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The Chicago Bears just signed a purchase agreement to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and while there is no official agreement they’ll leave Soldier Field to build a new stadium there — not yet anyway — all signs are pointing in that direction.
In an appearance on Mully & Haugh on WSCR 670 The Score, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke about what the Bears’ signing the purchase agreement means for the city, as well as her plans for Solider Field in the long term.
Lightfoot noted she “appreciated the courtesy call” she received from Bears chairman George McCaskey notifying her of the Arlington Heights purchase, but she was also quick to suggest that when it comes to Soldier Field, it’s not necessarily all about the Bears.
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Mayor Lightfoot: Soldier Field is Bigger Than the Bears
“To me, thinking about Soldier Field a much bigger conversation than merely the Chicago Bears,” Lightfoot said on Mully & Haugh. “Look, I’m the mayor of the city, I’m a Bears fan of long standing. I’m going to do everything I can to keep the Bears in Chicago. But just as this is a business decision for them, it’s gotta be a business decision for us. And we’re looking overall at: ‘What can we do to really maximize the value of this asset that we have on the lakefront?'”
Mayor Lightfoot then suggested she was working on ways to better utilize Soldier Field and the surrounding lakefront area with the idea of generating income for the city of Chicago.
“We are not getting the best that we can out of that venue,” Lightfoot added, in reference Soldier Field. “Six months of the year or so, it stands empty. I’ve been to a lot of stadiums across the country, and they have turned — even older stadiums — they’ve turned them into year-round destinations. So we’ve assembled a small group that is going to start looking at: ‘What can we be doing … to maximize the value of this incredible asset.'”?
Lightfoot Says Talks With Bears Have Stalled
Lightfoot noted that the Bears had canceled a meeting with her this week, and she said despite the current lack of negotiations happening, the team has a contract with the city to honor.
“They got a contract that runs to 2033,” Lightfoot said, adding that she has been open to communicating — but the organization has not.
“We can’t operate in the dark. I don’t have a magic eight-ball to divine what the Bears want,” she said. “Come to us. Tell us what you’re interested in. Let’s see what we can get done and if it makes sense for us and you. But I can’t negotiate by myself.”
When she was asked if the Bears’ departure might leave an opening for the city to add another NFL franchise, the mayor said this:
“I think we’re way, way, way from that discussion, but (we’re) obviously aware that there are other places in the country where there are multiple teams within the same geographic region. … Soldier Field is a very sought-after venue … I think the sky is the limit for what we can do there. We’d love to have the Bears be a part of that future, but we’re going to do what is in the absolute best interest of the taxpayers.”
It will be a bit before things are finalized for the Bears and their purchase of Arlington, too. “They are buying an option, and they bought this property,” Mayor Lightfoot added. “The statements I saw this morning suggest that there’s a lot that needs to be done to close that deal.”
The Bears paid Churchill Downs $197.2 million, and the “closing process to take until the end of 2022 or last into the beginning of 2023,” per The Chicago Sun-Times.
If and when that happens, though, the Bears’ departure from the city will be all but a done deal, and Lightfoot seems more than a tad open to adding another team if that happens. Stay tuned.
You can listen to Lightfoot’s full interview on Mully & Haugh here.
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