Chicago Bears’ latest stadium announcement comes on the heels of new Soldier Field criticism
Not good timing.
If you follow the Chicago Bears closely beyond the team on the field, you’re likely familiar with the new stadium project that’s been going on, with no true progress being made, for what already seems like forever.
Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren has been spearheading the project over the last few years in hopes of breaking ground on a new stadium for the Bears.
After toying with the idea of keeping the stadium on the lakefront, similar to the current Soldier Field, Warren and the Bears have now shifted the attention to Arlington Heights, which would move the stadium outside of downtown Chicago.
Kevin Warren gives season ticket holders another stadium update ahead of Week 1’s kickoff
“We are at a pivotal juncture of the Chicago Bears franchise to build a new stadium, our future home in Arlington Heights, which will require zero state money for construction. This is the year to finalize our stadium plans so we can officially bid to host a Super Bowl as soon as 2031. This is the moment to begin moving toward that future, and we want you with us.” – Kevin Warren, via the team’s official website.
The Bears purchased 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights in 2023 to use for the site of the new stadium, which will be built with a “fixed-roof” and used as a multi-use facility. Many fans who appreciate the mid-west weather advantage aren’t too thrilled with the idea of a fixed roof, similar to how SoFi Stadium looks in Los Angeles.
Regardless, the Bears seem to be moving forward with this plan in hopes of bringing a Super Bowl back to Chicago in one way or another.
In the meantime, Soldier Field is receiving a lot of criticism leading up to the regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Members of the field crew are still surveying and addressing areas of the field with a sand/seed mix hours before kickoff, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
The state of the turf at Soldier Field is alarming to say the least, this close to kickoff. We’ll see if the field condition creates any issues for either team during the game tonight. It’s worth noting Soldier Field hosted five concerts over the course of five days during Labor Day weekend and had to resod the field following those events.
A fitting thing to be worried about at the same time a new stadium project update gets sent out to the team’s season ticket holders.
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A telling sign for the Week 1 lineup.
