NFL Insider shares the overlooked aspect of the Chicago Bears stadium search that needs to be considered by everyone involved
The Chicago Bears have fully annoyed the entire fanbase with the back and forth negotiations between the state of Illinois and Indiana for the new stadium project, and the organization can’t lose sight of what matters most.
The Chicago Bears’ stadium drama took another turn late last week when the organization shifted its focus back to Hammond, Indiana after exhausting all efforts with the state of Illinois earlier in the week.
And yet, things are still up in the air with this entire situation with no end in sight. It’s reaching a frustrating level. Illinois is frustrated with the Chicago Bears, the Bears are frustrated with Illinois, Indiana can start getting impatient at any point, the NFL is bound to step in and get involved, and the fans are beyond fed up with everyone involved.
The latter is the overlooked aspect of this entire situation and something that shouldn’t be ignored in the stadium talks. Something Albert Breer laid out perfectly.
Chicago Bears shouldn’t overlooked the fans amid all of the stadium drama
“That, to me, is the feeling of a big game in a big city, like the Bears had on a Saturday night in January, that’ll be impossible to replicate on a nondescript plot of land,” Breer wrote. “Just watch the NBA Finals. Part of the reason for all of it—scenes you see of New York City celebrating its basketball team—is that the Knicks play in midtown Manhattan. I promise that wouldn’t be the same if they were in Jersey. And it won’t be the same with the Bears in the ‘burbs.”
That point speaks directly to both locations being considered: Arlington Heights and Hammond. The best option for the fans is and always has been Chicago. The organization is aware of that. It’s why the team continued to have backchannel discussions with the city as a hidden option.
The Bears created a strong homefield advantage last season that lasted well into the postseason at Soldier Field. Moving to the suburbs could sour fans’ interest in attending games and lose that sense of community.
“I want to thank our fans,” Bears general manager Ryan said after the season. “I’ll never forget those playoff games. The games at the end of the season, they brought it. I had never seen Soldier Field like that before, I can’t wait to get back to that point. I had family members flying in to O’Hare texting me, saying, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ in terms of the amount of pride that our fans had, wearing their Bears gear, pumped up about the upcoming game.
“We felt that, and that’s part of the job that we don’t talk about a lot. It’s just inspiring our fan base, inspiring the community, bringing that joy and that fun to the community because of the football team and how they’re doing.”
The fans are always an afterthought in these business decisions involving millions of dollars, tax breaks, and political leverage. That shouldn’t be the case. Losing the big game feel would be detrimental for a team with big time goals.