NEWSLETTER
It is probably important that the Chicago Bears and the city of Chicago play nice while the team still has a lease with the city to play at Soldier Field. Hence, I found it to be important when first-year Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson went public with his desire to patch up the relationship with the team and its new president. Things had gotten pretty bad between the Bears and Lori Lightfoot, so there was nowhere to go but up. And for what it’s worth, I think things are looking better now than they did at the end of Lightfoot’s term.
Still, I wasn’t expecting a joint statement from Mayor Johnson and Bears President Kevin Warren that was adjacent to what’s happening (or not happening with a potential move. But here we are reading one (h/t WGN Larry Hawley for sharing):
At first blush, my initial reaction was that’s a lotta words to say very little. But as WGN’s Larry Hawley points out above, the joint statement from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Bears President Kevin Warren comes on the heels of news of yet another suburb making a pitch to be the future home of Chicago Bears football.
Ah, yes. Another day, another suburb throwing its hat in the ring and wanting to be the next home of the Chicago Bears.
Richton Park, which is about 35 miles south of Soldier Field, became the latest municipality showing its desire to be the Bears’ home base. Richton Park Mayor Rick Reinhold’s pitch in a letter to the franchise offers 1,000 acres of undeveloped land and proximity to I-57 as part of the pitch. In response, the Bears said (via the Tribune): “It is our responsibility to listen to other municipalities in Chicagoland about potential locations that can deliver on this transformational opportunity for our fans, our club and the State of Illinois.”
Richton Park joins Naperville, Aurora, and Waukegan as ‘burbs expressing interest in the Bears. And we can’t forget Arlington Heights, where the Bears own what was the Arlington Park racetrack property. The south suburbs had been shutout of the conversation until Richton Park stepped into the fold. With that in mind, I’m curious to see if the Bears will seriously consider the mayor’s pitch. My gut feelings tell me the Bears will still end up in Arlington Park after playing hardball. But it won’t come until after seemingly every suburban leader under the sun gives the Bears a wink and inquires about the Bears moving to their town.
