Arlington Heights bluff called and they are folding.

[Penny Traitor]

The city is not caving on a lakefront deal. Friends of the Park has too much power,

If they build on their own parking lot, Friends of the Park will have little sway

Soldier Field is too historically significant,

Solider Field already lost it's landmark status, so I don't see any blowback there that would pick up any significant momentum.

it’s far more profitable for the McCaskeys to build an entire complex in AH and own everything.

In the long term, yes.

In the short term, only if they sell the team.

 

[Penny Traitor]

my question is did they plan it this way or do they just make it up as they go along?

I would bet they were surprised by all the press about the city wanting them to stay. Back when it was Daley vs McCaskey...the city scoffed at threats to leave.

It's going to be fun to watch who fucks this up first, the McCaskeys or the city because our new mayor kinda sucks.

 

[remydat]

"The data show that other than NBA/NHL arenas, most sports venues are rarely used outside of regular-season games. In fact, in an average year the typical NFL, MLB, or MLS facility plays host to fewer than five major entertainment or sporting events other than regular season games played by the primary tenant. Outside of “mega-acts” like Taylor Swift or Bruce Springsteen, NFL stadiums are simply too large for most concert acts."

Most Big-Ticket Sports Venues Play Host to Games, and Little Else

Between 2000 and 2019, typical NFL, MLB, and MLS facilities plays hosted fewer than five major entertainment or sporting events other than regular season games played by their primary tenant.

www.google.com

Stadium Subsidies

The Center for Economic Accountability’s position on government subsidies for professional sports teams is simple: “PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN STADIUM.” Americans — including the…

economicaccountability.org

This is why most NFL teams don't own their own stadiums. The idea they are huge money makers is a myth. This is also why despite being owned by the public most studies and economists agree they offer very little economic benefit to the public.

NFL teams are far better off just leasing the stadium for the few months and 8-10 games a year they need it and then letting the city absorb the cost of having to maintain the stadium the other 350-355 days of the year. And no for the most part other events are not frequent enough to make it profitable for the city as if it was far more NFL teams would own their stadium.

So it is funny that Bears fans think that one of the most incompetent ownership groups in the NFL has figured out something that far more savvy NFL owners who earned their money rather than inherited it has not.

 

[remydat]

my question is did they plan it this way or do they just make it up as they go along?

As I said before AH was McCaskey's and Philips idea. I think Warren is trying to extract them from that situation while saving them face.

Again if having a complex built around an NFL stadium was the smart move then why have the NFL owners with decades of real world business and real estate experience by and large chosen not to own their stadium?

 

[remydat]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772588607582122446

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772585202725912620

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772650326664917022

 

[BNB]

Yeah, to me, listening to Warren talk, it does genuinely seem like the plan is to have the stadium in Chicago on the lakefront. I think that's gonna be a mistake though.

 

[Dstone5553]

Just been reading some comments from Athletic from some season ticket holders who are really disappointed in this Chicago lake front development. It all obviously revolves around how hard it is to get in and out and the parking but also the lack of tailgating compared to other places.

I'm stunned reading this, that there are actually Bears fans who want them to play in Arlington. But I guess it's easy for me to say that, living in SF and not going to games anymore. I grew up on corner of Clark/Fullerton so it wasn't a big deal for me to take bus to games but obviously there are so many who live outside city who they can't do that.

And even though the lake front seems like a pretty cool place for a Bears stadium compared to freaking Arlington Heights, getting in and out obviously matters, especially if you go to a lot of games.

Really took me by surprise though.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

The Bears issue is that they get a ridiculously low share of everything that goes into Soldier Field. I've read/heard they only get 6-10% of concession sales. Whereas the Cowboys get nearly all of it (probably all of it considering Jones owns the company that does the concessions there - also in Vegas). Go ahead and own it outright if you want, but I'd want as much as possible out of concessions, memorabilia, and parking.

Don't understand why the Bears would ever entertain being a tenant to the city parks folks that they have battled with forever?
Why would they not demand to own the new stadium or just go to burbs?

 

[pdxbearsfan]

Are you at all familiar with “Jerry World”?

Do you think it has a tenant 10 days a year?

Final fours. Bowl games. College football opening week top matchup. Concerts. Rodeos (not suggesting same for Illinois)

It’s THE venue. But Mercedes and SoFi followed suit.

That’s why Arlington Heights has appeal.

I think the discussion with the city may simply be for leverage. We’ll see.

Nothing else makes any sense.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

Just been reading some comments from Athletic from some season ticket holders who are really disappointed in this Chicago lake front development. It all obviously revolves around how hard it is to get in and out and the parking but also the lack of tailgating compared to other places.

I'm stunned reading this, that there are actually Bears fans who want them to play in Arlington. But I guess it's easy for me to say that, living in SF and not going to games anymore. I grew up on corner of Clark/Fullerton so it wasn't a big deal for me to take bus to games but obviously there are so many who live outside city who they can't do that.

And even though the lake front seems like a pretty cool place for a Bears stadium compared to freaking Arlington Heights, getting in and out obviously matters, especially if you go to a lot of games.

Really took me by surprise though.

Ticket sales are a small part of the overall revenue if you own the stadium and everything else.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Don't understand why the Bears would ever entertain being a tenant to the city parks folks that they have battled with forever?
Why would they not demand to own the new stadium or just go to burbs?

Don't understand why you respond to me when I couldn't be more clear how little I think of what you think.

 

[IBleedBearsBlood]

Maybe the plan was to never move the Bears. Just make it seem that way. AH brings down their taxes with the supposed Bears coming but never were. Maybe wait again for their second offer and then build what they really wanted to there in the first place. And Chicago adjusting percentages with the Bears so they can keep them. But that was the plan all along. I don’t know. Just putting shit out there.

 

[remydat]

Ticket sales are a small part of the overall revenue if you own the stadium and everything else.

Except NFL stadiums host on average 8.5 events a year outside of football. So you own the stadium and you are more likely to be losing money as it sits empty for 350 days a year which is why just about every study on public ownership of stadiums concludes they are not beneficial.

Like aside from you believing it to be so what evidence do you have that owning your own stadium is great?

 

[WestCoastBearsFan]

Except NFL stadiums host on average 8.5 events a year outside of football. So you own the stadium and you are more likely to be losing money as it sits empty for 350 days a year which is why just about every study on public ownership of stadiums concludes they are not beneficial.

Like aside from you believing it to be so what evidence do you have that owning your own stadium is great?

It’s the fact that Soldier Field’s turf / grass was a shit show for a decade + and the Park District couldn’t be bothered to pretend to care.

Personally I think AH makes more sense to me because you can build around them stadium like luxury apartments, hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc. Not my money though.

 

[remydat]

It’s the fact that Soldier Field’s turf / grass was a shit show for a decade + and the Park District couldn’t be bothered to pretend to care.

Personally I think AH makes more sense to me because you can build around them stadium like luxury apartments, hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc. Not my money though.

I don't think the answer to the Park District issue is to spend hundreds of millions so you can use the stadium for like 15 events a year.

You need a level of real estate expertise to manage something like AH that the Bears owners show no evidence of possessing. Stan Kroenke for example has been in real estate development since 1983 and is married to a Walmart heiress. He had like 30 years of real estate experience before he built Sofi stadium and the surrounding community.

George McCaskey has zero experience in real estate development and now all of a sudden Bears fans think he is going to pull off some massive redevelopment of AH. Kevin Warren also has zero experience beyond building the actual stadium. He has never built or managed apartment or office complexes or a community on the scale proposed for AH. These people are novices in that area.

 

[Payton34Sayers40]

Chicago voted best big city in the US for the 7th straight year .... Chicago Voted Best Big US City For 7th Straight Year

Chicago tourism skyrockets to record breaking numbers .... Chicago Tourism Statistics Skyrocket to Record Breaking Numbers in 2023 - ConnollyCove

Chicago murders and shootings are down .... Chicago police 2023 crime data shows decline in murders, shootings

Where Chicago ranks on the World Global Cities Index: Global city - Wikipedia

Chicago is 10th in the ENTIRE WORLD -- with only 3 US cities in the top 10 -- NY, LA and The CHI

5 Things to do Along Chicago's Riverwalk | Hotel EMC2 | Blog -------- showing the riverwalk during summer

1,500+ Chicago Summer Stock Videos and Royalty-Free Footage - iStock ------- showing Chicago beaches during summer

Chicago Beaches | Guide to Local Beaches on Lake Michigan

Chicago offers 26 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan with plenty of free beaches and an 18.5-mile-long bike path. See our guide to local favorites!

www.choosechicago.com

Why would the Bears move away from such a dynamic city? Only old codgers, people who don't travel much, the uninformed and Fox News enthusiasts would think that Chicago is not a "destination city". Arlington Heights can't compare. Chicago is a world Alpha city. One is the very best in the entire world. Kevin Warren knows this and sees the big picture.

In short, you don't move away from a city like this... especially when you have a foothold into its front yard/the lakefront.

 

[WestCoastBearsFan]

I don't think the answer to the Park District issue is to spend hundreds of millions so you can use the stadium for like 15 events a year.

You need a level of real estate expertise to manage something like AH that the Bears owners show no evidence of possessing. Stan Kroenke for example has been in real estate development since 1983 and is married to a Walmart heiress. He had like 30 years of real estate experience before be built Sofi stadium and the surrounding community.

George McCaskey has zero experience in real estate development and now all of a sudden Bears fans think he is going to pull off some massive redevelopment of AH. Kevin Warren also has zero experience beyond building the actual stadium. He has never built or managed apartment or office complexes or development a community on the scale proposed for AH. These people are novices in that area.

Well I guess it’s a good thing, LinkedIn Jobs exists and they can post a job opening and pay people to do the job they can’t. The McCaskeys not knowing how to do it is not a reason to not do it.

It’s not like they coach on Sundays.

 

[remydat]

Well I guess it’s a good thing, LinkedIn Jobs exists and they can post a job opening and pay people to do the job they can’t. The McCaskeys not knowing how to do it is not a reason to not do it.

It’s not like they coach on Sundays.

Great who have they hired that can manage something like this? Why do you think Warren came in and pivoted to staying in Chicago?

Why don't the vast majority of NFL teams not own their stadiums or build these massive communities if they can just go on LinkedIn and find guys?

This is fantasy land. You have no clue what goes into a project of the scale proposed.

 

[WestCoastBearsFan]

Great who have they hired that can manage something like this? Why do you think Warren came in and pivoted to staying in Chicago?

Why don't the vast majority of NFL teams not own their stadiums or build these massive communities if they can just go on LinkedIn and find guys?

This is fantasy land. You have no clue what goes into a project of the scale proposed.

What are you talking about? Just because they haven’t hired somebody “who can manage something like this” yet doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t. Are you saying nobody on the planet could manage this?

Most NFL teams probably don’t feel the need to own their own stadiums because most NFL ownership groups didn’t marry into generational wealth and aren’t cash poor bitches like the McCaskeys. The bears are the McCaskey family business, that’s not the case for lots of ownership groups.

 

[remydat]

What are you talking about? Just because they haven’t hired somebody “who can manage something like this” yet doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t. Are you saying nobody on the planet could manage this?

Most NFL teams probably don’t feel the need to own their own stadiums because most NFL ownership groups didn’t marry into generational wealth and aren’t cash poor bitches like the McCaskeys. The bears are the McCaskey family business, that’s not the case for lots of ownership groups.

Your logic makes no sense. AH would cost a fuck ton more than a stadium in Chicago so if the McCaskey's are cash poor then it is fucking stupid for them to try to build a 5 billion campus with zero real estate background. Especially when most projects almost always go over budget so if they are saying it is 5 billion then the cost likely ends up closer to 7-10 billion.

Here are the owners that own their stadiums and/or built campuses.

Kroenke - background in real estate development.

Ross - background in real estate development

Tepper - Background in Asset Management which includes a real estate portfolio.

Kraft - Background in construction and real estate development

Josh Harris - Background in private equity and corporate finance which includes real estate portfolio.

Are you sensing a theme yet? Again it is incredibly stupid for a cash poor family with zero fucking real estate experience to try and build a 5 billion campus. Like Jesus Christ look how they have run the Bears. Almost 40 years of bad hires but you think they going to use linkedin to hire a real estate genius.

It doesn't get any easier than running an NFL franchise where the bulk of your revenue is locked in from a TV deal and you have a salary cap ans they have fucked that up royally over the years. I wouldn't trust them to manage a 7-11 much less a 7-10 billion real estate development.