The Chicago Bears have been making not-so-good headlines on and off the field this season. Lackluster play, questionable coaching, and mishandling of rookie quarterback Justin Fields aside, rumors of a potential Bears relocation started to brew over the summer. On Sept. 29, the Bears officially signed a purchase agreement for $197.2 million in Arlington Heights on the site of the current Arlington International Racecourse.
Let the Bears leave
Although nothing has been made final, and the construction of the stadium would likely take several years to finish, many football fans on the campus of NCC have shown strong opinions on this potential Bears relocation.
“I think the move is very smart because it will allow them to make more money off of the games and all other events held there,” said Brandon Griefelt. “Right now, since they don’t own Soldier Field, they don’t make any profit off the games held there, so being able to make more money there is something that can help them in the long run.”
Greifelt, a Mount Prospect native, lives close to Arlington Heights.
“They are in a terrible rut, and I think this is a good start to change up the program. The land they bought is in a decent area with a lot of room to expand, so there are plenty of options.”
Why the Bears want to leave
Many fans are advocating for the Bears to leave their current stadium Soldier Field. The franchise could make a profit if they do decide to move. Currently, Chicago Park District owns the stadium, and the only revenue the Bears make is off of ticket sales for home games. Building a new stadium would be very expensive. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, for example, cost just around $1.9 billion. However, it could prove to benefit the team financially in the long run.
Additionally, the Bears would have more flexibility with the surrounding land, which would allow them to build bars, restaurants, and other venues right outside of the stadium. Another area to make money would be owning the parking lots for a new stadium. Driving to Soldier Field is notoriously annoying due to the lakefront location.
Chicago takes a lot of pride in being the home of the Bears, but the city itself has a lot of other things to manage, whereas a place like Arlington Heights is less chaotic and would be able to put an emphasis on creating the ultimate game day experience for Bears fans.
Other students expressed agreement with Greifelt that the Bears moving to the suburbs would ultimately be a good thing.
“It would be very convenient to travel to Arlington Heights with the Metra,” said Brant Bednarz. “Plus, Arlington Heights is right off of I-90 and Route 53. I think fans would sacrifice another hour on Sunday to travel to the suburbs.”
Despite the Bears having one of the largest fanbases in the league, Soldier Field has the smallest NFL stadium capacity. A larger stadium capacity and a potential dome would fill host requirements for the Super Bowl.
However, not all NCC students are thrilled about the potential move.
The Bears are a Chicago team
JJ Martinez has worked at home games and isn’t sure if Sundays will feel the same outside of Chicago.
“They’ve built a reputation at Soldier Field, playing in ‘Bear Weather’ right on the lakefront,” said Martinez.
Many fans share Martinez’s belief that Bears games wouldn’t be the same outside of Chicago. The Bears have called Soldier Field home for 50 years and have seen the stadium go through many renovations. However, the team still wants to see Chicago taxpayers pay for more upgrades. The last intense round of renovations was all the way back in 2003.
The Bears wouldn’t be the first
The idea of the Bears playing home games in the suburbs would certainly take some getting used to. If the move happens, some fans think they shouldn’t be a Chicago team. However, several NFL teams play outside of their listed cities. For example, the New York Jets and Giants play in East Rutherford, New Jersey; the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Texas. In total, there are ten NFL teams that play their games in a suburb outside of the listed town.
As of right now, there are still plenty of unknowns with the Bears’ future stadium plans. The team’s remaining 12-year lease with Soldier Field requires a hefty fee of around $90M. There are still hurdles to make the potential Bears relocation official, but things are starting to fall into place, sooner than expected.
