Bears Stadium Situation
Part 9-Pritzker’s Dilemma
The stadium is delayed until at least 2026. Pritzker controls $2B+ in funding. Arlington offers short-term relief but hides major costs. Chicago brings political heat now but long-term gain. His choice will define his legacy 🧵
Pritzker holds the power because both Chicago & Arlington need $2B+ in state funds. He can veto it. IDOT, under Pritzker, controls infrastructure. Chicago’s $900M hotel tax goes through ISFA, a board split between mayor and governor—but Pritzker has final say at the state level

Bears Stadium Situation
Part 8
Worst Option: Arlington

Relocating to Arlington may sound appealing, but the reality is far worse. The plan triggers massive road expansion, traffic gridlock, private home demolitions & billions in public costs, all for a stadium far from most fans Moving the stadium to Arlington is a logistical mess, 70–75% of Chicagoland lives south of it. For Thursday or Friday night events, 70,000 fans would all drive from one direction into heavy traffic rush hour traffic. A massive scale road expansion would be needed.

Bears Stadium Situation
Part 7
Best Option: Chicago Lakefront
Soldier Field’s botched upgrades, lost revenue, underuse led to Chicago’s 2024 plan. This is a true fix: iconic design, year-round events, food district, strong ROI, added green space that unifies Museum Campus Soldier Field was flawed from the start, built too close to the Field Museum, then expanded even closer. Its iconic columns were awkwardly pushed to the south, off-center, giving the grandstand an unbalanced, asymmetrical look that never quite felt right.

Bears Stadium Situation
Part 6: Economics
Both Arlington & Chicago plans need major public funding, leaving the final call to Gov Pritzker. He’s open, if taxpayers benefit. The strongest case for either site is economic impact, the numbers clearly favor a new domed stadium in CHI Soldier Field to Park
Converting Soldier Field to park space would be an economic disaster. The difference between a new domed stadium and a park is massive. It’s up to $1B in lost local economic activity per year, with no major events, tourism or tax revenue to offset the impact

Bears Stadium Situation
Part 5: True Funding Projections

Arlington may seem privately funded, but taxpayers could face $2.5B–$4.2B for roads, subsidies & Soldier Field’s future. Chicago’s plan starts at $3B but could hit $5B if refinanced like the 2002 Soldier Field deal. Chicago Lakefront Stadium Funding

Total Project Cost: $4.7 billion
- Stadium: $3.2 billion
- Infrastructure & Soldier Field Redevelopment: $1.5 billion

Chicago Bears Stadium Situation
Part 4: Timeline
4 years in, the Bears still have no stadium deal. Arlington remains the frontrunner. Soldier Field is out. Two new lakefront sites are in play. One thing is certain: the Bears have just 30 games left at Soldier Field before moving September 2021
The Chicago Bears announce an agreement to purchase a 326-acre site in Arlington Heights, signaling their intent to build a new stadium. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker publicly states he will not use state funds to finance a professional sports stadium.

Bears Stadium Situation
Part 3
City of Chicago's Perspective

Soldier Field is endangered b/c of the 2002 renovation, new renovation cost, Chicago’s high debt, suburban stadium competition & lack of large stadiums events. If the Bears leave, Soldier will struggle to survive. The 2002 renovation of Soldier Field is not only one of the worst renovations, it was one worst stadium deals in US sports history.

2002 Renovation Cost:
$600M

Bears & NFL Owed:
$200M
Chicago Owed:
$400M

Current status
Bears & NFL Paid:
$200M
Chicago Paid:
$540M

Chicago Bears Stadium Situation
Part 2
The Bears Perspective

There are 2 parts to this issue:
1. Owning the Stadium
2. Location

The Cowboys are always in the top 3 most valuable teams & they do not own their stadium. 5 out of the top 10 most valuable, do not own their stadiums. A team that owns its stadium has a 4-6% higher revenue, between $20M-$40M. Does this outweigh the cost of building, maintaining and operating a stadium? No. The Bears don't own their stadium and make more revenue than the Commanders, who own their stadium.

Chicago Bears Stadium Situation
Part 1: History

Since 1970, the Bears have tried to move outside of Chicago six times:
1970: Evanston
1975: Arlington Heights
1980: Notre Dame Stadium
1985: “McDome” Elk Grove/Hoffman Estates/Aurora
1995: “Planet Park” NW Indiana
2022: Arlington In 1970, the Bears were forced to leave Wrigley Field b/c the NFL required a 50,000 seat stadium. The team signed a short term lease w/ Soldier Field while it looked for a permanent home. 50 years later, the Bears are still at Soldier Field & still looking for a permanent home.

The McCaskeys have been planning this since Mugs Halas death. In 1979, the Brizoiara family owned 8% of the Bears, Mugs owned 20%, Virginia McCaskey 21% and the grandchildren 43%. When Mugs died, his kids owned 28% of the team, making them the most powerful shareholder.

https://twitter.com/barstoolchicago/status/1569732543213338624

Virginia was the executor of Mugs estate since the Halas children were 11 & 13. In 1981, Virginia reorganized the Bears ownership with her father 87-year-old football player George Halas. It gave Virginia control by giving her the voting rights for the 51% of the grandkid’s stock