The Chicago Bears haven’t had much time to rest and reflect over the past several months. Not only did ownership have to oversee a complete housecleaning of their football operations with a new GM and head coach, but they also continued the process of purchasing the extensive property of Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. While they did have the winning bid, the deal itself isn’t quite finalized yet.
There are several hurdles still to clear. Approvals are required from multiple entities before it can become official. Nobody has known for sure on any specific dates. There seems to be growing confidence that a finish line is in sight. According to Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen via Christopher Placek of the Daily Herald, expectations are the Bears will become owners of the land within the first six months of 2023 at the latest.
“The sale of the 326-acre Arlington Park property to the Chicago Bears is expected to close during the first half of 2023, Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said Thursday.
The Arlington Heights racetrack’s corporate ownership provided a brief update on the sale process — and noted the $197.2 million transaction depends on other approvals — during a call with Wall Street analysts to review the Louisville, Kentucky-based company’s 2021 year-end business results.”
This should give Bears fans an idea of what is to come.
Odds are the 2022 season will pass without any updates as the details are worked out. Then the proper wait can begin in 2023. When things become official, the real fun begins. It feels like a foregone conclusion that the Bears hope to build a brand new stadium on that property. One with a surrounding entertainment village that could be a major revenue stream for all sorts of businesses affiliated with the organization.
Fans seem enthusiastic about the prospects. For years, they’ve complained about Soldier Field being way too small and outdated compared to more modern stadiums. Especially for a team that is one of the highest-valued in the NFL. They should have enough financial power to fix this issue. At last, after years of struggling against constant bureaucracy in downtown Chicago, the McCaskey family decided it was time for a change.
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Chicago Bears still have a tough battle to come
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city governing body have made it clear they don’t want the Bears to leave Soldier Field. She even mentioned recently that several proposals had been put together to entice the team to stay put. Proposals would see some sort of renovation of the property to expand and improve revenue streams. The mayor sounded confident, but politicians always tend to sound that way.
The truth is this feels more like maneuvering on the city’s part to seize the moral high ground for when the Chicago Bears do eventually leave. They will tell people that they did everything possible to keep the team in the city. That includes threatening legal action if they try to get out of their Soldier Field lease early. Something that could cost over $80 million depending on whenever the new stadium would be finished.
Time will tell.
Until then, the Bears no doubt hope they can put their time at Soldier Fields to an end on some sort of high note. Having just one winning season in a decade isn’t befitting a stadium that has served the franchise so well for many years. A place of incredible memories.
