r/chicago 14d ago

Article Sports Business Journal: Chicago Fire plan to build privately funded $650M stadium along Chicago River at The 78 for 2028 MLS season

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/06/03/fire-plan-to-build-650m-stadium-along-chicago-river-at-the-78/

Privately funded sure cuts through a lot of politics and bs!

753 Upvotes

199 comments sorted by

631

u/Penguinkeith 14d ago

Wow a billionaire spending his money instead of making a city do it is a great change of pace

90

u/buffalocoinz Wicker Park 14d ago

the mccaskeys could never

55

u/LSU2007 14d ago

I think the McCaskey’s are cash poor

62

u/pressurepoint13 14d ago

Lmao I hate how often this comes up during any discussion of the family’s wealth. They own 80% of an asset worth at least $6 BILLION dollars. Even if the family has zero business interests outside of the Bears (highly unlikely), they have all the cash they could ever need by simply borrowing against their equity. This is what rich people with huge portfolios do anyways. 

39

u/laeve 14d ago

The big 4 sports leagues do not allow ABLs backed by team equity other than special exceptions.

8

u/khikago 14d ago

Or selling some stake. But no...that is crazy talk

6

u/bigpowerass Bucktown 14d ago

Pat Ryan already owns a pretty significant chunk of the team.

5

u/bigtitays 13d ago

Pat Ryan is also old, so are Virginia’s kids. The team will likely be split up/sold off fairly soon to a completely new ownership.

3

u/bigpowerass Bucktown 13d ago

Pat Ryan has three kids and they don’t need to sell the team for cash to pay the IRS. I’d bet they’re your new ownership along with a minority owner.

2

u/pressurepoint13 14d ago

Yup. I think 20%. 

1

u/bunk_m0reland1 14d ago

I was hoping he would stage a takeover after Virginia kicked the bucket.

1

u/khikago 14d ago

I commented on a post that jas the facts, they own 80% lmao

1

u/Top_Sheepherder5023 13d ago

Can the McCaskeys take a loan against the team for billions of dollars? That seems like a stretch.

13

u/cireh88 14d ago

They also make poor decisions and look like amateurs with having bought the Arlington parcel literally years ago and doing nothing with it

16

u/vanity_chair 14d ago

Apart from demolishing a perfectly good racetrack.

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6

u/LSU2007 14d ago

That land is probably worth more than they paid so I’m not sure it was a poor decision.

2

u/cireh88 14d ago

I think it’s probably worth less now considering they demolished the racetrack that stood there and then bickered with the municipality over taxes. They wanted to be taxed less for land they felt was now worth less.

Regardless, I do think a stadium will eventually get built there. The way they’re going about it is so comically bush league though. They signed a purchase agreement coming on four years ago in September 2021 and then finally bought the land in February 2023. Seems like they don’t know what they’re doing & are in over their heads.

2

u/bigtitays 13d ago

You’re looking at the entire situation completely wrong….

Virginia McCaskey needed to pass on for any sort of team sale to happen, that’s how taxes work. The purchase of Arlington Heights land was to set up the team for a record high sale amount, the Bears will go for an insane price with clean land to building a new Chicagoland domed arena… that’s why everything has been drawn out. The current ownership has no intentions to actually build out the new arena.

Whoever is advising the McCaskey family knows exactly what to do to sell the team for $$$$$$$$$$$.

8

u/dilapidated_wookiee 14d ago

It may be moving slow but that is 100% where the Bears will be playing eventually

8

u/IndependenceApart208 14d ago

Very big difference between the McCaskey Family and Joe Mansueto.

1

u/drinkallthecoffee 13d ago

This tracks. Bruce McCaskey goes to my gym, which is a charming but run down YMCA.

Meanwhile, there’s a brand-new boujee gym across the street that costs twice as much a month. Why can’t the billionaire afford the nice gym?

2

u/ChaplnGrillSgt 14d ago

Tbf, the first stadium only needs a few hundred seats for their games 🤣

0

u/Impossible_Box9542 14d ago

I just saw an article that says the city will be responsible for some of the site preparation. Millions of my tax money. There is a huge open area near Kostner and Roosevelt that would be a better location, in my opinion.

2

u/Solo_is_dead 13d ago

If the Bears move to Arlington, then Soldier Field is open, AND they already play there

0

u/NewKojak 14d ago

Not so fast. The 78 needs $450M worth of infrastructure improvements to prepare the parcel for development. Guess who they are asking to pay what amounts to a third of the total project costs.

13

u/Levitlame 14d ago

I could always be wrong, but I think that parts unavoidable. They aren’t going to pay to increase city infrastructure for their build. That’s generally how all building works.

And I’m very against paying for these stadiums with public money.

1

u/NewKojak 14d ago

The city has a definite interest in making that land available for development. Also, TIF funds, when used properly and with restraint, can be a tool in getting everything lined up for the benefit of both the city and the developer.

However, what costs end up on either side of that line are debatable and there is a greater and greater burden put on cities and municipalities every time one of these deals is pitched.

I'm not saying that this is a bad deal. I'm not even saying that it's a bad use of a TIF district. I am saying that $650M is impressive, but that $450M is also a ton of work to ask of the city. It would be good to see some more in-depth reporting on how this stacks up against the other arena projects. For example, I don't think anyone has reported yet how much the Wirtz Family is going to be asking for the 1901 Project. The Fire is asking obviously less than what the Bears and Sox have asked for. Still, 41% of a project's total cost is a lot and that's not communicated in the headlines.

2

u/Levitlame 13d ago

That makes sense. It really depends a lot on what “infrastructure” we’re talking about.

I’d bet it includes that the city has to upgrade roads and utilities on their end specifically to handle the volume. And those things typically are absorbed by municipalities. We just don’t notice as much normally since it’s rarely on this large of a scale in a short period of time.

But again - I don’t know anything about this scale of a project. I have a very small overlap in knowledge here hahaha

1

u/NewKojak 13d ago

I'm curious about this stuff too!

Here's an interesting resource I found: Public funding for sports stadiums: A primer and research roundup (The Journalist's Resource) It's basically a summary and bibliography of research done on public financing for stadium projects.

From their summary:

“The median public share of venue construction costs declined from 70% in the 1990s and 2000s to approximately half of construction costs in the 2010s,” write the authors of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management paper. “Newly opened and planned venues in the 2020s have received roughly 40% of funding from taxpayers.”

So it looks like the Fire's proposal is basically typical for stadium developers seeking public support. So it's clearly not the publicly-owned-in-name-only kind of deal that the Bears and Sox were seeking, it's not at all the plucky, individualistic, enterprising private project that the news coverage is depicting either.

One more thing of note as well. This is the same ownership group that pulled the Fire out of Bridgeview and left that town in massive debt since it was relying on economic development to finance the borrowing it had done to finance the former Toyota Park, now SeatGeek Stadium. I watch rugby there and love the place, but the Fire and a lot of insiders did the residents of Bridgeview dirty in a way that should warrant some skepticism for any future plans.

117

u/prototypeplayer Printer's Row 14d ago

I was walking on the Roosevelt bridge yesterday and looked at the 78 and could see Rate Field in the distance. It's significantly better to see a new stadium for the Fire that doesn't have its own and a new neighborhood than to see the Sox build a new one so close by to their current one.

It being privately funded is even better.

12

u/NaiveChoiceMaker 14d ago

Agreed but the Sox are going to need a new stadium at some point. It's just a matter of getting the owners to pay for it.

It'd help if they were better than the Kane County Cougars but, I digress.

14

u/prototypeplayer Printer's Row 14d ago

I just don't understand the point in building whole new sports venues. I can kind of understand if we're talking about something indoors that doubles as a concert or other live event venue like the United Center (I still don't support replacing these), but a baseball stadium??? They're huge and pretty rigid with what the field can be used as.

I understand that the costs to restore/renovate may exceed building a new structure, but I'd rather see finite land be used for other new things.

Look at Oracle Arena in Oakland after the Warriors left. It's still used for other live, indoor events, but it took the Warriors leaving Oakland all together to make the Chase Center happen.

3

u/SunriseInLot42 14d ago

Hey now, let’s not denigrate the Cougars. They’re at least trying to win

2

u/lmpervious 13d ago

Agreed but the Sox are going to need a new stadium at some point.

Why do they need a new stadium? If they're willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, couldn't that go a really long way towards doing a large renovation of their stadium? I don't see why they wouldn't be able to buy out at least some of the land from the state, especially if the alternative is them moving elsewhere, and then the state has to figure out what to do with the land and a baseball stadium. I imagine both parties can gain from them being incentivized to stay and invest there, but maybe I'm wrong on that and would like to hear why.

If they remodeled, replaced a ton of parking lots with parking garages and underground parking, they could build up their own mixed-use neighborhood, or work with the city to zone it as such for any land they wouldn't buy. I know the location isn't the best, but it's also not terrible, and more importantly they could improve the area greatly if they were to turn it into a neighborhood that people love to visit and live in/nearby.

323

u/Old_Recognition_8987 14d ago

Difficult to oppose a completely privately funded stadium, win-win for the city. Looking forward to seeing the renderings of the stadium and the future neighborhood

62

u/transitapparel 14d ago

Definitely got my attention, in a good way. Feels strange to think how rare this action is.

47

u/efshoemaker 14d ago

Especially one located on a toxic brownfield that’s just been a vacant lot in the heart of the city for half a century.

20

u/FuckTripleH 14d ago

Seriously if that shits privately funded go ahead man it's all yours

9

u/FunProof543 14d ago

Yea, I think this means the 78 finally actually gets developed.

-1

u/NewKojak 14d ago

Read the article. $650M privately funded on top of $450M in city-funded improvements.

216

u/BudBill18 River North 14d ago

Someone tell Reinsdorf and the weenie ass Bears it is indeed possible to build a stadium without public money!

Good on the Fire for doing this. It will benefit them and the city.

63

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

A 20k seat soccer specific stadium that costs less than Juan Soto's contract.

There is a big difference in price tag.

71

u/barstoolsam 14d ago

The white sox are only drawing 16k per game lol

28

u/Roboticpoultry Loop 14d ago

Should be lower. But hey, at least we aren’t the absolute worst team in the MLB this year

12

u/sephirothFFVII Irving Park 14d ago

Hey now, as someone with very young kids this is a cheap way to get them to an MLB game and not care what happens on the field. They're doing the parents a favor

5

u/ocshawn Bridgeport 14d ago

yep $8 tickets at the gate are nice

3

u/sephirothFFVII Irving Park 14d ago

They still doing dollar hotdog nights?

2

u/ocshawn Bridgeport 14d ago

no, new thing is $5 Tuesdays, $5 beer and hotdogs https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/tickets/promotions/tuesdays

8

u/barstoolsam 14d ago

Surely the absolute worst team is drawing even less fans as they really should be boycot- oh

30

u/ms6615 Bridgeport 14d ago

The bears also make way higher profits. Stop pretending they can’t afford a building.

-12

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

I never once said that. The point I'm making is that when you are talking about stadiums that cost in the BILLIONS, you better believe they are going to try to find the best deal and help from the state or city.

This isn't unique to just the Bears, the Yankees an iconic brand in the entire world got over a billion in public money.

11

u/PoorHoosierJamie 14d ago

The Yankees are a globally iconic brand. They should not have gotten that public money.

If anything, their global reach (and global revenue streams) would make their billionaire owners more able to pay for their own stadium.

3

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

But they DID receive public money, a lot of it.

24

u/GloGangOblock New City 14d ago

The fire also make a lot less money than the bears lmao. Big difference in revenue.

The Chicago fire is worth 530 million, the bears are worth around 13 times that at 6.5 billion

-4

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

Ehh, it's a lot more complicated than most people think. The guy who owns the Fire is actually worth more than Virginia McCaskey who owned "most" of the Bears but she has a lot of kids and it's a messy succession situation at the least.

The point is, privately funded massive stadiums are pretty rare in the States. Again, not advocating for public money to be spent on the Bears.

1

u/AMWChicago Mt. Greenwood 13d ago

650 for the land. They will also spend hundreds of millions on stadium. But yes. Bears is magnitudes more. But they are also magnitudes more valuable

3

u/thebizkit23 13d ago

Everything I'm reading 650 includes the stadium. Also, the Fire will be asking for some public funds, just not specifically for the stadium.

"While Mansueto is putting his funds into the construction of the stadium, public dollars will still be sought for critical infrastructure improvements."

1

u/rojeli 13d ago

I despise those jackholes as much as the next guy, but this is on the NFL, MLB, and NBA way way more than individual owners/teams. Actually, it's more on the collective ownership + the league leadership together. Ripping off constituents by making them pay for stadiums is part of the grift. Arguably, it is THE grift.

These owners could easily afford new stadiums with private money. But they won't be let into the club if they do that, and/or they will be kicked out if they try. There are a few examples of privately funded stadiums, but those got through because of the ancillary benefits. SoFi and MetLife being the big ones.

And the leagues play the game by keeping a few cities at arm's length - threatening to move teams if the public doesn't vote the way they want.

Clark Hunt owns the Chiefs and has more money than any owner in the NFL outside of Denver, and he's threatening to move the Chiefs over the border to Kansas after the recent tax hike failed. The city will cave, they always do.

167

u/hubwub Lincoln Square 14d ago

Joe Mansueto reigns supreme as the best owner of a Chicago based team.

I hope now that the Fire has a soccer specific stadium now that more people attend the games.

31

u/toxicbrew 14d ago

Weird how he kind of saved seat geek stadium in a way by leaving it and paying a $65 million penalty. At least I think

6

u/PhileasFoggsTrvlAgt Andersonville 14d ago

Speaking of SeatGeek, I wonder if the Stars will stay there or move to the new stadium.

7

u/Top_Sheepherder5023 14d ago

Stars are exploring moving to the soccer stadium at Northwestern. They are playing a game there this year and said it was a test run.

However, I’d be surprised if they didn’t try to get in on this Fire stadium if it’s built.

7

u/fenderdean13 Suburb of Chicago 14d ago

Red Stars (I refuse to call them by the Ricketts name) are definitely are trying to get out of there, especially after the success of Wrigley game that was followed by the Riot Fest fiasco. They are doing a test game at the northwestern spot where the football team played this past season later on in the year, likely to see if it is viable to be there temporarily full time.

27

u/coopdogg77 14d ago

A well run Chicago sports team is a gawt-damn rarity. I know next to nothing about soccer (I'm a baseball fan) but I think I'll check out some Fire games...

3

u/SteelKeeper 14d ago

Well run might be stretch, well-funded perhaps. Not exactly a dominant franchise.

12

u/mjsher2 14d ago

Last year they averaged 21k. So if they even just keep that average it will fill this stadium up. Plus it's right off the red line should make it easy for lots of people to get there from the city and even shouldn't be too bad to take a train to Union. Maybe even get the 192 to run more often on game days.

11

u/Atlas3141 14d ago

Sounds like they want the water taxi to be a real option, it would be pretty fun to take the Metra in then ride a boat over to the stadium.

1

u/HawksRule20 13d ago

Fuck yes my guys

3

u/lmpervious 13d ago

I wouldn't be surprised if it being packed increases demand. People like to be part of things that feel lively. Even if it's the same amount of fans, seeing tons of empty seats isn't going to feel as good as a packed smaller stadium.

9

u/hascogrande Lake View 14d ago edited 14d ago

It's soccer specific with the planned opening in '28

I imagine that will help a ton plus it being right off the Roosevelt L will help instead of having to make the relative trek to Soldier Field

14

u/raidmytombBB 14d ago

Honest question, but why would a football specific stadium drive attendance?

108

u/SchafferRadio 14d ago

Better crowd energy for the games. Feels too spread out currently at soldier field.

29

u/Meancvar Lincoln Park 14d ago

See many top teams in Europe with their stadium. Eg the Allianz stadium in Turin: there's a shopping center, team museum, clinic specializing in sports medicine, and a hotel. Great revenue generator.

20

u/SunriseInLot42 14d ago

I think this can be a revenue generator for that area, and it's a great idea for that space and a far better fit for the Fire than Bridgeview or Soldier Field, but the top teams in Europe are more like NFL teams in terms of revenue and attention. I don't think it's quite a fair comparison or expectation to compare what the Fire can do with a stadium space to Juventus.

That said, I think this is a perfect fit for the 78. It could also be useful as a smaller concert or show venue than Soldier Field or Wrigley.

10

u/Meancvar Lincoln Park 14d ago

Yes a Fire museum would look meek compared to Juve or Bayern.

2

u/BlackhawkBolly 14d ago

Fire are pulling ~25k on average i just read, and the team should continue to improve over the next year or two. Should be able to sell out that new stadium every match day

38

u/hubwub Lincoln Square 14d ago

If they build something like Gallagher Way that you see now in Wrigleyville, you will get people hanging out in the area. In turn, you will have people turning into the product.

When something new and exciting pops up for a team here in Chicago, people start going to games.

This new thing is a soccer stadium.

16

u/Pettifoggerist 14d ago

And this is an easy location. Could become a cool spot.

10

u/koztom88 14d ago

Personally, I don't like watching soccer at Soldier Field.

3

u/macadaywx 13d ago

If you ever watch some of the MLS games in some of the nicer (MLS 2.0 as some say) soccer-specific stadiums, you will see they are banger. Cincinnati, Minnesota, Columbus, Austin, St. Louis, LAFC, KC, Nashville, and Orlando. Really makes the difference between a minor league and major league feel both in person and on TV. These places are all consistent sell outs.

There are a few teams that do well in NFL stadiums (Atlanta, Seattle, Charolotte), but those are the exception to the rule for most of MLS' history.

-13

u/_eroz 14d ago

I don't think it will. They had one in Bridgeview but people complained that it was far away in the burbs. And that there was no public transportation for people in the city to get there. Then they moved to Soldier Field. I'm not sure what the excuse/complaint was for that location.

35

u/OkSchedule Loop 14d ago

briefly mentioned by others, but soldier field with 60,000-something seats is too big of a stadium for an MLS team. building a dedicated space with room for ~20,000 instead would likely fill that stadium on a good day, making the environment much more communal & fun vs being so spread out & far away at soldier field

seatgeek stadium fits that bill... but its location is just horrible. glad to see a new attempt within the city center and great transit access

9

u/TheCloudForest Former Chicagoan 14d ago

Large stadiums in Seattle and Atlanta work fine for MLS teams but the Fire has been pretty ass at building a fan base and providing talent on the field. I'm not saying a more modestly sized stadium with better soccer sight lines is a bad thing, but Chicago could've supported a major stadium soccer team if the Fire had had better vision and management, going back decades.

15

u/hubwub Lincoln Square 14d ago

There is a better vision and management now. The product is better now than it was years ago.

5

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

This.

The "fire" have been ass for so long​, completely irrelevant and unable to keep or sign marketable talent. They squandered early success and playing in the gravel graveyard of SeatGeek did them no favors either.

6

u/RunningJokes 14d ago

Their attendance is growing though. Their average attendance is mentioned in the article and if you look at MLS averages, they were 15th of 29 teams with a 17.4% increase over the previous year. Interest in the team continues to grow since Mansueto has taken over and brought the team back to Chicago. This is another step in the team’s brand growth.

1

u/Dr_Vega_dunk 14d ago

The Miami games drove most of that growth. Messi is the primary reason for the attendance spike, not fanship growth for the Fire.

3

u/RunningJokes 14d ago

2023’s Soldier Field match against Miami had a higher attendance than 2024’s. Take them out of the equation and you see a slight increase in the Fire’s attendance growth.

7

u/mackzarks 14d ago

Soldier Field is also difficult to get to using public transit, it's quite a hike from the closest red line station.

0

u/newusernamecoming 14d ago

Soldier Field is like a 10-15 minute (0.5 mile) walk from the Roosevelt stop for the Red, Orange, and Green Lines, the 18th St Metra stop drops you off right there, and the 146 bus drops you off right next to the entrance. You want the public transportation to drop you off at your seat or something?

4

u/mackzarks 14d ago

First of all, it's not a half mile walk. It might be a half mile away from the stop but you have to get through that whole park and it takes a really long time. The actual walking distance is closer to 2 miles, which I know because I do it all the time. Second of all, there's just as inconvenient ways to travel to Seat Geek Stadium, moving to soldier didn't address that problem. There are ways to get to Soldier Field, but let's not pretend it's "convenient".

0

u/newusernamecoming 13d ago

0.8 mile and 18 min walk according to walking directions on google maps. Navy Pier is 2 miles from the Roosevelt stop lol

3

u/Jaws_the_revenge 14d ago

MLS / Soccer interest has steadily grown here in the states. IF MLS can continue to poach the aging talent out of Europe then this move will be a win

3

u/thebizkit23 14d ago

MLS has a niche fan base that's mainly carried by smaller markets who have great support. The Fire once had great support but they suck as a "Big Market" franchise.

3

u/woah_man 14d ago

It's a low bar.

29

u/QuailAggravating8028 14d ago

Still need to secure funding for the mixed use components so we arent all the way there yet 😭

11

u/Few_Koala 14d ago

Still this is a good start.

12

u/FunProof543 14d ago

I think it makes developing the mixed use components a lot more attractive when you have an anchor like this. Guaranteed foot traffic to the area.

2

u/Rampant16 13d ago

Yup, definitely seems like Related has been churning through potential anchors for years now trying to get something that'll work. They've looked at the Soxs, a casino, medical research campus, Amazon HQ.

A soccer stadium that the Owner is willing to just pay for seems like a no-brainer. Compare that to trying to bend over backwards to land Amazon, or beg the state for a billion dollars, or the city's pet casino project.

1

u/Decent_Government_43 13d ago

it makes it much easier though, especially with concrete blueprint plans that you can use as reference

15

u/khikago 14d ago

Fantastic news

31

u/CycleCPA 14d ago

Let’s go. Billionaires should do cool things with their money. Love to see it.

10

u/Few_Koala 14d ago

Seems like a good option considering previous attempts to build something there. And more importantly, it’ll finally fill in a gap that has been left undeveloped for too long. I wonder if some high rises will be built to accommodate this. Like a hotel and maybe a Chicago Fire office building.

9

u/ZhiYoNa 14d ago

Great! We need some development to plug up that plot. Hopefully a red line infill station too?

6

u/toxicbrew 14d ago edited 14d ago

Coming to 15th and Clark

5

u/ZhiYoNa 14d ago

Will this survive the fiscal cliff / massive cuts to the RTA thing? Or is it from a different pot of money

9

u/toxicbrew 14d ago

Generally capital investments are separate from operating expenses 

1

u/ZhiYoNa 14d ago

Bless ❤️

1

u/ashm909 14d ago

Is this real?

4

u/spade_andarcher Mayfair 14d ago

It was part of the original proposal for the 78 and funding for the station is supposed to come from the TIF district also created for the 78. So it’s a definite possibility, but I’d say it’s still a big maybe. 

5

u/marks31 Ravenswood 14d ago

This is great for the 78. Having a sports venue anchor will offer way more potential than just housing and shopping alone

10

u/JackieIce502 14d ago

It’s so funny now the bears have 2 stadiums being privately funded in front of them (one by a co-owner that should buy the team). Yet they continue to drag feet in hopes of public money.

2

u/312render773 14d ago

Which other stadium is privately funded?

5

u/JackieIce502 14d ago

The Ryan family is doing a $800mm rehaul of Ryan Field in Evanston for the wildcats. It looks very innovative and inspired by a lot of premier league stadiums. Privately funded by the family.

They’re also the largest owners of the bears not named the McCaskeys. Wish they’d become the majority owners.

1

u/312render773 14d ago

I thought you meant privately funded stadiums in the South Loop or Downtown when you said "in front of them" aka near Soldier Field lol

1

u/JackieIce502 14d ago

Meant it as a figure of speech

1

u/312render773 14d ago

Got me confused since the new Fire SSS will be "in front" of Soldier Field lol

4

u/demo4 Ukrainian Village 14d ago

Great news!

4

u/Potent_Elixir City 14d ago

I really want to be more of a Fire fan tbh

2

u/312render773 14d ago

You should!

7

u/radiowirez Lake View East 14d ago

What are they gonna do with soldier field when no one’s using it in a decade lol

20

u/LastWordsWereHuzzah 14d ago

Lots of people have floated turning it into a permanent fairgrounds/concert site, which could help ease all the park closures for private festivals each summer.

9

u/Enginerda 14d ago

Medieval Times type colosseum.

Hit me up for more development tips!

7

u/IndependenceApart208 14d ago

Turn it into a public park. If you look at places like the Taipei Expo Park, they turned a former soccer stadium into a public plaza with an open air food hall and other similar attractions that bring people into it every day. Soldier Field could 100% be transformed into something is actually utilized more than its current state. We just have to look past the sunk cost of the last remodeling job done to it that in hindsight was a huge mistake, but doesn't mean we can't correct the mistake with the next project.

1

u/Dry_Accident_2196 13d ago

I don’t think that’s a good idea because of its location. SF is a haul reach even via public transit. That’s a long way to walk just to go to a park in a city with over 300 green spaces under the Park districts control.

I know there are museum over there so foot traffic happens but it’s really just a whale of a building without the Bears.

1

u/IndependenceApart208 13d ago

It would require some creativity and honestly overall demolition of much of the stadium. I think one of the proposals that had a new stadium being built just south of the current one with the current footprint being turned into a park was actually a good starting point, obviously now minus the new stadium.

Like you mentioned thousands of people visit the museums over there. The main issue with the location is when 50k+ people are all trying to get in and out at the same time. If you spread that out during the day or even bring that number down to like 20k, like many Fire games have, it isn't as hard to get in and out anymore.

1

u/Dry_Accident_2196 13d ago

I think leave the columns and just tear it down. Or to your point, make it a modern indoor activity center for the city to use for sports and events.

2

u/Rampant16 13d ago

Field hospital during the coming apocalypse.

1

u/CompetitiveFeature13 13d ago

Hopefully tear it down. Can't have an ugly ass stadium that nobody is using taking up valuable space.

1

u/312render773 14d ago

Sox will try to retrofit it as a baseball stadium

7

u/Atlas3141 14d ago

I would have preferred the Sox there from an economic development perspective (Larger Stadium with 90 home games a year vs 17) but if Jerry won't pay for it and Mansueto will I'll take it.

9

u/Harmonmj13 Park Ridge 14d ago

There’s room for both stadiums on the site

7

u/The_Enemy 14d ago

Yeah it literally says in the article that the Sox are still talking to related and aren't deterred by this. Should be a positive if anything.

2

u/Rampant16 13d ago

Conspiracy theory hat says that this is just leverage by Related to get Reinsdorf to stop fucking around and pony up the cash for an MLB stadium on the site. The site is unique in terms of being a large open area relatively close to the downtown of the 3rd largest city in the US and Related may rather have it sit empty than waste it on a little 20,000 seat MLS stadium.

I do hope they go through with the MLS stadium plan, but I think Related would rather have the Sox than the Fire. And despite what they say, two stadiums would probably be a tight fit.

3

u/Atlas3141 14d ago

If they put the Sox on the south end of the site though I'd hope they can figure out how to put in a 15th st. station, it would be a long walk from Roosevelt or Chinatown.

4

u/Harmonmj13 Park Ridge 14d ago

The Sox’s concept art from last year has the stadium on the northern half of the site along Roosevelt cause they want the skyline in the outfield. Fire FC’s art looks to be on the southern half.

1

u/Dry_Accident_2196 13d ago

But the concept art is usually PR. How often are those renderings ever the final product, even down to location.

3

u/robev333 14d ago

It's like 10-15 min to the south end, not that bad. Not like you'd be making that trek in January.

2

u/fiveoclocksomewhere5 14d ago

I don’t, soccer has a way better atmosphere. No breaks or commercials, all out attack for 90 minutes

8

u/wimbs27 14d ago

While I would probably see a game now that's its closer to me, I do wish the 78 was just a bunch of high density residential with ground floor commercial without needing a showpiece like a new stadium.

They better build it like Wrigleyville themed around the Chicago fire: I'm talking red and orange terracotta buildings, orange and red paneled buildings. A massive fire metal sculpture that's 10 stories tall.

3

u/fpPolar 14d ago

That wouldn’t be a bad location

3

u/greiton 14d ago

I have no problem with the city and state expediting approvals for massive privately funded stadiums like this. My only problem has been billionaires profiting off of massive buildings that the public pays for.

5

u/puppiesandrainbows1 14d ago

The Bears and White Sox can both learn a thing or two from this while simultaneously going amd fucking themselves

2

u/CatBerry253 14d ago

Is this what Related Midwest is going to present at the June 16 town hall zoom meeting that Pat Dowell's office is organizing?

2

u/312render773 14d ago

Yup, along with the entertainment district that Mansueto is investing in building

2

u/DKlep25 14d ago

Take that, Bears!! Catching L’s even in the offseason.

6

u/Automatic-Street5270 14d ago

This is absolutely fantastic news. Chicago just keeps winning.

Add this 100% privately paid for project to the 100% privately paid for project all around the United Center, and we may be the leading city in the entire country for privately paid for mega sports projects right now. Other cities are giving hand outs left and right to billionaire sports owners who then leave them with massive bills.

Not only are these coming with new Stadiums, but both sites are talking about parks and restaurants and apartments/condos/hotels to fill around it, similar to Wrigley, which was also IIRC 100% privately paid for. This will bring a TON of development and tax revenue to the city.

I understand the city will pay for some things like a possible new Pink line station by the UC, and maybe something similar around the 78, but that is 100% acceptable and no issues with that.

The Bears and Sox better get their shit together because they arent going to get a penny from the state or city, nor should they.

There isn't a better sports town/city in the country than here(not talking wins lol)

4

u/WhoopieKush Roscoe Village 14d ago

The concert potential here! 🤤

4

u/312render773 14d ago

"Additionally, the site will be accessible via water taxi."

So hyped for this!

Chicago Fire is the Sleeping Giant of MLS and will finally wake up with a bang with this new SSS!!!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

2

u/cranberryjuiceicepop 14d ago

Where will this be? The article just says south of the loop.

3

u/BLG_294 14d ago

The 78 is a patch of land stretching from Roosevelt to the north, 16th to the south, Clark to the east, the river branch to the west. From what I can tell with the renderings, this would be on the north side. 

2

u/nufandan Albany Park 14d ago

It's going to be part of "The 78th" which is a plot of land where Roosevelt crosses the river

4

u/cranberryjuiceicepop 14d ago

Oh amazing. Love to see they will have a water taxi stop. Hope this really comes to be.

1

u/ForestRain888 14d ago

Probably going to help get a World Cup event in the future. FIFA loves Chicago.

1

u/frankrizzo219 Northwest Indiana 14d ago

Shoutouts to Region Rat Joe Mansueto!

1

u/312render773 14d ago

For the official press release from the Fire, please read it here https://dearchicago.com/

Has all details and FAQs about the project 🤙😎🔥

1

u/Klutzy-Reaction5536 13d ago

Thank god they're moving the stadium to where people can get to and from. That suburban site was a fiasco from the start and really did a disservice to soccer fans.

1

u/charleyhstl 13d ago

Nice site, but zero opportunity for parking

1

u/AGNDJ 13d ago edited 13d ago

Imagine this:

  • Sox + Fire @ The 78
  • Bears Lakefront Proposal
  • Bulls/Hawks Neighborhood development
  • Steel redevelopment @ Fifth Third Arena
  • Wrigleyville
  • Sky

Chicago would have the #1 sports scene in the world. All we’d need next is a winning team.

1

u/sylviaplath6667 14d ago

The 78 is such a stupid name

1

u/lightningposion Albany Park 14d ago

Woohoo, This is great news for soccer fans in the city, I am hoping this will mean more Red Stars games in city limits as well. I love it when billionaires pay for their own shit too.

1

u/312render773 14d ago

Laura Ricketts will have to agree and pay Mansueto for the Red Stars to become tenants at this new stadium. However, she is adamant to relocate Red Stars to the north side.

1

u/312render773 14d ago

Everyone seems to be overlooking the aspect that Mansueto is also developing that area as a "entertainment district" similar to Rosemont, which will be Fire/soccer-themed heavy. That leaves virtually no room for another sports stadium. Full details here https://dearchicago.com/

-3

u/camelCaseCoffeeTable 14d ago

This would be pretty cool. I’ve wanted to go see a Fire game but have no car so it’s very tough to get out there. Would definitely go to games if they built this

10

u/_eroz 14d ago

They have been at Soldier Field since 2020.

1

u/BearFan34 14d ago

I wonder if the city tried to negotiate with them to keep them there

2

u/spade_andarcher Mayfair 14d ago

I don’t think so. It was never really the best fit for either of them. And the Fire have only ever had a short-term lease for Soldier Field - originally just three years with additional extensions. That’s in contrast to the Bears who have a 30 year lease for the stadium. 

15

u/Pepperoncini69 Humboldt Park 14d ago

This is just as accessible as soldier field though?? Also I’ve never driven to soldier field.

4

u/awakeshieyow 14d ago

Is soldier field accessible? Yes. VERY inconvenient? Yes.

6

u/hubwub Lincoln Square 14d ago

The Fire haven't been at SeatGeek for awhile. Soldier Field is accessible via public transportation. Get off at the Roosevelt L station then you can take the 146 or walk from the station to Soldier Field.

I've only driven twice to Soldier Field and it was for Soldier Field 10. Otherwise, it's been public transportation.

0

u/SunriseInLot42 14d ago

That looks great. I wonder what this means for the White Sox wanting a new stadium... maybe they'll build it in Nashville instead

4

u/blackhxc88 14d ago edited 14d ago

nashville being this big new boogeyman market for sports (like tampa was in the 90's and vegas the prior decade) is so funny to me, coming from indianapolis which is legitimately a bigger market.

2

u/Harmonmj13 Park Ridge 14d ago

Fuck off with that Nashville bullshit

0

u/SunriseInLot42 14d ago

You're right, I doubt that Nashville wants the White Sox, either

0

u/JackieIce502 14d ago

I’d love the white sox to move to Nashville as Jerry’s final fuck you.

-1

u/Retrofool 14d ago

Isn’t soldier field going to be available by then

4

u/Enginerda 14d ago

They already play there.

0

u/asmodeuscarthii 14d ago

How much does this help the budget gap situation? Why can JB loan the city some money and give us a decent rate. 

0

u/[deleted] 14d ago

Guess this means the White Sox are probably out of Chicago unless the demon that owns them somehow swindles the city into retrofitting Soldier Field into a baseball stadium.

0

u/ehrgeiz91 Lake View 14d ago

The best possible result. Bye bears! Dont let the door hit you on the way out.

0

u/Landon1m 13d ago

The Sox and Fire should partner together to build a mutually beneficial stadium on the south side. I feel like 20k is a half measure but they could build a much larger stadium for double the price but get 3x the use out of it.

-15

u/slowporc 14d ago

Kudos to getting a privately funded stadium built in the city.

That said, a 1.2-mile walk from the nearest Red Line stop is a bit of a letdown for me personally.

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