• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Bears Set to Forge Ahead With Domed Lakefront Stadium Plans

  • The NFL team has scheduled a Wednesday press conference to detail stadium plans.
  • White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf responds to a call to ‘put some skin in the game.’
Chicago Bears

The Bears know a thing or two about timing and are set to make a big announcement a day before Thursday’s NFL draft, where they hold the No. 1 pick.

Chicago is advancing its efforts to build a lakefront stadium just south of Soldier Field (above), showing some initial progress in the face of opposition to the team’s plans. 

The NFL team has called a Wednesday press conference to detail its plans for a “state-of-the-art, publicly owned enclosed stadium” on the city’s Museum Campus near Lake Michigan. The move builds materially on the Bears’ announced intent last month to stay in the city of Chicago after a lengthy tour of alternate options across the area suburbs. 

Reading Between the Lines

Like any other stadium project, there is still a very long way to go between an event like this press conference and an actual opening. But this latest step does show the depth of the Bears’ desire to hone in on this particular location after initial resistance surfaced from two local preservation groups as well as in Arlington Heights, where the Bears previously intended to build the stadium.

And also like many other stadium developments, there are still significant questions about financing of the Bears’ project. The venue itself is projected to cost between $2.5 billion and $3 billion, with perhaps another $1 billion going toward roads and infrastructure improvements. The Bears have pledged $2 billion toward the effort. There have been talks about a potential “financing partnership” with the White Sox in which both teams would take a more collaborative approach to help ensure their respective efforts to build new stadiums get done. 

But how that remaining funding gap is filled, presumably with some form of taxpayer assistance, will be a critical factor—particularly given that there is no deal in place with either the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois.

“If we’re going to build 21st-century stadiums, we have to make sure that that investment is activating the entire city of Chicago, and these conversations, particularly with the Bears, have been quite positive,” Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson said last week. “I appreciate the leadership of [team president] Kevin Warren. … But no, we have not made any commitments to any new forms of revenue.”

The Bears’ stadium saga remains one of the most closely watched issues across the NFL, as well as the rest of the sports industry. Despite being the country’s third-largest media market, Chicago, for years, has been shut out of hosting major events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four, as it does not have a large-scale domed stadium. 

South Side Shift

The White Sox, meanwhile, are facing some resistance in their efforts to build a successor facility to Guaranteed Rate Field, and do so closer to downtown Chicago. Johnson recently vetoed an idea of using the city’s amusement tax for either the Bears’ stadium project or the one advanced by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and added that the MLB team owner needs to “put some skin in the game.”

To that end, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Reinsdorf is prepared to pay at least $200 million toward the project. But with initial cost estimates for the White Sox stadium hovering around $1.2 billion—a figure likely to escalate—a significant funding gap remains there, too. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.

Belichick Bump Creating Record UNC Ticket Prices

The cost of seeing the NFL legend’s college coaching debut is soaring.

Micah Parsons Requests Trade From Cowboys As Contract Talks Stall

The defensive end has been seeking a new contract.
McLaurin

Terry McLaurin Asks Out of Washington Amid Contract Standoff

McLaurin is in the final year of a three-year, $68 million contract. 

Featured Today

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.

Browns Push Forward on $2.4B Stadium Despite Political Obstacles

The NFL team plans a stadium groundbreaking, despite funding and legal issues.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Injured Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench during the first half of a basketball game against the Chicago Sky at United Center.
July 28, 2025

Chicago Sky Sell Out United Center With Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Out

The Sky announced 19,601 fans attended the game at the United Center.
Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.
July 29, 2025

$3.8B Commanders Stadium On Track for D.C. Approval

D.C. continues two days of public hearings on a proposed Commanders stadium.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 25, 2025

Prospective Rays Owner Must Start Fresh As $1.3B Stadium Deal Ends

St. Petersburg, Fla., officials formally terminate a prior ballpark agreement.
July 25, 2025

Eagles Turn to Their Fans As They Consider Future Stadium Plans

The defending Super Bowl champions are surveying season-ticket holders.
Jul 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox fans cheer after a home run by Boston Red Sox designated hitter Wilyer Abreu (52) during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park.
July 25, 2025

Fenway Concession Workers Go on Strike for Dodgers Series

They’re asking fans not to buy food and drink at the games.
July 24, 2025

Commanders Restructure $3.8B Stadium Pact Ahead of Council Vote

A D.C. Council vote on the proposed stadium is now set for Aug. 1.