• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Bears $4.7B Dome Plan Takes Hit After Deal With Chicago Suburb

While the Bears are still focusing on building a $4.7 billion dome in downtown Chicago, funding remains a question, and the team just reached a key deal with Arlington Heights, where it owns 326 acres of land.

Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

As the Bears prepare for a Thanksgiving Day matchup in Detroit against the NFC North rival Lions, the team’s quest for a new stadium in Chicago continues to take twists and turns.

On Monday, the Bears and the village of Arlington Heights reached a tentative agreement to settle a longstanding property tax dispute that prevented the team from moving forward with plans to build a new stadium on the 326 acres it owns on the site of an old horse racing track.

In April, the Bears unveiled a plan to build a $4.7 billion dome adjacent to their current home, Soldier Field, in downtown Chicago. They are seeking more than $2 billion in public funding, which would need to come from the state of Illinois, and is far from being approved.

After Monday’s news, the Bears in a statement said they “remain focused” on efforts to build said dome in Chicago, but they left the door open for other options.

“That being said, we remain significant landowners in Arlington Heights and establishing a framework for potential future development planning, financing and property tax certainty has been a priority since the land was purchased,” the statement read in part. “We continue to have productive conversations with the village and school districts and are aligned on a framework should we choose to explore a potential development.”

Arlington Heights officials in their statement said they “continue to believe Arlington Heights remains an incredible opportunity for the Chicago Bears” and that they “look forward to future conversations.”

The earliest any state funding for a new Bears stadium could even start to move toward being approved would be the spring of 2025. 

A potential move to Arlington Heights would see the Bears follow in the footsteps of the Browns, who are focusing their efforts on building a $2.4 billion dome in a Cleveland suburb, as opposed to renovating their downtown stadium or building a new one nearby.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

College Sports Revenue-Sharing Underway As More Changes Loom

July 1 marks the first day schools can directly pay players.
Jun 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass during minicamp at their South Side facility.
opinion

Steelers Win-Now Mode Is Good News for NFL Media Partners

The conservative “Steeler Way” has finally adapted—and media partners are happy.

Pac-12 Hits Football Membership Threshold With Texas State Entry

The school is paying $5 million to leave the Sun Belt Conference.
Jun 10, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) participates in a drill during an NFL football minicamp at NRG Stadium.

30 of 32 NFL Second-Round Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

Some rookie training camps start in under two weeks.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.

Bengals Strike 10-Year, $470M Stadium Deal to Stay in Cincinnati

The NFL franchise and Hamilton County have agreed to a new lease.
June 25, 2025

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records

Work accelerates to convert the massive motorsports venue for baseball.
June 26, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Now Relies on Ohioans’ Forgotten Money

Ohio’s Modell Law is revised, while stadium funding faces new challenges.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 24, 2025

Diamondbacks Score Up to $500M for Chase Field Renovation

Concerns about another potential team relocation in Arizona influence the vote.
June 23, 2025

A’s Launch $1.75B Ballpark Build With Funding Puzzle Still Unsolved

Ground is broken in Las Vegas, but funding issues, Sacramento woes persist.
June 23, 2025

World Cup, NFL Draft, New Stadiums in PA … and No State..

Growing sports-related needs conflict with budget worries in the commonwealth.
Fenway Park
June 18, 2025

Fenway Park Concession Workers Poised to Strike 

The unionized workers overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.