Two words that make me uneasy when I hear or read them are “we’ll see.”
When I was a kid, “we’ll see” meant I wasn’t getting to get that treat asked for from my parents. As an adult, I’ve learned “we’ll see” is a softer way of saying “no.”
So I slipped to a dark place when I saw Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s response when asked about the Chicago Bears playing games with fans in the stands at Soldier Field included “we’ll see.”
But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.
Lightfoot said she is having conversations with the Bears about having games with fans in the stands at some point this year, via Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman. There wasn’t much of an opportunity for the mayor to expand on the thought. However, I suppose there’s optimism if you want to see it. If you want optimism, then you’ll read Lightfoot’s comments as a sign of progress. After all, it’s far more encouraging than the last statement she shared when the topic came up when she said they were nowhere near in a place to have fans in the stands. Even still … “we’ll see” is often code for “don’t count on it.”
For what it’s worth, the NFL has a handful of teams allowing a limited fans to watch in stadiums. And elsewhere in Illinois, outdoor venues can have up to 20 percent of capacity. It’s just that Chicago has put the clamps down on it because of safety concerns. So long as the pandemic remains problematic, I imagine the city — which owns/operates Soldier Field — will proceed with caution. But in the end, Lightfoot softening her stance (compared to her last comments) is a silver lining for those holding out hope to get in one of the Bears’ five remaining home games.