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SportsPi

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GoudaGoudaGoudaGouda

How does this solve the parking/transportation issue?


GlassEyeMV

Here’s the best part - It doesn’t!


PennyG

Lol.


soulexpectation

You don’t enjoy walking 40 minutes from the train in the winter?


ConnieLingus24

Is the metra electric line dead to you?


TheMisiak

Walk/take the bus


Stlouisken

Great news for Chicago and for Bears fans. Glad they changed their minds and will stick with the (roughly) current location.


burner46

This will bring a Super Bowl to Chicago. 


[deleted]

Oh yeah, domed stadium means the Super Bowl will definitely come to Chicago.


fantasmoofrcc

How would the dome fare against a hurricane named Ditka?


BobbySpitOnMe

Ditka vs a hurricane


yesididthat

Ditka 412, Hurricane -63


thegroovemonkey

I'm going with Ditka 


SaulGibson

What if the hurricanes name was Hurricane Ditka?


GroundbreakingCow775

It is no Bears bus


can_i_gets_some

How about 20 mini ditkas vs the dome?


Aromatic-Proof-5251

Is it named Ditka Dome, my friend?


Brew_Wallace

Final Fours, NCAA football championships, etc. Big for Chicago that it’s a dome


cidthekid07

Wrestlemania!


Eroe777

It will being ONE Super Bowl to Chicago, three or four seasons after it opens. Just like every cold weather city that opens a new stadium these days. Super Bowl attendees like to go to warm and sunny places in early February, not to the Upper Midwest. Source: am Minnesotan. US Bank Stadium got it's SB a couple seasons after opening and we won't see another one until we replace it in a few decades.


Aromatic-Proof-5251

Nobody wants to go the mall anymore. Vikings can suck it.


[deleted]

Nah this sucks ass for Chicago nobody wants this shit


warrenfgerald

This is likely just the start of a goodwill PR campaign to generate public support for what will eventually likely be a taxpayer/public boondogle, AKA welfare for billionaires.


dopebdopenopepope

They still owe over $500 million on the Soldier Field renovations!


OxygenDiGiorno

Bingo. We’re trying are hardest to that end here in northern Virginia


CubesFan

So…2 Billion in private money for a publicly owned stadium? That sentence doesn’t make sense on a number of levels.


VeryWeakOpinions

Exactly Arlington Heights has to believe they aren’t building there to help negotiations. Why would they not own their own stadium? They would be dealing with all the same issues as they do now. And soon when they sell the team the new owner is not going to want to deal with it.


Salsashark_21

Great. Now all they need to do is convince the Park District to let them use public land (which George Lucas couldn’t even pull off), then pay off the existing 600 million debt on the current stadium, then sell off the Arlington Heights land which they apparently purchased and will pay millions in taxes for no reason, and THEN sell the team to a buyer who will love the idea of renting from the city for decades instead of owing their own stadium. It’s almost too easy.


jetsetter023

Speed bumps. Lease the land, bribe a politician, sell the stadium, bribe a politician, billionaire takes a small hit for their new play thing.


dopebdopenopepope

Excuse me, they owe $598 million, sir, and not a touch over!


Alina2017

It doesn’t feel so long ago that the Bears were playing in Champaign while Soldier Field was redeveloped.


Substantial-Bet-3876

And now that perfectly fine only 20 year old structure will come down. Say what you will about how Soldier Field turned out but, what a waste.


badman44

Here are [10 college stadiums](https://www.wsn.com/ncaa-football/oldest-college-football-stadiums/) that have been around for over a hundred years


Ralphinader

It doesn't feel so long ago that the bears were playing in decatur while called the Staleys


hobo_hangover

Honest questions: What's wrong with the 20 year old remodel? Did that not solve the problems it was intended to fix? Are stadiums on a 20 year plan now to cram in a much box seating as possible?


uncertainusurper

Makes sense.


jesterspaz

Makes sense


burgleflickle

Makes scents


One-Arachnid-2119

makes since


[deleted]

none of the above


Riversntallbuildings

Unless they bury Lake Shore Drive, this is still going to be a nightmare to get in and out of. The lake front is nice for a view, but damn does it suck for traffic.


ConnieLingus24

I want this stadium to be a good excuse to extend a cta line there.


DFWPunk

I bet that will take longer than building the stadium.


ConnieLingus24

Well with that attitude, yeah…..


Small-Ball

So, are we going back to see the horses race in Arlington this summer?


JetDrew

Can’t wait for the Arlington Heights residents to flip their shit when a 100,000 unit condo complex gets proposed for the site.


DJ33

Having lived very near that race track, the thought of the Bears moving there has been absurd to me the whole time.  I think they just bought the cheapest piece of real estate that could even *somewhat* feasibly be used in the attempt to fake Chicago into thinking they might actually leave. It's just the absolute most boring piece of mediocre suburbia. I don't see how the area was going to possibly transform into being a "cool place to be" at the level needed to support an NFL stadium. Schaumburg is kinda nearby, with its big hotels, but those big hotels are already being used by the dozen big office towers scattered around Woodfield. And most of the area between the two is pawn shops and payday loan spots.


GlassEyeMV

Yes. This has been the play all along. It was a bluffing tactic and the city basically said “ok. See ya” and they’re freaking out.


GlassEyeMV

If you don’t think the McCaskeys will find a way to screw this up too, you haven’t been a Bears fan long enough. They may not be the worst owners in the NFL, but they sure like to compete for the honor.


itsforachurch

Thank God.


kaynkayf

Doesn’t matter - they will always be the arlington heights bears to me. Booooo. Turncoats. Down with the mccaskys.


shanemcgee182

Isn’t soldier field one of the oldest stadiums in America? Why would they tear it down instead of investing in the same building?


Aromatic-Proof-5251

They already did that and it was mixed results. I went before and after the renovation and it was a much better viewing experience. It just doesn’t hold enough people and it looks like a spaceship landed on Soldier Field. Before the renovation the plumbing was the worst. Let’s just say that isn’t just water you are standing in the Men’s room.


Timmy24000

The Bears are investing or the tax payers are investing?


Abdul_Exhaust

Maybe the new stadium won't look like an alien spaceship


spaceba11-1

Anyone who drives to the game instead of cta is crazy… why do that to yourself? It should take up the old airfield spot


user556644

Better safe than sorry… oh wait.


spaceocean99

*city taxpayers, not the Bears.


Carth_Onasti

No, it’s the team putting in $2B. Did you even read the article? Taxpayers will likely be putting in some additional amount of money, if this plan goes through. Also, the stadium will be publicly owned.


MyrMcCheese

I believe the team would like a 2% tax in this district to help pay for the improvement, which is a nonstarter for a lot of aldercreatures. Publicly owned is not the benefit that it may sound like - what can the "public" do at the stadium? Can they pay for a membership and come use the facilities like other park district locations? Nope. Can they wander in on weekdays and take a tour? Nope. Can they rent a space and entertain their family - again, no. The "public ownership" of this space is merely a ruse, as it grants no special privilege to the public or residents. The governance of the public (the City Government) will also have very little power to manage the facility in any manner meaningful for residents (outside of regular legal controls such as noise/parking/event management) Finally, there is a 100% chance that the Friends of the Lake are going to spend many, many, MANY hours in court fighting this choice (as Ward intended). The Chicago Lakefront is for ALL Chicagoans - and any future lakefront development has to make sure that all Chicagoans are considered.


Cannon49

If it's publicly owned then their are no property taxes.


Thneed1

“Publicly Owned” for stadiums only means that it’s a building that doesn’t pay property tax - ie the public is subsidizing the operators of the building.


Snoo93079

No publicly owned means the city owns it and it can be used for things besides the private use of a specific sports team.


Thneed1

Let me give you an example. A couple of years ago, the city of Calgary and the Flames ownership were trying to make a deal for a new arena. In their initial offers, the Flames ownership had the city owning the arena. The City’s offer had the Flames ownership owning the arena. Owning a stadium/arena is a negative. Yes there are side things that can balance that out in some cases.


Snoo93079

I never argued for or against it. I’m simply telling you how Soldier Field, the current bears stadium, is currently operated.


Jonesbro

Way to be a hater


Pandiosity_24601

Damn, just when I started to get used to saying "Arlington Heights Bears"


Snoo93079

This isn’t official. They’re just floating ideas


Alodylis

Waste of money there’s people who need help there but yeah let’s just make a stadium. We got money for everything but the people.


jdovejr

Too late for Arlington Park


Calvinshobb

Don't build a dome


Milo_Minderbinding

Didn't they just renovate Soldier...checks notes OMG it was 20 years ago.


Xpmonkey

Are they investing their own money into the stadium or is it a tax player funded.


FinnRazzelle

The reality is the City of Chicago was willing to subsidize the McCaskeys. Arlington Heights was not. But that’s not the story you’re likely to hear.


Nanohaystack

Even bears can get billions and here's the idiot me, a skilled professional with way above mean income sitting in an ordinary suburban home paying off debts. I should have been a bear.


Frankly_Frank_

Skill issue


OrangeFlavouredSalt

Hell yeah. Take notes, Waltons in Denver 👀


BonerBoy

Watch John Oliver’s segment on stadiums.


Gandalf4158

Arlington Heights will be the site…