Virginia McCaskey has owned the Chicago Bears since her father’s passing, the great George Halas, in 1983. Since then, she has maintained a calm steadiness over the years, running the organization with grace and class. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t had more success in recent years. She deserves to have another taste of championship glory before it’s too late. Now the clock might be ticking louder than ever.
McCaskey is 99-years old. One of the great stories of this era is her remarkable streak of good health for somebody her age. Sadly, that streak might finally be coming to an end. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, the long-time matriarch’s condition quietly deteriorates behind the scenes. Enough to where the rest of the family is in crisis mode, wondering what might happen if and when she ends up passing away.
“Virginia McCaskey is not well. And things inside the McCaskeys are not either. The family has rarely been in this much turmoil over the last thirty years and there are some close to the organization who believe a sale might actually be on the table once Virginia passes.”
This would explain a lot.
Particularly why the Bears suddenly became active in their pursuit of the Arlington Park property. Securing that allows them to start constructing a new stadium. A new stadium would instantly increase the overall value were an owner to sell the team. It isn’t hard to connect the dots. Rumblings have surfaced for months that many of the younger generations in the McCaskey family want out of the business.
That isn’t going to happen as long as Virginia McCaskey is alive. She is determined to maintain her father’s legacy. Once she’s gone though, a succession crisis would unfold and there isn’t a lot of confidence that George McCaskey would be able to hold things together. This could lead to the Bears no longer being under the control of the Halas bloodline for the first time since 1921.
All one can do is wish the best for her and wonder what the future may bring.
