NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears moving to Arlington Park once felt inevitable, but doesn’t have those same vibes at the moment.
Arlington Heights dragging its feet and mucking things up lately has led to the Bears taking meetings with mayors from Naperville and Chicago. Opening that bag of worms is really driving home that Arlington Park is no longer the singular focus of the Bears as they look to build a modern facility for their football team and other activities. So it should come as no surprise that other cities, suburbs, and towns see the Bears cracking the door open as an opportunity to barge right in and make a pitch of their own.
Next up, Waukegan:
Mayor Ann B. Taylor sent a letter pitching Bears President Kevin Warren on what Waukegan has to offer. You can check it out here via WTTW correspondent Amanda Vinicky. In the meantime, this is my favorite snippet:
Our working class and diverse community is as tough as the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Bears, and our leadership team at Waukegan City Hall is as aggressive as Justin Fields running the ball downfield when it comes to creating economic opportunities for our City, our residents, and the region at large.
Our City’s staff and I invite you and your leadership team to come to Waukegan to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity our City can offer the Bears. We believe that the Monsters of the Midway deserve the opportunity to continue the tradition of playing along the shores of Lake Michigan, with the market opportunity of having a year-round facility capable of hosting other major events, including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and other events of an international scale.
I love it when a mayor has confidence and gusto. Bonus points for correct usage of the Oxford comma.
Taylor presents a compelling case for Waukegan. One that cites large lots of land, an ability to build along the lakefront, and proximity to the team’s Halas Hall campus. Waukegan is about 14 miles north and east of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest. But it is also nearly 50 miles north of Soldier Field. It’s a bit of a haul for city dwellers and Bears fans south of city limits. Despite those distances, Mayor Taylor does her best to make a compelling case. Particularly while noting that Waukegan has access via I-94, U.S. Route 41, and a Metra stop.
On the one hand, this is starting to get silly. Part of me can’t believe we’re reaching a point where it is a regular occurrence to see suburbs make a run to be the Bears’ new hometown. But with tax issues slowing things down in Arlington Heights, it makes sense to see others make their pitch. And while there is still an expectation that the Bears will leave Soldier Field for Arlington Heights, it isn’t a foregone conclusion anymore. So come one, come all. Maybe the Bears are bluffing. But even if they are, that they’re willing to hear you out (despite already spending nearly $200 million to purchase the Arlington Park site) is telling. Who’s got next?
