No NFL stadium is older or more ingrained in its city’s lore.
Its name pays tribute to fallen service members, not corporate egos.
Butkus, Payton and Singletary all made history here.
Soldier Field.
With its views of Chicago’s skyline and games enhanced by wind-driven snow, the 97-year-old stadium is as much a part of the Bears identity as tenacious linebackers or underperforming quarterbacks. The team’s allegiance to the lakefront shrine has long been a point of civic pride, giving fans something to brag about even when — especially when — they couldn’t brag about the squad itself.
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Yet, seemingly, the storied site can no longer compete with the so-called fan experience marketed by other teams.
The Bears announced an agreement Wednesday to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse and surrounding land for $197.2 million in anticipation of potentially building a larger, more modern stadium in the northwest suburb. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot voiced frustration with the decision, saying that team officials so far have refused to negotiate with the city.
Fans, however, were exponentially more understanding and some even expressed a draft day-like optimism that better days are ahead. With a tentative deal unlikely to close before late 2022, they dreamed openly of shorter concessions, easier parking, better tailgating opportunities and a domed stadium that protected them from biting winter winds.
“I’ve been to multiple stadiums in the NFL and Soldier Field does not compete with any of them,” Bears season ticket holder Neal Shah of Wheaton said. “On game days, the television crews show an aerial view of the stadium, which is beautiful, but the logistics are terrible.”
Andy Duerkop, a Bears season ticket holder for more than 20 years, talks about the possibility of the Bears moving to Arlington Heights on Sept. 29, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Owned by the Chicago Park District, the stadium holds just 61,500, the smallest capacity in the NFL. It lost its status as a national historic landmark following a controversial renovation — done in 2004 to quell the Bears’ previous threats to move — that ended up looking like a spaceship had landed atop the Greek revival building.
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“You could argue nostalgia as a reason for staying, but Soldier Field lost its historical charm with the renovation done nearly 20 years ago,” said Brian Miller of Elmhurst. “It is the smallest stadium in the NFL, quite difficult and aggravating to get to, and brutally cold once we cross into November. Truly, moving to Arlington Heights will allow them to own their own stadium and build it big enough for the market they are in.”
After nearly 40 years of tailgating at Soldier Field and an induction into the national Tailgating Hall of Fame, Ken Michalski said a Bears move to Arlington Heights would inevitably curtail one of his passions, something he has shared with his children, grandchildren and countless friends. The simple reason is distance: From his home in northwest Indiana, Arlington Heights would add about 60 round-trip miles to a Bears game.
Rather than attend all home Bears games, Michalski said, he’d probably make it to half the games. He’d also likely sell his blue-and-orange RV that gets 15 miles to the gallon.
“It’s gonna take something I love to do every weekend away from me,” he said.
But Michalski gets it. He thinks the move would be a smart business decision.
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“Am I disappointed? Yes,” Michalski said. “But do I feel it’s good for the Bears organization? Yes.”
Michalski also thinks a move would likely benefit tailgaters. The Chicago Park District hinders the experience more than helps it, he said, especially opening lots a mere four hours before kickoff, which Michalski said is barely enough time to park, unload, fire up the grill and eat before it’s time to head in for the game.
“They pretty much take all the tailgating away from you,” he said.
The policy has led him to rent a private lot with friends at a cost of about $200 per person per game, where he can arrive as early as 5:15 a.m. to start setting up.
He expects the Bears would nurture a more fan-friendly experience on land owned by the team. The move will also likely usher in a changing of the tailgating guard, Michalski said. Many of the people he tailgates with are from suburbs within an easy drive of Soldier Field, including the south and southwest suburbs and northwest Indiana.
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By heading northwest of the city, the Bears would likely lose some of those people, replaced by people from the north and northwest suburbs.
“It’s gonna bring a whole different generation of people to tailgate,” he said. “It’ll be out with the old and in with the new.”
Park Ridge resident Andy Duerkop, a Bears season ticket holder for 20 years, is more invested in the stadium than most fans. In addition to holding four pricey permanent seat licenses in the 300 section, he and his wife share an apartment that overlooks Soldier Field with another couple.
And he still supports a move to Arlington Heights.
He sees the logistical benefits of a suburban stadium, including better parking and less traffic congestion. A domed site could also make hosting the Super Bowl a possibility, he said.
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“Ten years ago I would have said Chicago football needs to be played on the lakefront in iconic Soldier Field,” Duerkop said.
Duerkop’s only concern is keeping his licensed seats, which he said he has spent tens of thousands of dollars maintaining.
“If they can just say, ‘Oh yeah, well, it’s a new stadium, you lose your rights,’ there will be a lot of upset people who put up a lot of money for those,” Duerkop said. “The Bears would do well to get in front of that.”
Margarita Challenger and Jovanny Diaz talk about the possibility of the Bears moving to Arlington Heights on Sept. 29, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Ryan McLaughlin, a Chicago native and economist who lives in Salt Lake City, doesn’t think the team should follow through on the purchase. He thinks it’s a bad move for the team’s identity and said fans who are excited about the potential move aren’t thinking about the financial hit if ticket prices increase.
“How else are the people financing this project going to get their money back?” he asked.
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A few fans found the potential move a disappointment, including restaurant owner Margarita Challenger whose establishment, Guanajuato, is making its Soldier Field debut Sunday. At the stadium Wednesday to survey the facilities, she expressed doubts the Bears would actually leave such a scenic location.
“It’s a national treasure,” she said. “It’s beautiful. The architecture is striking.”
The most fervent defense against the possible move, however, came from Pete Deritter of Michigan. Deritter is not a Bears fan, but he’s married to one and he predicted his wife will not be happy to learn the Bears may abandon a stadium that the city has spent millions of dollars to renovate and maintain on the team’s behalf.
Taxpayers covered $432 million of the Soldier Field renovation project in 2004, according to a Tribune analysis. That figure will balloon substantially once the hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and interest are paid off in 2032.
The Bears only contributed about $30 million of their own money to the project, with the remainder covered by $100 million from the NFL and the sale of personal seat licenses to season ticket holders.
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“That’s absolutely horrendous that they take tax dollars … and then screw the people and move out. That’s outrageous,” Deritter said. “The city ought to take that money back when they move out.”
If the Bears were to break the lease five years from now, in 2026, the team would have to pay $84 million in damages to the city, the Tribune reported earlier this year.
Season ticket holder Shah believes any ill feelings toward the move will subside if the Bears can do something they haven’t done consistently in decades: win.
“Nobody cares where they play,” he said, “as long as they have a franchise quarterback and a winning product.”
sygoodman@chicagotribune.com
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