NEWSLETTER
Here are some updates on the Chicago Bears stadium search front.
Discussions of a Bears lakefront stadium
A move to the suburbs felt like a foregone conclusion for so long. And yet, it sure doesn’t feel like a given with how things have gone in the days, weeks, months, and now years since September 2022, when the Bears hosted a town hall in Arlington Heights to share their vision of a new stadium complex to be built on the site of Arlington Park.
But here we are in March 2024, with the team reportedly working with City of Chicago officials on a possible lakefront dome stadium project:
Crain’s reports that the dome stadium project’s cost would be around $2.5-3 billion. The story also mentions that the NFL could give the Bears a loan of up to $400 million. But for something like that to happen, it would likely require some level of public funding. Blergh. Can’t the billionaires just build this thing on their own?
In December, it was reported that the Bears were doing their “due diligence” on a potential stadium site on the South Lot next to Soldier Field along the lakefront. Back in February, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that the Bears stadium search was shifting gears and focusing on finding a plot of land on the city’s lakefront. This news came a year after the franchise put Arlington Heights as No. 1 on its priority line and after months of checking in with other municipalities that had reported interest in being the host site for the next home of Chicago Bears football.
CHECK IT OUT: Kevin Warren reiterates Bears plans to build fixed-roof dome stadium
This marks the latest attempt from a Chicago pro sports team angling for a new stadium project (more on that later, but you can read a bit on the White Sox now). And yet another bit of evidence pointing toward the Bears requesting some sort of funding via things like tax breaks, TIFFs, and things of that nature — which also happen to be a hangup in the Arlington Park project.
Bears and White Sox working together?
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that state officials suggested that the Bears and White Sox team up on a joint public funding plan for a stadium. The term “financial partnership” was thrown around, and the concept intrigues me — even if I struggle to see where it would make sense for both sides (beyond the obvious, such as each side saving money by splitting the bill with a co-tenant).
On the one hand, I get it. If you’ve followed or studied Illinois and Chicago politics for long enough, then you’d already know that the General Assembly would have minimal interest in green-lighting multiple stadium legislation plans. But on the other hand, I struggle to see where the Bears and White Sox can find a middle ground for a stadium that works for both teams.
MORE: No Tax Break For Bears From Arlington Heights or Cook County Assessor
Maybe I need to put on my thinking shoes and get creative. Still, it is tough to envision a multi-purpose baseball-football stadium without thinking of the old cookie-cutters like Three Rivers Stadium (Pirates/Steelers), Veterans Stadium (Phillies/Eagles), Riverfront Stadium (Reds/Bengals), Busch Stadium (Cardinals/Cardinals), and other similar buildings.
Karen B. Murphy gets a promotion with the newly created VP of Stadium Development gig
Earlier this week, the Chicago Bears created the position of Executive Vice President of Stadium Development and Chief Operating Officer and hired Karen B. Murphy for the job. Murphy is a long-time executive with the team who has been with the franchise for more than 25 years. Previous work experience includes time as the team’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Strategy. The Murphy hire should serve as a reminder that organizational improvement needs to go beyond the on-the-field product.
Murphy has a lot on her plate in this role. Even still … I like that the Bears are creating new jobs to help tackle what figures to be a monumental project (no matter where it ends up getting built).
In the end…
By no means is this story anywhere close to being over. Don’t get it twisted. Just because the headlines are about the Bears and the City of Chicago talking shop doesn’t mean something is imminent. This could very well be part of a negotiation ploy to nudge the folks in Arlington Heights. Or maybe the Bears see the city as a better fit for them than trying to build out a stadium megaplex. Consider the situation to be fluid.
Just as I was interested in seeing the Bears unveil plans for an Arlington Park stadium complex, I’ll be curious to see what a lakefront proposal would look like — especially if it is part of a bigger project involving Museum Campus. And while I know we’re here for football, the reality is that these stadium projects impact people, the places they live, where they travel, the economy, and more. So, I will try to keep that in mind as we discuss this ongoing story.
