NEWSLETTER
It’s been a busy last 24 hours for the Chicago Bears! On Sunday, they announced the signing of veteran safety Kevin Byard. Then, this morning, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren announced this morning that the team was planning to invest $2 billion into a new domed stadium on the Museum Campus along the lakefront to keep the team in Chicago.
The city of Chicago would own the new Bears stadium. The Bears’ investment would reportedly open up space in the area by more than 20%.
The Chicago Bears are proud to contribute over $2 billion to build a stadium and improve open spaces for all families, fans and the general public to enjoy in the City of Chicago,” Bears team president and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement to ESPN. “The future stadium of the Chicago Bears will bring a transformative opportunity to our region — boosting the economy, creating jobs, facilitating mega events and generating millions in tax revenue. We look forward to sharing more information when our plans are finalized.
Plan To Stay In Chicago with New Bears Stadium
The move to build a new Bears stadium, while not all that surprising given how things appeared to be trending the last month or so, is a pivot from the massive Arlington Heights property purchased by the team just prior to Warren’s arrival as team president.
According to NBC Sports Chicago, the Bears cited a poll of Chicago residents in which 66% of responses were in favor of keeping the team on the Museum Campus, as opposed to moving to the suburbs.
Personally, I’m a fan of the decision. Sure, it’s more profitable to own your own stadium, and it makes the Arlington Heights purchase seem kind of pointless. But Arlington Heights wasn’t Kevin Warren’s decision. What makes me happy is knowing that Warren was able to essentially say “Thanks, but no thanks” to the previously purchased land in the suburbs in favor of investing $2 billion on a lakefront dome, which means he truly is in charge and the McCaskeys are letting him actually run the show.
Also, call me a meatball, but I love that the Bears are staying in Chicago. Would it have been a huge issue to me if the team was in Arlington Heights? Of course not. Several NFL teams built brand-new stadiums in the suburbs over the last several years. But there’s just something special about them being in Chicago and playing along the lakefront, and I’m glad to see them stay.
Unrelated to the stadium, it’s going to be a busy day for Chicago with free agency opening today, or at least the negotiation window. The Bears are expected to be pretty active, so Luis and Patrick will be all over that coverage as news breaks.
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Also unrelated to the stadium: North Carolina online sports betting is going live TODAY. So if you live in North Carolina, welcome to the party.
