The Bears' on-field dysfunction came to a head on Tuesday, but [extremely 30 for 30 voice] what if I told you that the team's most pressing off-field dysfunction is just getting started?!
According to a new report from Crain’s Chicago Business, the team is actively looking into a new lakefront site for their long-discussed new stadium. The new plans would revolve around building a domed stadium on the grounds where the Michael Reese Hospital used to be. This comes as their original plans to rebuild Soldier Field and remodel the area around it have slowed to a halt, causing speculation to grow that they'll eventually fall through.
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Though the team refused to comment on the report, details within the story describe how the team is now listening to a pitch from Scott Goodman, who is one of the lead figures for the land development team that bought the Reese site from the city. The city originally bought the land with the idea of building an Olympic village there, but those plans died when the 2016 Games were given to Rio de Janeiro instead.
Bears reportedly reconsidering a different lakefront site for potential new stadium
"Determined to stay in Chicago and stymied on the lakefront, the Bears are at least considering the possibility of building a domed stadium to jump-start development of a new neighborhood on the old Michael Reese Hospital site, sources confirmed Tuesday ... But with the Bears hurry-up offense on their first-choice site stalled in Springfield, the team now is listening to an aggressive pitch from Scott Goodman, a principal of the Farpoint Development-led team that purchased the Reese site from the city ..."
At this point, it's hard to get a sense on what Kevin Warren's actual plan is. When the Bears went and bought all that land up in Arlington Heights, it seemed like they were leaning into their long-rumored destiny of moving the team out into the northwest suburbs.
Then they hired Kevin Warren – in large part because of how he was able to secure and build a new state-of-the-art stadium in Minnesota – and, at least publicly, pivoted to a new lakefront plan. For a while that plan felt like somewhat of a bluff, though Warren's continued enthusiasm for a lakefront property has made it seem more legitimate as time has gone on. Now, with a second downtown location being floated, Arlington Heights feels even more far-fetched.
But, as always, this could be another bluff. The Bears still own the land out in Arlington Heights, and as long as that's the case it'll feel like, ultimately, that's their play. Maybe "not being able to find a home for the new stadium they already have blueprints for" is just the latest move in the Bears' 4D chess match with the city. Or maybe the Bears are just being the Bears.