If they Build It, Will You Come? Chicago Bears own Arlington Park

Bears fans! What do you think about the Chicago Bears possible move to Arlington Park? The 101-year-old NFL franchise "officially" owns the land. While the Bears sent out a press release to season ticket holders and published at www.ChicagoBears.com "Finalizing the purchase does not guarantee the land will be developed, but it is an important next step in our ongoing evaluation of the opportunity," the letter reads. "There is still a tremendous amount of due diligence work to be done to determine if constructing an enclosed state-of-the-art stadium and multi-purpose entertainment district is feasible."

I know there will be cynics who will say the Bears are making this purchase to gain leverage with the city of Chicago.

The city doesn’t have the money or resources to build the Bears a new dome stadium or add onto Soldier Field. nor should they add one more tax bill to the citizens of Chicago. There is still $640 Million+ in unpaid debt from the 2002 renovation of Soldier Field. Source: https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/taxpayers-still-owe-640m-on-2002-soldier-field-renovation/2981068/

I’m a diehard Bears fan who grew up in the city and as much as I would hate to see the “Monsters of the Midway” leave Soldier Field, building a new stadium makes good business sense.

If this move takes place, no doubt I will miss the games at Soldier Field. My first Bears game I witnessed the late great Walter Payton in his glory. I was fortunate to attend the Bears first game at the “NEW” Soldier Field against Green Bay. I saw the Bears win a playoff game with Jay Cutler then lose the NFC Championship game to the Packers. And yes, I was there for the “double donk” debacle vs. the Eagles.

However, that being said, here are my Top 10 reasons to support the Chicago Bears move to Arlington Park.

1. Dome stadium. This will attract more free agents who don’t like cold weather and create a fantastic comfortable experience for the fans.

2. Host the Super Bowl, the Final Four, College Football Playoff, concerts and more.

3. Parking garage and parking lot on site!

4. Entertainment & restaurant complex

5. Metra stop at the front door.

6. Easy expressway access from Route 53 to I-90 to I-294 and I-290.

7. No more walking three miles in subzero temps to find your parking spot or an Uber.

8. The Bears will own the stadium which means more revenue which means more capital to invest in all pro players and high-quality coaches = Super Bowl!

9. More public bathrooms for the fans means shorter lines!

10. No lakefront wind chills to battle in December and then walk another three miles to find parking.

I know there are purists who will say, it’s not the same as Soldier Field. Yes, the lakefront and the Roman columns are nostalgic but the modern spaceship design inside the classic exterior always clashed. Soldier Field is not functional in 2023 for any NFL team but especially this storied franchise. It’s time to move on.

Soldier Field can still be utilized by the Chicago Fire, Big Ten/Notre Dame football games (Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame or Northwestern vs. Illinois), big rival high school football games and the IHSA state playoffs, PLL (professional lacrosse league), and of course concerts and special events.

That’s my take.

What’s your opinion Bears fans?

#chicago #chicagobears #nfl #soldierfield #arlingtonpark #cityofchicago #MayorLightfoot #mayorhayes #arlingtonheights

Original content published Sept. 19, 2021.

Revised with current updates. (c) 2023 McEwen Marketing, Inc.

Steve McEwen is a former broadcast/journalist, zealous Bears fan and Real Estate consultant and "Founding Agent' celebrating his 20th anniversary with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For inquiries, please contact:

Steve McEwen (312) 307-9470. MakingChicagoMove.com