Sox looking at building in South Loop

[caulfield12]

  On 3/9/2024 at 11:22 PM, SpringfieldFan said:

I don’t think we (the taxpayers) should just give JR a stadium, but should we expect him to just give one to us? Where’s equilibrium? Maybe we should pony up escalated ticket prices?

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Rays are even kicking in $650 million out of $1.3 billion.

HALF.

[SpringfieldFan]

  On 3/9/2024 at 11:25 PM, caulfield12 said:

Rays are even kicking in $650 million out of $1.3 billion.

HALF.

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Fair

 

[southsider2k5]

The Liberation of Being a Fair-Weather Fan https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/magazine/fair-weather-fan-recommendation.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

[Middle Buffalo]

  On 3/10/2024 at 5:52 PM, southsider2k5 said:

The Liberation of Being a Fair-Weather Fan https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/magazine/fair-weather-fan-recommendation.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

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I’ve often thought it would be a heck of a lot easier to just be a sports fan rather than a fan of particular teams. Root for the best story. It doesn’t help that I follow miserable franchises (Chicago and U of Ill).

I was 11 in 1983 when the Sox were the first good Chicago team in my lifetime. When I was 10-12 years old in the early 80s, the Chicago teams were my primaries, but I always had other teams that I liked because my teams were so bad. I feel like I’d be happier if I had remained a sports polygamist.

 

[Lip Man 1]

Bears will announce Monday they are shifting stadium focus and get this...they have decided to invest two billion in private funds to make it happen:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/03/10/bears-new-stadium-lakefront-soldier-field-arlington-heights-public-funding-poll

[caulfield12]

  On 3/11/2024 at 12:36 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

Bears will announce Monday they are shifting stadium focus and get this...they have decided to invest two billion in private funds to make it happen:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/03/10/bears-new-stadium-lakefront-soldier-field-arlington-heights-public-funding-poll

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That's really going to put some pressure on JR to come up with something like $300-500 milllion between all the investors or they're going to look like a minor league organization in comparison.

Obviously, the figures attached to the NFL are in the stratosphere, but it's going to be challenging not to make direct comparisons...outside of franchise values and revenue generated numbers.

[WhiteSox2023]

  On 3/11/2024 at 12:46 AM, caulfield12 said:

That's really going to put some pressure on JR to come up with something like $300-500 milllion between all the investors or they're going to look like a minor league organization in comparison.

Obviously, the figures attached to the NFL are in the stratosphere, but it's going to be challenging not to make direct comparisons...outside of franchise values and revenue generated numbers.

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I love this news.  JR will still cry poor and blame Sox fans.

[South Side Hit Men]

  On 3/11/2024 at 12:36 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

Bears will announce Monday they are shifting stadium focus and get this...they have decided to invest two billion in private funds to make it happen:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/03/10/bears-new-stadium-lakefront-soldier-field-arlington-heights-public-funding-poll

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Move that trash franchise to Lake County Indiana. Let them pay for it.

https://fox59.com/indiana-news/lawmaker-wants-to-entice-chicago-bears-to-move-to-indiana/

[Balta1701]

  On 3/11/2024 at 12:36 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

Bears will announce Monday they are shifting stadium focus and get this...they have decided to invest two billion in private funds to make it happen:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/03/10/bears-new-stadium-lakefront-soldier-field-arlington-heights-public-funding-poll

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Your link doesn’t work.

[Lip Man 1]

  On 3/11/2024 at 1:24 AM, Balta1701 said:

Your link doesn’t work.

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Story no longer seems to be on their web site. They may have jumped the gun in releasing it is all I can think of since when I read it, the story said the Bears would announce Monday.

It was a long detailed story though. Said the Bears were abandoning the idea of Arlington Heights and were shifting their attention to getting a stadium built on the lakefront. Story listed what was known about the financial situation, and what wasn't known including how much money the NFL would be willing to put up to help pay for it. Story also went into the possibility of groups suing to prevent the stadium from being built there a la George Lucas who wanted a museum put there.

The Bears according to the story want it built south of Soldier Field where the large parking lots are right now. 

Edited March 11, 2024 by Lip Man 1

[South Side Hit Men]

  On 3/11/2024 at 2:19 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

Story no longer seems to be on their web site. They may have jumped the gun in releasing it is all I can think of since when I read it, the story said the Bears would announce Monday.

It was a long detailed story though. Said the Bears were abandoning the idea of Arlington Heights and were shifting their attention to getting a stadium built on the lakefront. Story listed what was known about the financial situation, and what wasn't known including how much money the NFL would be willing to put up to help pay for it. Story also went into the possibility of groups suing to prevent the stadium from being built there a la George Lucas who wanted a museum put there.

The Bears according to the story want it built south of Soldier Field where the large parking lots are right now. 

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The financial crux of the article is there will be $2B of "private investment" (sources not disclosed), the rest funded via the current Hotel Tax and possibly bonds (tax funding source wasn't disclosed) issued by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.

Said they would counter Friends of the Park with "20% more open Lakefront space than exists now" in part by likely tearing down the existing Soldier Field colonnade they built around during the last boondoggle.

Said they are pissed they have to contribute $11M of their $6.3B fortune to the school children of Arlington Heights after they tore down the best stadium built in Chicago in decades (Arlington Park Racetrack).

Can't wait for the city and state to bar release of the money losing absurd Super Bowl agreement like the State of Tennessee is attempting.

Field of Schemes:

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Tennessee’s tourism department has asked the state legislature for the right to deny public access to public records about how much it offers the NFL for the right to host the Super Bowl at the new Titans stadium under construction. “The Super Bowl deal is often embarrassing for the NFL because of the demands they make and for the politicians that agree to give the league things like free high-end hotel rooms and police escorts,” notes College of Holy Cross economist Victor Matheson.

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Tennessee Newspaper:

https://tennesseelookout.com/2024/02/29/tennessees-tourism-department-tries-to-close-records-to-the-public-as-state-readies-super-bowl-bid/

  Quote

The NFL asked the Minneapolis Super Bowl bid committee to cover the cost of presidential hotel suites for league executives, give them 35,000 free parking spaces and police escorts to the game for owners, along with dozens of other requests, according to a 153-page document obtained by the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2014. 

“The league’s favorite phrase in that document was ‘at no cost to the NFL,'” Matheson said. 

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Edited March 11, 2024 by South Side Hit Men

[tray]

I think the Bears may now shift focus to the Bronzeville Lakefront site, where Michael Reese hospital used to be.

Sox might look at that area as well since it makes much more sense than the 78 nonsense.

[Bob Sacamano]

  On 3/11/2024 at 6:13 AM, tray said:

I think the Bears may now shift focus to the Bronzeville Lakefront site, where Michael Reese hospital used to be.

Sox might look at that area as well since it makes much more sense than the 78 nonsense.

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How so? And I swear to god, please don’t talk about needing a sea of empty parking lots like the current stadium.

[tray]

  On 3/11/2024 at 6:39 AM, Bob Sacamano said:

How so? And I swear to god, please don’t talk about needing a sea of empty parking lots like the current stadium.

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I have enumerated facts supported by links why the 78 site makes no sense for the WSox, coupled with my own opinions and reasoning and no, it wasn't only about parking. However, it would be short sighted to discount that. I do not want to re-litigate the Related/78 proposal, but to highlight a few points.

The 78 site is over a former river bed and dump site. Related is looking (once again) through rose colored glasses with their hands out after their prior proposals for that site (going back over 20 years) have failed.  Reorienting streets, railroad tracks, and ingress/egress for the 78 would add tremendously to development costs for the City and State over developing other sites, including the Bridgeport or Bronzeville/M. Reese site. 

The 78 rendering of a nondescript baseball stadium within an office park was uninspiring. Related patronizing fans with a later version of their rendering painted green for St. Pat's day, was insulting.

 

 

 

[nitetrain8601]

  On 3/11/2024 at 9:41 AM, tray said:

I have enumerated facts supported by links why the 78 site makes no sense for the WSox, coupled with my own opinions and reasoning and no, it wasn't only about parking. However, it would be short sighted to discount that. I do not want to re-litigate the Related/78 proposal, but to highlight a few points.

The 78 site is over a former river bed and dump site. Related is looking (once again) through rose colored glasses with their hands out after their prior proposals for that site (going back over 20 years) have failed.  Reorienting streets, railroad tracks, and ingress/egress for the 78 would add tremendously to development costs for the City and State over developing other sites, including the Bridgeport or Bronzeville/M. Reese site. 

The 78 rendering of a nondescript baseball stadium within an office park was uninspiring. Related patronizing fans with a later version of their rendering painted green for St. Pat's day, was insulting.

 

 

 

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People want urban areas where they can do stuff pre-game and post game. While there is a contingent that like to tailgate, that’s simply what the younger generations want and that’s been proven. 
 

The river bed stuff is a failed argument. There’s a public park adjacent just south of the proposed stadium site called ping tom park. It’s good enough to have folks walking around, catching kayaks, etc, but the area next to it isn’t? 
 

Atlanta has a large office building in truist sightlines. Wrigleyville has had the rooftops. This wouldn’t be any different. With that stated, not “being inspired” by the renderings is subjective just like the rest of your post. The folks downstate actually like the renderings and the area.

 

if the stadium isn’t built it has nothing to do with parking lots or how the renderings look. It’s purely money related.

[CentralChamps21]

  On 3/11/2024 at 1:17 AM, South Side Hit Men said:

Move that trash franchise to Lake County Indiana. Let them pay for it.

https://fox59.com/indiana-news/lawmaker-wants-to-entice-chicago-bears-to-move-to-indiana/

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There's space right by Hard Rock, who I imagine would be willing to be a partner in some way.

[soxfan18]

  On 3/11/2024 at 6:13 AM, tray said:

I think the Bears may now shift focus to the Bronzeville Lakefront site, where Michael Reese hospital used to be.

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It's pretty clear from everything today that they're focusing on the Lakeside Center site. 

[LittleHurtCG]

  On 3/11/2024 at 2:35 PM, soxfan18 said:

It's pretty clear from everything today that they're focusing on the Lakeside Center site. 

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The State of Illinois and the Bears still owe like 300-400 million on the Soldier Field renovation, no? How are they planning to make those debt payments disappear? 

[Lightly Folded]

Looks like the bears are telling the Sox to go f*** themselves. While it would still take tons of taxpayer money to build the bears this new facility in the lake the bears stating that they would spring for 2 billion dollars (whatever that might mean) they (the bears) have snatch the headlines in a way that makes them look like the good guys and Jerry Reinsdorf  remains the cheapskate. 

[Quin]

  On 3/11/2024 at 3:20 PM, Lightly Folded said:

Looks like the bears are telling the Sox to go f*** themselves. While it would still take tons of taxpayer money to build the bears this new facility in the lake the bears stating that they would spring for 2 billion dollars (whatever that might mean) they (the bears) have snatch the headlines in a way that makes them look like the good guys and Jerry Reinsdorf  remains the cheapskate. 

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Wasn't there just an article about how the Sox and Bears are working together on trying to get the projects funded together?

[Lightly Folded]

  On 3/11/2024 at 3:21 PM, Quin said:

Wasn't there just an article about how the Sox and Bears are working together on trying to get the projects funded together?

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It sure doesn’t look like the bears have any interest in working together with the Sox. The bears are playing poker while Jerry is playing checkers. The bears are calling the Sox hand. They know Jerry isn’t now going to come out with a +billion dollar announcement for private funding for a new Sox stadium. Jerry is getting ready to fold. 

[Ducksnort]

  On 3/11/2024 at 2:19 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

Story no longer seems to be on their web site. They may have jumped the gun in releasing it is all I can think of since when I read it, the story said the Bears would announce Monday.

It was a long detailed story though. Said the Bears were abandoning the idea of Arlington Heights and were shifting their attention to getting a stadium built on the lakefront. Story listed what was known about the financial situation, and what wasn't known including how much money the NFL would be willing to put up to help pay for it. Story also went into the possibility of groups suing to prevent the stadium from being built there a la George Lucas who wanted a museum put there.

The Bears according to the story want it built south of Soldier Field where the large parking lots are right now. 

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Didn't the Bears purchase the land in Arlington Heights already? What the hell was the point of doing that if they aren't committing to building their stadium on it? Unless they are thinking of utilizing the land for something else to make a profit...or was that just wasted money on the part of the Bears. Make it make sense.

[Ducksnort]

  On 3/11/2024 at 3:33 PM, Lightly Folded said:

It sure doesn’t look like the bears have any interest in working together with the Sox. The bears are playing poker while Jerry is playing checkers. The bears are calling the Sox hand. They know Jerry isn’t now going to come out with a +billion dollar announcement for private funding for a new Sox stadium. Jerry is getting ready to fold. 

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I wouldn't say he's getting ready to fold. More like his toddler-like screams for demanding he gets what he wants will only get louder and louder.

[Lightly Folded]

  On 3/11/2024 at 3:46 PM, ScootsMcGoots said:

I wouldn't say he's getting ready to fold. More like his toddler-like screams for demanding he gets what he wants will only get louder and louder.

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Papa Bear Hallas drove the Chicago Cardinal out of town (intentionally). The current Hallas Family may (intentionally or unintentionally) drive the Sox out. 

[Lip Man 1]

Here's the complete story now back up at the Sun-Times, I've also seen it reported at other mainstream sports sites:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/03/10/bears-new-stadium-lakefront-soldier-field-arlington-heights-public-funding-poll