OT: Bears Talk - Justin Fields era begins

[nomorezorro]

the suburbs are a blight on humanity and nothing of value should exist there

[fleet]

I am now hearing people say “Built for this” all over the place in other situations. Fields, leader.

[CjayC]

Present situation is untenable. City has to fix. The facility is a must, parking is a must. If the city can’t do it, franchise will have to find a way to finance the new location. Possible that the city telling the Bears to **** off will get the Bears to turning over every rock into leaving/selling. So, **** off Bears

I honestly don't get Lori's play here. You've got a charter franchise that generates IDK how much for the city. You should bend over backwards to accommodate whatever they need. They're definitely leaving now. It makes no sense to stay when they can build their own little Halas World over in Arlington and keep all the money.

[Bullflip]

Bears should just move to Arlington Heights. Chicago is a cesspool of crime and violence now. Lori has just been incompetent as a mayor.

[greenl]

Present situation is untenable. City has to fix. The facility is a must, parking is a must. If the city can’t do it, franchise will have to find a way to finance the new location. Possible that the city telling the Bears to **** off will get the Bears to turning over every rock into leaving/selling. So, **** off Bears

I honestly don't get Lori's play here. You've got a charter franchise that generates IDK how much for the city. You should bend over backwards to accommodate whatever they need. They're definitely leaving now. It makes no sense to stay when they can build their own little Halas World over in Arlington and keep all the money.

Not here to defend Lightfoot. Still, the case that the Bears- or any other team that has received public financing- results in a "net benefit" to said city is nebulous- at best. Here are a few links- but there are dozens of articles that detail why the benefits are overstated (intentionally so- by the team).

https://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/No_Public_Money_for_Stadia.pdf

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/sports-jobs-taxes-are-new-stadiums-worth-the-cost/

[superdave]

I hope the Bears build out Arlington Park to give them a world class year-round facility. Chicago and its loyal fans deserves it.
Using SoFi stadium as a metric, the cost will be around 5 Billion (likely a mixture of public and private financing). This is much bigger than Lori Lightfoot who never met a camera op she didn't like. For goodness sakes, we are still worried about Chicago Park District changing out frozen sod year over year

To be honest, no one outside of Chicago cares about the friendly neighborhood "tribalism" that is the hallmark living in or out of the city. In my 26 years of living in Rogers Park, Skokie (woot!), and Bucktown I certainly felt it. Now that I've lived elsewhere I care much less for it. So you can still be the Chicago Bears- while having a world class stadium 25 miles from the city center.

[sco]

NY Giants and NY Jets play in NJ (in the middle of marshland and industrial waste)...just sayin'

[bad knees]

Well, Lori is correct when she says that the Bears are doing this to increase leverage. She also is right when she says that the Bears have a lease at Soldier Field until 2033. Her job is to stand up for Chicago, and she is doing it. The comment about the Bears playing better was more than a little snarky, but the point is well taken - the Bears have more than enough money; perhaps they should focus more on putting a better team on the field for the fans rather than increasing their own wealth.

[Leslie Forman]

the Bears have a lease at Soldier Field until 2033

That lease arguably works out perfectly for the Bears because it's just close enough and far away enough.

If it's not just a leverage play and they're serious, it very well might not actually even be done until 2033. Getting the loans, razing the entire track site, and then planning, designing, and building a brand new stadium would take a looong time. Even when everything goes perfectly (and you know it won't) it takes several years.

[bad knees]

the Bears have a lease at Soldier Field until 2033

That lease arguably works out perfectly for the Bears because it's just close enough and far away enough.

If it's not just a leverage play and they're serious, it very well might not actually even be done until 2033. Getting the loans, razing the entire track site, and then planning, designing, and building a brand new stadium would take a looong time. Even when everything goes perfectly (and you know it won't) it takes several years.

Good point. I guess we'll see whether it is just a leverage ploy to squeeze the City for a better deal at Soldier Field, or whether it's part of some grand new plan. I honestly don't really care where they play, as long as they stay in Chicagoland (and no more public money is spent on them). As others have pointed out, there are plenty of teams that have stadiums in cities other than the one in their names. But I certainly don't question the mayor of Chicago having a different viewpoint given where she sits.

I guess I will start to care when and if there is more public money being spent to support the team. I have a big problem with that.

[CjayC]

Present situation is untenable. City has to fix. The facility is a must, parking is a must. If the city can’t do it, franchise will have to find a way to finance the new location. Possible that the city telling the Bears to **** off will get the Bears to turning over every rock into leaving/selling. So, **** off Bears

I honestly don't get Lori's play here. You've got a charter franchise that generates IDK how much for the city. You should bend over backwards to accommodate whatever they need. They're definitely leaving now. It makes no sense to stay when they can build their own little Halas World over in Arlington and keep all the money.

Not here to defend Lightfoot. Still, the case that the Bears- or any other team that has received public financing- results in a "net benefit" to said city is nebulous- at best. Here are a few links- but there are dozens of articles that detail why the benefits are overstated (intentionally so- by the team).

https://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/No_Public_Money_for_Stadia.pdf

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/sports-jobs-taxes-are-new-stadiums-worth-the-cost/

Yeah I can understand how thats plausible (The sources in the link were broken an the data seemed to be a little old though). With the orange and blue blinders on I though I trend that it's better to have the Bears in the city than not, from an economical perspective. I'd need to say some data on what is costs to have them being in the city, versus whatever they generate for the local economy. At the very least why would she want to be known as the mayor that finally prompted the Bears to move from a PR perspective?

I don't know how much sense it makes for the city, but for the McCaskey's a Mega facility, multi-purpose stadium in the Chicago area might make sense. If only as a eff you to the city administration. They're wealthy people(even if they're cash poor in the realm of billionaires) they definitely aren't playing by the same rules as everyone else or making uninformed decisions.

[dougthonus]

the Bears have a lease at Soldier Field until 2033

That lease arguably works out perfectly for the Bears because it's just close enough and far away enough.

If it's not just a leverage play and they're serious, it very well might not actually even be done until 2033. Getting the loans, razing the entire track site, and then planning, designing, and building a brand new stadium would take a looong time. Even when everything goes perfectly (and you know it won't) it takes several years.

Good point. I guess we'll see whether it is just a leverage ploy to squeeze the City for a better deal at Soldier Field, or whether it's part of some grand new plan. I honestly don't really care where they play, as long as they stay in Chicagoland (and no more public money is spent on them). As others have pointed out, there are plenty of teams that have stadiums in cities other than the one in their names. But I certainly don't question the mayor of Chicago having a different viewpoint given where she sits.

I guess I will start to care when and if there is more public money being spent to support the team. I have a big problem with that.

I completely get why people don't want to spend tax dollars on sports stadiums. I wouldn't want to either. If they don't, it almost certainly makes sense for the Bears to leave and find a suburban location. Not sure if Alrington Park is the perfect answer, but it is certainly a reasonably answer with good accessibility from 90 and 290 and the Metra.

If I were the Bears, I don't think the value of being in the actual city vs the suburbs would trump a lot of the insane extra costs they would have both short and long term.

[Susan]

Read on Twitter

[dice]

Bears should just move to Arlington Heights. Chicago is a cesspool of crime and violence now. Lori has just been incompetent as a mayor.

if you're afraid to go to a bears or sox game, you're quite the delicate flower

and i'd love to see your evidence that lightfoot has had a negative impact on crime and violence in her 2 years on the job. violent crime was a bit down in 2020 and property crime way down in chicago. meanwhile, in elgin (pretty close to arlington heights), crime was slightly up. same in some other major cities in illinois. so the chicago decreases don't appear to be strongly pandemic related

so what's the REAL reason you don't like her?

[Hold That]

I am now hearing people say “Built for this” all over the place in other situations. Fields, leader.

That term has been coined in the hip hop community for over a decade now. Made for this, built for this etc.. even D Rose said it when he was with the bulls and Lebron has said it. I don’t think it’s anything new, but Fields is a natural leader. Not one you have to groom to be one. Some people you just know they can’t be anything BUT a leader and fields comes off as one of those people. Like Keyshawn Johnson said on ESPN “he just looks like a football player even down to way his jersey fits. Even if he turns out to be a bust he just looks like a baller.” Sounds crazy but I get what Keyshawn was saying.

[fleet]

I am now hearing people say “Built for this” all over the place in other situations. Fields, leader.

That term has been coined in the hip hop community for over a decade now. Made for this, built for this etc.. even D Rose said it when he was with the bulls and Lebron has said it. I don’t think it’s anything new, but Fields is a natural leader. Not one you have to groom to be one. Some people you just know they can’t be anything BUT a leader and fields comes off as one of those people. Like Keyshawn Johnson said on ESPN “he just looks like a football player even down to way his jersey fits. Even if he turns out to be a bust he just looks like a baller.” Sounds crazy but I get what Keyshawn was saying.

We have all heard “built for it” etc in many contexts throughout our lives. I think it must be new in this environment and situation because people were so impressed by it when he said it. And I can’t recall hearing anyone else in sports saying it. Lebron said it after Fields did recently. But for sure I don’t monitor professional sports for what everyone has been saying so maybe not.

[thedarkstark]

The Bears aren't moving to Arlington Heights, that space is not nearly big enough. It's a ploy to milk more money from Chicago tax payers to have a state of the art stadium and facilities built just like Rickets did with the Cubs.

Call their bluff, stop giving billionaires free money ffs.

[Hold That]

I am now hearing people say “Built for this” all over the place in other situations. Fields, leader.

That term has been coined in the hip hop community for over a decade now. Made for this, built for this etc.. even D Rose said it when he was with the bulls and Lebron has said it. I don’t think it’s anything new, but Fields is a natural leader. Not one you have to groom to be one. Some people you just know they can’t be anything BUT a leader and fields comes off as one of those people. Like Keyshawn Johnson said on ESPN “he just looks like a football player even down to way his jersey fits. Even if he turns out to be a bust he just looks like a baller.” Sounds crazy but I get what Keyshawn was saying.

I think it must be new in this environment because people were so impressed by it when he said it. And I can’t recall hearing anyone else in sports saying it. Lebron said it after Fields did recently. But for sure I don’t monitor professional sports for what everyone has been saying so maybe not.

When D.Rose hit the game winner in Game 3 against Lebron he said an i “quote” “I’m built for this sheit” to reporters ..Google it. Lebron has said it countless times well before Fields was even in college lol

[fleet]

Good memory. But I still think Fields set it off recently because it was that impressive when Fields said it. Got noticed. It was in the context of leadership and pressure taking too, not just taking a big shot.

[Hold That]

Good memory. But I still think Fields set it off recently because it was that impressive when Fields said it. Got noticed. It was in the context of leadership and pressure taking too, not just taking a big shot.

Fields can do no wrong right now, he’s like the new beautiful girlfriend that we somehow got that’s way out of our league. We are hanging on his every word.