Chicago Bears bought Arlington Heights track only to build next to Soldier Field?
- Thread starter JP4CY
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I have trouble imagining this happening. The Bears ownership is too incompetent to make it work.
I also heard the City of Chicago has yet to make any payments on the Soldier Field renovations that happened 2002-2003.
Couldn't be more pumped for them to move to Arlington-Heights but for the love of god I hope they don't put a dome up. Cold winter games are in the DNA of Chicago and the Bears.
It's absolutely going to be a Dome.
Way too much money on the table to have a building that isn't usable 6 months out of the year. Concerts, Final Fours, Wrestlemania, trade shows, corporate events, etc.
Way too much money on the table to have a building that isn't usable 6 months out of the year. Concerts, Final Fours, Wrestlemania, trade shows, corporate events, etc.
Especially if local governments are kicking in huge amounts of money. There needs to be a level of ROI you just can't get from an outdoor field.
Even strictly for football, its likely a chicago dome ends up in the rotation for big 10 championships and a super bowl. Much less likely for both for an outdoor venue.
Exactly right plus the entertainment district they want to build around it is going to need a steady stream of visitors to be viable.
Bingo, A Super Bowl, College FB Title Game and maybe even B1G Conf Championship Game. I know who probably doesn't want a brand new taj mahal dome in Chicago: City of Indianapolis.
Let's not forget the Bill Swarski Superfans Bowl, presented by Polish Sausage.
Winner gets a heart attack.
Indy is probably okay with it. Might be the best big event city in the country and their layout is way better than anything Chicago is going to put together. They've got the stadium, the basketball arena and a world class convention center all within half a mile, it's the perfect setup and they'll continue to be less expensive that Chicago.
They may lose a football game here or there but they will still be a destination for big events.
They were building another hotel across from the convention center. It might be done by now. It was a hole last summer.
Downtown Indy is good times, but it was also a little more "gritty" last time down.
Words can’t describe how much I hate an Arlington heights stadium compared to a downtown lakefront stadium. It’s going to be a dome either way, so it will get super bowls, F4s, maybe college national championship games.
Imagine a Super Bowl right in downtown Chicago - now imagine one 25 miles away in the suburbs where you have to sit in traffic for an hour each way. I understand Chicago doesn’t have much room for negotiation, but I hate suburb stadiums more than anything. Does anyone think the cubs would be a big deal if wrigley was out in Naperville surrounded by parking lots?
Imagine a Super Bowl right in downtown Chicago - now imagine one 25 miles away in the suburbs where you have to sit in traffic for an hour each way. I understand Chicago doesn’t have much room for negotiation, but I hate suburb stadiums more than anything. Does anyone think the cubs would be a big deal if wrigley was out in Naperville surrounded by parking lots?
Totally agree with State2015. The Chicago subburbs are a swampy albatross of ubran sprawl. The downtown area is actually worth visiting and is the best mega-urban area in the US outside of New York, Boston, and San Francisco. So much to see within a few miles, the football stadium should be on the lakefront where all the museums, people, and culture. are at.
Problem is people say that getting in and out of Soldier Field currently is a nightmare. Also Bears fans want more parking lot space for tailgating (not doable on Lakefront site). Plus the Arlington Heights Stadium will be right by an entertainment district (restaurants & bars) which I don't believe Soldier Field has much of that currently around it OR the space to add it."Friends of the Park" is also a nightmare to deal with.
I'm not familiar enough with the area but from what I heard and read they think getting into the new Arlington Heights Stadium with the roads and train line will be easier/quicker for most people.
I'm not familiar enough with the area but from what I heard and read they think getting into the new Arlington Heights Stadium with the roads and train line will be easier/quicker for most people.
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It’s 100% a nightmare getting out of soldier. There’s a lot of room for improvements for sure. But it will be even more of a nightmare getting out of AH as everyone will be driving, rather than folks walking or taking the train at soldier.
I understand the appeal to some for a suburb stadium but I can’t stop thinking about how boring it’ll be for visitors, especially at big events
Exactly. I want a suburban stadium that is easy to get to, has somewhat reasonable hotels to stay in nearby and places for tailgating, bars, etc.
I'm a lifelong Bears fan and never in my life have I seen a game at Soldier. Why? Just a giant pain in the ass to get to a game. Give me the suburbs all day. And the lower chances of getting murdered are lower out in the burbs..
