NEWSLETTER
It sure is starting to sound like Arlington Heights fumbled the bag when it comes to locking in Arlington Park as the future home of a Chicago Bears stadium.
While meeting with the media at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren met with the media and talked scope. Among the topics of conversation was a future Bears stadium, which Warren continues to reiterate the team’s plans to build something in downtown Chicago along the lakefront. And in doing so, continued a trend pointing toward a shift away from building on the property the team owns in Arlington Park.
Reporters at The Athletic (Fishbain and Jahns), Chicago Tribune (Kane), NBC Sports Chicago (Schrock), and Sun-Times (Finley) were among those who were on hand for the media session. And they pulled out some banger quotes from the Bears president. I found these to be the most notable:
“The plan will be to put a shovel in the ground on the lakefront.”
Those words from Kevin Warren are the most concrete statement (h/t The Athletic) the Bears have made about plans to build a new stadium project in Chicago. Writing that sentence is absolutely wild when you consider that the Bears spent more than $197 million on the Arlington Park property and entered a purchase agreement in September 2021. But the comments also serve as a reminder of how much things can change in a seemingly always evolving situation.
In The Athletic’s story, Warren said plans, renderings, and a video will be released in the near future. I remember attending the Arlington Heights version of this being an eye-opening experience. It set a high bar. There is a part of me hoping a new set of renderings can clear it. But more important than any renderings, for me, will be hashing out the potential cost to the public.
The Bears are reportedly willing to put down $2 billion for a stadium project downtown. But estimated costs based on newer stadium projects around the league would put a project in the $3-4 billion range. In other words, there is likely to be some sort of public subsidies that would help push things across the finish line. That feels like that kind of stuff caused things to sputter in Arlington Heights. And I don’t think the city is just going to roll over to give the Bears what they want.
So … what happened to the Bears stadium project in Arlington Park?
If the Bears go through with building in downtown Chicago and bypass the Arlington Park project, the things that will be written and reported on regarding how that deal fell apart will feed families for generations. This could go down as one of the great Illinois and Chicago political tales — no matter matter where the Bears stadium ends up landing. And to think, this could all be rooted in a hold-up due to tax money. It has been a while since the Chicago sports and political scenes had crossed wires and developed something juicy. That the Bears are at the center of it all only adds to the dramatics.
But I digress so I can share this quote:
“We did put serious energy — many, many meetings, many conversations, many discussions, many negotiations to get (an Arlington Heights stadium tax issue) resolved — but also during that time period, my focus was to make sure to evaluate what is the best location in the state of Illinois for the Chicago Bears’ future home,” Warren said, via the Tribune. “And as I started to study different areas and different sites, it became very, very clear that downtown Chicago, especially along the lakefront, was the ideal location.”
I think we’ve gone beyond the stage of flattering Chicago for the sake of negotiation leverage with Arlington Heights. But still … I’d love to know more about the change of heart from the Bears. Because this franchise has gone from its heart being set on going to the suburbs in March 2023 to prioritizing a plan to stick with the city in March 2024.
Is this a cost-control thing where the Bears are trying to save some cash on a multi-billion dollar stadium project? Could this be a change of perspective that comes with a different set of eyes at the top? Bears President Kevin Warren has gushed about how much he loves Chicago, the city, since arriving as the team’s president. But his predecessor, Ted Phillips, spent a good chunk of the end of his tenure at odds with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot while she was in office. Remember, it was Arlington Heights’ mayor reaching out while the team’s beef with the former mayor of Chicago was at full throat that got the ball rolling on exploring a move to the suburbs.
What will the Bears do with Arlington Park if they’re not building a stadium there?
When it comes to what the Bears will do with that land, your guess is as good as mine. Apartment complexes? An entertainment district? A team facility that could also host fans for training camp practices in the summer that is more convenient than Halas Hall? Maybe the Bears could make some of their money back by selling it to the White Sox. I’ve heard that franchise is in the market for a new stadium.
This quote is a tremendous pull from the NBC Sports Chicago piece:
“We are the largest landowner in Arlington Heights right now. 326 acres,” Warren said. “We own a beautiful piece of land. And I have great respect for Mayor Hayes and Randy Recklaus and all of the politicians there. My belief right now, these projects are incredibly difficult. And just learning the various things that I did in Minnesota, you have to be laser-focused. And right now, we’re putting our energy to downtown Chicago, to the museum campus, just from an energy and resource standpoint. So we still own the land. We’re the largest landowner. We’ll stay in communication with Arlington Heights, but the focus now has to be on Chicago to give us the best opportunity for success.”
To be clear, this last statement from Warren doesn’t completely shut the door on Arlington Heights. That lines of communications remain open leaves a sliver open for Arlington Park to still be the next home of the Bears. But with that being said, Warren reiterating the team’s focus being in Chicago is worth noting.
The folks in Arlington Heights were in pump the brakes mode after news of the Bears staying in Chicago surfaced earlier in the month. I’m not sure what their next step is, but I’ll follow with fair bit of interest.
It sounds like the next Bears stadium will be in downtown Chicago, but…
If being a Bears fan has taught me anything, it is that nothing is official until it is officially official. Games do not end until the clocks hit triple zeros. And as a life-long Chicagoan, I know better than to think something is happening until shovels go in the grown, steel and concrete gets erected, there is a tape cutting ceremony, and a grand opening event.
Still, it is becoming harder to envision a Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. Think about it. A move to the suburbs was essentially a guarantee in September 2022. But so much has changed in terms of where this franchise (and this team) is and is going. And yet, the Chicago Bears staying in Chicago is something that could ultimately stay the same. If you would’ve told me that at this time last year, I would’ve scoffed and laughed. Who knows what we’ll be saying at this time next year. Stay tuned.
