With all the news and rumors surrounding the White Sox, it is hard to differentiate what is the truth and what is fake. But, one rumor seems to be coming up more and more, and that is the White Sox considering moving their stadium.
This is an interesting rumor for sure, but it seems to be gaining more traction, as more information has come out regarding it.
This is a weird list for sure. The lease with Guaranteed Rate Field will expire in a few years, so it is natural to look around if another place would be more profitable for the stadium, but the locations they are looking at are very interesting.
A New Location?
The one that would make the most sense would be the United Center. Jerry is already familiar with that area because of the Bulls so the connection there is obvious. Where they would build the new stadium exactly remains to be seen.
The upside about that area would be the ease of travel for fans coming from the suburbs. In terms of Chicago stadiums, the United Center is the easiest to get to if you are coming from most of the suburbs in Chicago.
The area is already very developed to accommodate a major stadium, as there are plenty of shuttles that take you from bars and restaurants in Little Italy, which can make transportation even easier. Plus, there are plenty of bars and restaurants in the surrounding area that would get an uptick during the summer months, as games would be played in that area all year round.
But, once basketball and hockey start, if the Sox are playing at the same time, traffic could be an absolute nightmare. Fans going to two different stadiums could create long lines off the highway and cause a lot of issues. They would definitely need to figure that out logistically before any move was made.
The other two locations don’t make much sense, as they are busy with the Chicago Bears. But, once the Bears finally figure out what they are doing, a spot could open up.
Either converting Soldier Field or building a field in the spot would be pretty cool in terms of background scenery. A field overlooking the lake would put it on par with stadiums like Pittsburgh and San Fransico. Unfortunately, the city owns that area and a deal benefiting the White Sox would be unlikely.
Lastly, they mention Arlington Heights. To me that makes the least amount of sense. It is a very expensive property that you would have to buy from the Bears and unless the Sox wanted to build a giant complex with hotels and restaurants, it wouldn’t make much sense. I don’t even think that is in the budget for them.
A new stadium that has state-of-the-art amenities would be pretty cool, but I’m not sure how many fans would be on board. I feel that the most likely situation is the Sox staying put. I wonder what will happen, as there has been a lot of smoke around a potential move.
Typical Reinsdorf. Money before winning.