chicago]

9 hours ago, Motorin' said:

Gross, that could be a two hour drive from Chicago in Bears traffic. 

Depends on where the majority of ticket holders live. For suburbanites, this can be an easier drive. But downtown does offer the benefit of using public transportation such as the Metra and the L. For those unaware of the Chicago-land area, Metra service radiates out from downtown so you can use it easily from the 'burbs. OTOH, if you want to reach Arlington Heights, you need to be close to at least one, best case 2 lines to make it even partly viable.  

3 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

What is it about the Bears stadium location that is suddenly a problem?

Likely that it is early posturing by the Bears:
-------------------------

 

“I've seen a couple of reports. But a couple of data points that I think you should be aware of are the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033 and the NFL doesn't let any teams break their leases,” Lightfoot said.

[Mr. WEO]

11 minutes ago, Fan in Chicago said:

Depends on where the majority of ticket holders live. For suburbanites, this can be an easier drive. But downtown does offer the benefit of using public transportation such as the Metra and the L. For those unaware of the Chicago-land area, Metra service radiates out from downtown so you can use it easily from the 'burbs. OTOH, if you want to reach Arlington Heights, you need to be close to at least one, best case 2 lines to make it even partly viable.  

Likely that it is early posturing by the Bears:
-------------------------

 

“I've seen a couple of reports. But a couple of data points that I think you should be aware of are the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033 and the NFL doesn't let any teams break their leases,” Lightfoot said.

 

The article talks about problems with the location of Soldier Field and something about "capacity".  What are the issues at this point?

[Fan in Chicago]

36 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

The article talks about problems with the location of Soldier Field and something about "capacity".  What are the issues at this point?

I have no idea. Maybe they are expecting Fields to be great and hence needing more capacity 😀

[Mr. WEO]

3 minutes ago, Fan in Chicago said:

I have no idea. Maybe they are expecting Fields to be great and hence needing more capacity 😀

 

Looks like the Bears are looking for some sort of (new) renovation to increase capacity.  Not much info.  Only comments are from the Lightfoot and the doofus suburban Mayor ("derpa derpa a smart lawyer can get you out of a lease").

 

I also like how they describe a location 30 miles from the city as "and easy commute" for city residents.

[Punching Bag]

21 minutes ago, Fan in Chicago said:

I have no idea. Maybe they are expecting Fields to be great and hence needing more capacity 😀

 

https://www.kapow.com/blog/sports/10-fun-facts-soldier-field/#:~:text=Soldier Field is the oldest,renovation increased capacity of 61%2C500.

Quote

The field was officially dedicated on November 27th, 1926 for the Army v. Navy national championship game. Played in front of a crowd of 110,000 people, the game ended in a 21-21 tie—but Navy got the trophy because they were undefeated.

 

Capacity has gone up and down. It got a lot smaller for NFL (need room for facilities, box seats, etc.) and then renovated to add more.  Chicago Cardinals played there first.  Bears did not start playing there until 1971.  There are some height restrictions in area.

Quote

Soldier Field has the second smallest stadium in the NFL, even after a 2003 renovation increased capacity of 61,500.

 

[Motorin']

2 hours ago, Fan in Chicago said:

Depends on where the majority of ticket holders live. For suburbanites, this can be an easier drive. But downtown does offer the benefit of using public transportation such as the Metra and the L. For those unaware of the Chicago-land area, Metra service radiates out from downtown so you can use it easily from the 'burbs. OTOH, if you want to reach Arlington Heights, you need to be close to at least one, best case 2 lines to make it even partly viable.  

 

As a North Sider, I've had to drive out to Arlington Heights a few times. In pre-pandemic traffic it was a good 1.5 hours. I'm trying to imagine people driving from the south suburbs... 

 

Metra would have to really up their service to accommodate Bears fans, it's once an hour schedule wouldn't cut in on game days...

 

Delilah's or Lincoln Station? 

Edited May 8, 2021 by Motorin'

[Freddie's Dead]

The commute to a stadium in Arlington Heights is going to be a bizzatch.  Da Bears should stay where they are.

[BillsfaninChicago]

Soldier Field’s tailgating atmosphere is horrible. There is next to nothing around the stadium, you risk getting an open container ticket pretty much anywhere you go. As for Arlington Heights the only thing I know is they have a race track which serves excellent Bloody Marys. I would say that is an upgrade right there!

[machine gun kelly]

2 hours ago, BillsfaninChicago said:

Soldier Field’s tailgating atmosphere is horrible. There is next to nothing around the stadium, you risk getting an open container ticket pretty much anywhere you go. As for Arlington Heights the only thing I know is they have a race track which serves excellent Bloody Marys. I would say that is an upgrade right there!

 

Which is why Buffalonians can’t appreciate how good they have it in OP.  I’ve been to sooo many newer stadiums including my current hometown in Tampa which is a beautiful stadium, but it’s not Bills mafia.  You guys are very blessed for what you have and why I spend over $1000 every year to bring my kids up for a game albeit in September.

[cba fan]

8 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

What is it about the Bears stadium location that is suddenly a problem?

It is not the location, it is the smallest capacity in NFL that is hurting Bears income. And likely a lease that is not as lucrative as Bears would like.

 

The rebuild was poor thinking. MOrders were save collandes and have them outside stadium. Should have buried one sideline row of the colonnades inside stadium so footprint could be bigger. This would have allowed more seats for higher prices on sidelines instead of weird ratio of seats behind end zone line compared to normal stadiums.

[cba fan]

5 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

The commute to a stadium in Arlington Heights is going to be a bizzatch.  Da Bears should stay where they are.

https://www.playillinois.com/bears-to-arlington-heights-chatter/

commute not really a problem.

[Mr. WEO]

17 hours ago, cba fan said:

It is not the location, it is the smallest capacity in NFL that is hurting Bears income. And likely a lease that is not as lucrative as Bears would like.

 

The rebuild was poor thinking. MOrders were save collandes and have them outside stadium. Should have buried one sideline row of the colonnades inside stadium so footprint could be bigger. This would have allowed more seats for higher prices on sidelines instead of weird ratio of seats behind end zone line compared to normal stadiums.

Chicago can’t be concerned with the fact that the owners are dumbasses. 
 

But the NFL is structured so that even these idiots, with their tiny stadium, pulled in 136 million in operating margin—4th in the league.

 

They aren’t going anywhere 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Mr. WEO

[Freddie's Dead]

17 hours ago, cba fan said:

https://www.playillinois.com/bears-to-arlington-heights-chatter/

commute not really a problem.

 

I call bullsh.  I used to fly into Midway every Monday morning on a contract, and had to drive up past Palatine on 53.  That took an hour minimum crawling along on 290.  Sunday traffic going to the game will be a lot worse.  The article gave the traffic very short shrift.  Downtown to Arlington Heights in 30 minutes?  NFW. 

[ALF]

Just ten years removed from the extensive $660 million renovations of the historic stadium, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has already begun to explore the option of altering Soldier Field once again.   ( article from 2014 )

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1982664-why-the-soldier-field-renovations-were-a-mistake-for-the-bears-and-chicago

 

they could have had a new stadium for that price in 2003

[Beerball]

On 5/7/2021 at 11:32 PM, 1ManRaid said:

Does this affect a game we play there or something?  I'm not sure what to do with this information.  Also you ended the post on an incomplete sentence with a comma, and the cliffhanger is killing me so I can only assume you forgot to include the parts that are relevant to the Bills.

Good morning, Richard.

[Motorin']

2 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I call bullsh.  I used to fly into Midway every Monday morning on a contract, and had to drive up past Palatine on 53.  That took an hour minimum crawling along on 290.  Sunday traffic going to the game will be a lot worse.  The article gave the traffic very short shrift.  Downtown to Arlington Heights in 30 minutes?  NFW. 

 

Yeah, who ever wrote that never drove in Chicago traffic. It's a 75 minutes drive right now without Bears traffic. You have to drive past O'Hare from the city, which is always a nightmare. Add 80,000 Bears fans to that... Yikes. 

 

 

[cba fan]

21 hours ago, Motorin' said:

 

Yeah, who ever wrote that never drove in Chicago traffic. It's a 75 minutes drive right now without Bears traffic. You have to drive past O'Hare from the city, which is always a nightmare. Add 80,000 Bears fans to that... Yikes. 

 

 

everyone is missing the point. The drive is different in miles but relatively the same in time.

 

as anyone with any experience in Chicago living or driving, no one ever refers to how far you live from any location in miles. Only thing talked about is "how many minutes are you from__________insert location_________ or also "how many minutes is the drive" etc etc........ then immediately followed up with 2nd question. Did you find parking. Then reminiscing about all those rare times you amazingly miraculously found close parking a few times in your life in the past at events. lol.

 

Arlington Heights location will make the second question very easy to answer. A sea of parking awaits. Tailgating would explode.

 

I doubt a move happens but interesting to talk about again just as it is every time Bears location comes into play.

[Motorin']

31 minutes ago, cba fan said:

everyone is missing the point. The drive is different in miles but relatively the same in time.

 

as anyone with any experience in Chicago living or driving, no one ever refers to how far you live from any location in miles. Only thing talked about is "how many minutes are you from__________insert location_________ or also "how many minutes is the drive" etc etc........ then immediately followed up with 2nd question. Did you find parking. Then reminiscing about all those rare times you amazingly miraculously found close parking a few times in your life in the past at events. lol.

 

Arlington Heights location will make the second question very easy to answer. A sea of parking awaits. Tailgating would explode.

 

I doubt a move happens but interesting to talk about again just as it is every time Bears location comes into play.

 

Yeah I know, like I said the drive to Arlington Heights would be 2 hours from the city in Bears traffic. You can jump on the L from just about anywhere in the city, or on the Metra from anywhere in the suburbs and get to Soldier Field in less than an hour. 

 

Not a whole lot of time for tailgating when the round trip commute is 4 hours.