The NFL is juggling a lot of things lately. First it was trying to navigate the minefield of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it’s the emotionally-charged racial tensions brought on by the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis. Amidst all this, it’s hard to remember that Chicago Bears training camp is still scheduled to open next month. What people haven’t known is where teams will conduct them.
Not anymore. According to Adam Schefter and multiple other sources, the league has decided that teams will hold their camps at their own facilities. A significant change for several. For the Bears, the timing is rather impeccable as the team just finished making massive renovations to Halas Hall. They had already planned to shift camp there this summer after years down in Bourbonnais.
However, fans should not be celebrating. While camp is scheduled to go forward, Adam Jahns of The Athletic dropped some unfortunate news. Don’t expect the Bears to allow fans to attend practices. Something that had become a long-standing tradition for years.
Most anticipated Chicago Bears training camp in years won’t be watchable
This is not the news people wanted to hear. Not being able to attend camp is bad enough. What makes it so much worse this year is what they could’ve witnessed. The first genuine quarterback competition the Bears have had in 25 years. Mitch Trubisky vs. Nick Foles. The former #2 pick against the former Super Bowl MVP. It would’ve been the talk of the fan community for weeks. Now people will have to rely on what coaches and the media feed them, which just isn’t as much fun.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
It’s sad. Not surprising though. The Bears were obviously going to take the safest route to protect their players. Limiting crowds and contact with fans was the only choice to make. One can only hope some form of fan attendance will return in 2021.