The regular season is around the corner. That means the Chicago Bears are focused on the business of winning football games. It is what new team president Kevin Warren wants. No outside distractions. That said, the business off the field never stops. One of the primary reasons the McCaskeys hired him was to chart the direction of building a new stadium for the franchise. For months it felt like Arlington Heights would be the obvious choice after purchasing Arlington Racecourse International for $197 million. However, recent events have altered the course.
Several politicians and local school districts have pushed a hardline agenda to slap the Bears with heavy property taxes. Far greater than what the racecourse paid for years. Warren and the team brass are unwilling to accept such a strongarm tactic. As a result, they’ve begun visiting other townships in northern Illinois, from Naperville to Waukegan, Rockford, and Aurora. All seem interested in discussing a possible stadium in their location.
However, Warren’s true intent remains a mystery. Then again, maybe it isn’t. Recently the longtime executive sat down with Peter King of NBC Sports. When discussing the Arlington Heights situation, he talked about alternatives, and it wasn’t difficult to surmise the one possibility that excites him the most.
He won’t say it outright, but Kevin Warren has a clear goal.
In his mind, the big win would be keeping the Bears downtown in Chicago. Nothing matches playing games on the lakefront. This first became evident when he and Mayor Brandon Johnson released a cryptic joint statement last month about how the two sides had great conversations about the stadium issue and would continue talking in the future. It was the first hint of smoke that something might be brewing. Then Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, a respected insider, stated Johnson was serious about the idea of keeping the team in Chicago.
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It is way too early to make declarations, but the warning signs are becoming impossible to ignore. Kevin Warren wants to keep the Bears in the city, and he wants to do it without the oversight of the Chicago Park District that made life at Soldier Field so miserable. Obviously, this presents major challenges. Finding enough quality real estate to build a stadium downtown is beyond difficult. Tons of red tape must be waded through. There are options. The two most logical would be the South Works and McCormick Place Lakeside Center. Each has lakefront access and has sat abandoned for years.
There is no denying what a huge political victory this would be for both sides if Warren pulled it off, though. We always knew the man was ambitious. This could be his magnum opus.
I worked at McCormick place as a tradesman. I left shortly after 9/11 when MPEA cut their budget. That bldg isnt used much anymore. Parking would be a problem there . Maybe they’d park at Soldiers Field which is next door and rent space on game days. Not sure how that would work. Soldiers Field has landmark status so it isn’t getting knocked down or altered, so people can forget that idea. I see them going elsewhere.
If Kevin Warren honestly thinks its better for the Bears to stay in the city, then he’s not as great as everyone thinks. Only in bizzarro world would the Bears generate more revenue in the city then in the suburbs like Arlington Heights or Naperville. Chicago is a crime ridden dump, with ever increasing crime. No fan from the suburbs is going to stay overnight in the city on a Sunday and spend thousands of dollars. Where would a fan walk around and truly be safe especially during a night game? Especially if he has his kid(s) with him. After… Read more »
iserable. Obviously, this presents major challenges. Finding enough quality real estate to build a stadium downtown is beyond difficult. Tons of red tape must be waded through. There are options. The two most logical would be the South Works and McCormick Place Lakeside Center. Each has lakefront access and has sat abandoned for years.