Chicago Bears Make Significant Announcement About Potential Stadium Move

The Chicago Bears may be moving their home base soon.

On Thursday afternoon, the franchise announced that it has submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights.

If granted the deal, this would be the teams first move in over 50 years as the team took over its current home, Soldier Field, in 1971.

“We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” Bears team president and CEO Ted Phillips wrote in a statement. “It’s our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential.”

Statement from Chicago Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips: pic.twitter.com/5ACDDtccWU

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 17, 2021

Like any team move, this decision is pretty polarizing amongst Chicago fans.

The Arlington International Racecourse is located over an hour northwest of Soldier Field. Many fans are already voicing their concerns over the move out of downtown Chicago.

This potential move to Arlington Heights, a northern suburb of downtown, has reportedly been in the works for quite some time now. Earlier this week, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes was asked about the idea of the Bears coming to his city.

“It’s still on the table, to my understanding, but it’s a complete, definite ‘maybe,’” Hayes said, via the Daily Herald. “I’m not in a position where I could say it’s a definite ‘go’ or definite ‘no go.’”

If the Bears were to make this move, the current structure of the Arlington International Racecourse would likely be completely leveled to make way for a brand new stadium. The last renovations to Soldier Field in 2004 cost the franchise $690 million.

Fan gripes aside, there’s still one logistical issue to work out if the franchise’s bid is accepted. The Bears are currently locked into a lease that has them playing in Soldier Field for the next 13 seasons.

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