The Chicago Bears have worked for two years to start their new stadium project. Initial plans involved building in Arlington Heights after purchasing a massive 326-acre lot. However, property tax issues led to a stalemate that compelled team president Kevin Warren to look for alternatives. He became enamored with the idea of building a state-of-the-art facility downtown on the museum campus south of Soldier Fields, keeping the Bears on the lakefront. The presentation was impressive. Unfortunately, there was one glaring issue.
Funding.
While the Bears were committed to paying around 72% of the necessary bill for construction with help from the NFL, there was one problem. They still needed an estimated $900 million in public money to close the gap, which proved to be a non-starter for Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker. He made it clear from the outset that unless the Bears drastically altered their proposal, there was no way he would sign off on giving the organization any help from taxpayers. Warren has tried several inroads to start a discussion, but nothing has worked. However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has revealed they may now have a loophole.
“The NFL voted in August to allow private equity funds to buy up to a 10% stake in teams, and some folks I have spoken to over the last few months believe that could be a stepping stone for the Bears to get the funding required for a stadium project — especially in light of the cold responses they’ve received in a bid for public funding.
No one expected the Bears to make the first move, and now two other teams have. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins were granted approval to sell stakes to private equity investors at a league meeting Wednesday in Irving, Texas.”
Finding investors for the Chicago Bears wouldn’t be difficult.
There is likely no shortage of people who would love the chance to buy into the organization. Were the Bears to sell enough shares, they could raise the necessary $900 million in remaining money they need, bypassing the public option completely. Or they could use private equity to cut the bill in half. Maybe Pritzker would be more open to covering a $400-450 million bill, which would be a significantly lesser burden on state citizens. Thus far, it appears the organization is reluctant to pursue this alternative.
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However, Warren did say he’s looking into it. As 2025 draws closer, his timeline to get shovels in the ground is reaching a point of no return. Two options appear on the table for the Chicago Bears. Either they use this method to secure the funding needed for a downtown stadium, or they pivot back to Arlington Heights, which recently settled the property tax issue. Betting experts would likely lean towards the latter. Still, if Warren is determined to see a downtown stadium through, the private equity route might be his lifeline.
Kevin Warren is a businessman. He’s treating this like a draft scenario or poker game. Who’s got the most money to lend. They’re gonna build on the AH property. Them cheapskates, McCaskey’s didn’t spend all that money for a country club. They didn’t fire Eberflus earlier like Poles attempted to last year and this year. They didnt fire him because they didn’t wanna have to keep him on the payroll. Warren’s trying to get as many people involved that’s willing to chip in, government, or selling shares. He has the go ahead in Arlington. That Minnesota stadium is top notch,… Read more »
A loophole? A loophole is not needed when building in AH. Plenty of investors will be lining up to build along side the new stadium. Hotel chains, restaurants, sports bars, nightclubs, gaming ect ect…they would all sign lucrative leases and pay to be at the mega complex. It would attract people year round. Warren should be fired if shovels aren’t digging in AH after 3 years. He’s spent 2 years doing nothing but schmoozing politicians. O wait he did come up with a garbage downtown plan.
First and foremost, I would like to say Hello to the people that have endured through the last few seasons. The Bears fans our the best. If you ever were a Bear fan you will always be a Bears fan. With that said I will calmly conclude that the Bears being a historic franchise will never step forward without the change of ownership, I Love you Virginia.
I get the visual appeal of a state-of-the-art stadium downtown on the lakefront. But the optics are about the only selling point. Downtown traffic sucks. AH is an opportunity to have not only a great stadium, but also to build an entire complex around the stadium. Hotels, retail, restaurants…all on land owned by the Bears. Not to mention the extra parking. I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to build in AH.
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