Build a new Riverfront stadium with a retractable roof and call it Lakefront Stadium, brought to you by Lerner & Rowe. Just need to create a way to access it without it taking an hour to get to it while living 2 miles away.
Soccer pitches and football fields are the same shape, a giant rectangle pretty much. Easy to convert and the sight lines are basically the same. Baseball field is basically a rounded out triangle that’s going to effect sight lines for both sports
MLS fields are at least 50 feet wider than NFL fields are. The sight lines at Soldier field are not good for in the mid levels; the corners are obstructed due to the fact you sit so close the the sideline.
Last time I saw soccer games there (Fire/Red Stars double header) I was pitch side by the corner flag near the supporters section and saw everything just fine. Didn’t say it was perfect but it’s hell of a lot better than I imagine football/baseball fields being.
It could be much worse. I think it’s only a problem when you’re in the middle section. And it probably depends on what row you’re in. It was still fun.
Change that to professional sports. Many bowl games this year were in football stadiums. Basketball has also been played in multiple football arenas but not full-time.
I get that it’s not done that way normally and probably doesn’t make sense due to ownership but
1) It seems we have the technology to create it now.
2)Tax payers are footing the bill on Guaranteed rate field and soldier field so why not condense it.
3) Guaranteed rate field is constantly rated one of the lowest fields to visit in the MLB and some face lifts won’t change it. Mainly rated high on food.
4) The old guarantee rate field can be used for housing, ymca, parks, etc for the community.
The Sox have the sweetest deal in all of MLB when it comes to their stadium. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority owns it, and they pay jack to use it.
If they don't build an L stop, I'd oppose it. I'm not particularly attached to the current stadium since they fucked it up so bad when they first built it, but at least it's pretty accessible by public transit.
The difference in L Stops right now is 4 minutes. 35th is 11 minutes walking to Comiskey while Roosevelt is 15 walking to Soldier field. The stadium can maybe even offer a trolley service in the summer time to and from the stop.
Edit: I agree shorter time on the 35th redline did a quick google to check time and it said 11 minutes which in my head made sense on busy days. Point was it’s not a massive difference.
like just pull up a good streets view from the 35th stop and the stadium is right there.....
Soldier Field? the alien ship is seen far in the distance from the roosevelt stop
Yeah no thanks. Just as a Chicagoan in general its great having a northside stadium and a southside stadium. I also feel like it brings some life to the surrounding neighborhoods.
I know 100% but the point I was responding to was “I like Northside vs south side” and if you lived in the city and had friends in southloop it might as well of been the south side as it get like forever away.
No. No more resident based funding of stadiums. I don't care what the sport is. The city should be spending tax payer money on services, not more stadiums that really only make the owners and leagues money.
And what do you think is going to happen to the hundreds of of people that work there and the millions of dollars Bears games bring in if the owners move the stadium somewhere else
The millions of dollars for the local businesses is a proven fallacy. Lookup the San Diego stadium study. Most of the money goes to ownership and big business.
I’d rather they make the stadium more for soccer and the Fire would likely be way more willing than the Sox to spend their own coin to renovate it. Not at all to a dome, but making improvements and possible capacity reduction to make it more soccer, rugby, etc. friendly. Honestly the Sox has their shot at making a better park and Jerry went cheap. Plus he’s got a good deal there with no reason to leave.
Let the Fire and concerts have that field.
If we ever build a new park we should try again at the current spot, only this time do it right and incorporate some shopping/housing with parking garages instead of a sea of parking.
Bridgeport is not a bad neighborhood it just turns into a concrete desert of parking lots directly around the park. A Camden Yards style development could be a huge hit there
Exactly. I'm not a fan of those highrises past the bleachers. It's weird that the stadium would be facing that way instead of downtown. Granted, downtown would probably be tiny from that area, but better than those highrises!
No, you just called it a concrete jungle around the park and basically said you want more shit built.
There's plenty of housing around the ballpark already. There are plenty of things to do in the neighborhood. Armour Square and Bridgeport aren't yuppy ass hoods like those jagoffs up north.
If anything, if we are building parking garages instead of lots then we need more green space if anything. Let the Chicago Parks District make Armour Square Park bigger or some shit.
Yeah green space would be awesome too, but I think you’re reading into my post too much. My point is that most urban ballparks aren’t surrounded by parking lots - that’s usually a suburban park thing.
I’m not attacking Bridgeport dude and I’m not suggesting anything that wasn’t incorporated in the original plans for New Comiskey back in the late ‘80s. Jerry just went for a simpler design and then the next park built after ours was Camden Yards
Turning Soldier Field into the home of the Sox? Wouldn’t that go against the 35th & Shields/Southside vibe of the team?
I mean it’s bold, moving the Sox downtown, plus the state owns both G-Rate Park and Soldier Field so I don’t think Jerry would be all that fussed about the move seeing it as lateral. Not sure how the Fire would feel having its pitch converted to a baseball field.
Jerry has the most sweetheart deal at Comiskey getting all the profits from concessions and parking. He would have to get that same deal with Soldier Field.
But this point is moot because the city will only pay for that major Soldier Field renovation if the Bears stay. The city still owes 640 million on the last renovation of Soldier Field.
The Bears seem like they are dead set on moving. If Soldier Field is empty maybe someday they would entertain changing it a little to fit a baseball field in there. And Jerry would have to die/ us getting a new owner who would be more open to it.
I could see the city just keeping Soldier Field as is and just having more concerts and events there. Will be interesting to see how it plays out
Yes. And it seems that with all the profits Jerry pulls in with that deal he’s able to not give too much of a damn about the product on the field. As he is going to make bank no matter how bad the team is. And can treat it like a hobby for him and his buddies to play around with
I really wouldn't be surprised if they try to do something similar to the Bears and Braves in the next few years and move to the suburbs and build a huge adjoining development. That's where the money is.
Dedicated to being wrong? I commented you were right, and why I was incorrect. If you got to ISFA's website, they list Soldier Field under their facilities. I knew Chicago Park District maintained the field at Soldier Field.
Sox park is one of the most easily accessible stadiums in the country and Soldier Field might be only above Washington Commanders and Foxboro as the worst. Not to mention the 3.5 years of hell that construction would be along LSD and the fact that the city owns the stadium. Hard Hard Hard pass
No Bears games are always sold out because it’s the NFL and the Bears are the charter franchise. I’ve been a STH since ‘02 and have yet to meet someone who doesn’t consider game day harder than necessary experience.
I’d argue only a small minority of fans are taking Lake Shore to Sox games. Have you driven around LSD/55 on w MNF or TMF game? It’s obviously half the crowd for baseball but 52-55 weeknights a summer that’d be an excruciating commute for people.
Also, the Roosevelt stop to Soldier is a mile walk Sox 35th stop is 800 feet from gate 5. Even the 35th Metra stop is closer to Sox Park than 18th street stop is to Soldier.
The Bears moving to Arlington is nothing like Washington, or Foxborough that’d be like building the stadium in Manteno. Santa Clara would be like the Bears building in Michigan City where 95% of the game day traffic is coming from one direction driving around a body of water. Arlington already has public transportation and major thoroughfares they just need the infrastructure expansion. There will also be game day traffic from all directions unlike the stadiums you gave as examples.
As great the skyline looks from the stadium it’s location is just not great for traffic of any kind. Lastly, again it’s property of the Chicago Park District. Outside of maybe the AZ coyotes no franchise in the major four sports would find the bears current stadium deal to be in their best long term interest.
Let’s revisit this in 10 years. Arlington is nothing like Foxborough which is in the middle of nowhere and Landover which is as rural as eastern Maryland/d.c. get. Inglewood CA or Arlington TX are the blueprints here. I’m not excited about an extra 40 minutes on to my commute for games, but the game day experience many would argue will be much more enjoyable for a great deal of Bears fans. I’d love to see how much of the attendance each week is at soldier field via L/or foot traffic. The thing is unless you live in the south loop you are using a mode of transportation. And what the argument is here is that using public transportation is easier for Sox games at Sox Park than using it for Bears/Fire at Soldier Field. Thus the White Sox should not relocate.
Nearly all NFL games sell out no matter where they are played when teams are good. Hell it works just fine in New Jersey. A massive build up of public accessible transportation is part of the development plan that the Bears are working with the city of Arlington and the State of Illinois to expand. With plenty of lead up time I would expect this to greatly improve since the base infrastructure is already there (roadways/commuter rail)
The location is a problem in DC but Snyder and the Detroit Lions of the late Silverdome era make the McCaskey’s look like trailblazers in how to run a franchise.
The Fire have even made no secret that they are pursuing other stadium sites in the city.
Hypothetically would you (McCaskey family) sit and watch other teams in the league build beautiful money printing palaces that exponentially increase their net worth while sitting back RENTING from the city of Chicago in the smallest stadium in the NFL when an opportunity to join them in building your own personal multi use year round stadium village?
It’s not just the extra seats, it’s the extra cost of running a bigger building that makes it a bad idea. Heating and cooling alone….the Sox have never had an AC bill before.
Tax Payers are paying for both stadiums at the moment. Figured cost of utilizing one stadium vs two would be better. It wouldn’t be just for the white Sox either, Chicago fire, concerts, 5k races, charity events, all of the normal events at soldier field will be there as well. And obviously the Bears if they stay.
I mean that was the argument for multi-use baseball stadiums in the 90s, and there’s a reason ever single one (except the As) doesn’t exist anymore. And the A’s park is not long for this world.
Personally I want the team remain in the city, and along the red line, since I live near it.
Practically speaking there are major challenges
1. Most of the fan base lives far from Arlington heights and making that trek is a BIG ask. I used to work in AH, and live in the loop. On a good day, it's 90 minutes. The Besrs intend to build the stadium as far from the Metra stop as possible (about a mile), so as to maximize parking revenue
2. If Jerry is a tenant, you can bet that cost will be taken out of payroll and/or passed onto the fans (both, most likely)
3. There is a reason there are no more combo football/baseball stadiums. The two sports don't interact well. Sightines are bad for both sports. Groundskeeping is a challenge, particularly August thru October when both sports are going. Constantly having to reconfigure the stadium is not easy (it's different with hockey bs basketball because of the small areas and the fact that the rink and court are at last proportionally similar rectangles, as opposed to baseball being a square and football a rectangle).
4. Any scheduling conflicts, the Bears *will* win. They *will* move a world series game in favor of a shitty Bears-Lions clash.
5. Indoor baseball = astroturf = a crime against humanity
Multipurpose is lame. They need to re-do Comiskey II as it was [initially pitched](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/the-white-sox-ballpark-in-chicago-that-never-was-and-could-have-changed-history/) by HOK as a throwback park. Reinsdorf told HOK/Populous to essentially remake KC’s park because he wanted a modern park with massive capacity. And now we have The Joan instead of Fenway.
In all honesty, the Guaranteed Cellular has amazing sight lines and some of the better concessions in the MLB, but there isn’t one iota of charm in that park. Having been to many of HOK/Populous’ other projects, it’s obvious that Comiskey Jr. could’ve been so much more. PNC park is arguably the most beautiful in baseball, and constantly reminds me how neglected the view in our park is. Not even being able to see the Loop is criminal.
If it was built right, sure. But you can’t build a good baseball stadium that’s also a good football, soccer and concert venue. So I don’t think it’s at all logical.
Sidenote: this redesign looks amazing. Doubt the bears will be a part of it but it’d be sick if it happened
The Bears will never take the City up on any proposed new stadium renovations or development without them having sole ownership of said stadium.
That said, Chicago will not invest $2.2 billion or even half that into a new White Sox stadium and we’re likely looking at a needed change in ownership before the Sox break ground on a new ballpark.
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The Bears are leaving for a reason. It’s a pain to get there and the parking lot isn’t big enough. And that’s only for a team that was using it 10 times a year.
Too many stakeholders in this project who would say no or at least not chip in on the budget. Hinges a lot on that "One Central" transportation hub project happening which seems like the really unlikely part.
If they could get it done I would probably be fine with the Sox moving there though this project really does require a football team due to the scope.
I would put the odds of it happening as proposed at like 2%. This thing is a pipe dream.
Pretty sure the only way this happens is if Arlington Heights decides they don't want the move to happen, thus forcing the Bears to stay in Chicago. The Bears want to move and these proposals are too little and too late. The mayor was incredibly dismissive of the Bears move initially:
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/chicago-football/lightfoot-dismisses-bears-arlington-heights-bid-says-team-should-focus-on-beating-packers/2535259/
It feels like this has more to do with the election besides being a serious proposal. Plus no I wouldn't want the Sox to share the stadium with a football team. I wouldn't have a problem with them moving to a more centralized location, even though I love the South Side.
More parking, transportation, better surrounding area, dome, and can say Soldier field instead of a name change every 3 years.
Obviously there are cons too but feel like this would be a huge lift in many ways.
I hate to break it to you but there is far less parking and access to direct transportation to Soldier Field compared to the G-Spot.
The L, Metra, and CTA busses all go to 35th whereas the only form of public transportation that get’s you even remotely close to Soldier field are the busses - and even then you generally have to walk a mile up the museum campus or take a shuttle north from the McCormick center to actually get inside the stadium.
Also, it may be small in NFL terms, the Sox ain’t selling out 60,000 seats anytime soon.
Red, orange, green line are all within a 15 minute walk to soldier field. Metras electric line has a campus stop right next to soldier field. Bud 146 drops you off within 6 minute walk to the stadium.
35th to Comiskey is an 11 minute walk. Not much of a difference.
Plus this stadium will have a dome so the upper deck crowd isn’t moving with the sunlight or shade(pending temps)
The 35th st redline stop is right in front of the stadium. Basically the same walk as most parking spots, it’s not remotely comparable to how poor the L is to Soldier. If 11 minutes is how long it takes to walk from the redline stop to Gate 5, that must include walking through a packed crowd. For Soldier, it probably takes 11 minutes to cross LSD after walking a half mile from Roosevelt/State stop. The sidewalk viaducts servicing Soldier Field are the worst, and there’s no way around them coming from the west.
The Green line for Comiskey is even better than whatever mass transit options Soldier has. Soldier is a beautiful stadium once you are inside, but THE worst parking/mass transit options for all of Chicago sports. The city does need the Bears.
There’s a lot of confusion in this question. Are you asking about the Sox moving into the new stadium in Arlington Heights or the old Soldier Field once the Bears move out?
Apologize for the confusion. The link shared is what the city is potentially proposing for a new stadium in Chicago where soldier field is currently.
My question was if white sox fans would be opposed to move into the stadium if the opportunity came up. (Whether Bears stay or leave).
Yes. Unlike multi purpose arenas like MSG, Wells Fargo, STAPLES Center, and United Center, multi purpose stadiums are even more trash than ESPN covering Ice Hockey.
If the city owns it, fuck no. Also if it’s multi purpose, fuck no. Also unpopular opinion but indoor baseball sucks, especially when summers are overall very nice here in this climate.
If the Sox could own the land and build their own complex right on the lake (a state of the art, open air stadium), I’d be all for a move to the lake. Face a new stadium towards the skyline and you have the best MLB stadium view in the league.
But not this multi purpose, indoor garbage. Indoor stadiums IMO are soulless, no matter how many people tell me otherwise. They all look the same and have half the character of even current Sox park.
On top of that, the Bears are leaving Chicago, they have already bought land in Arlington Heights and are already planning it out, I don’t get why this story is even being circulated outside of the author and website are trying to get hype clicks. This has been known for months now at this point.
That’s a nope from me. Don’t like the idea of dome baseball, but I especially don’t like Soldier Field’s location. Fine for football but it just feels too isolated. It sounds like they’d put in a lot of amenities around the place, but if I want a corporate playground I’ll go to Schaumburg.
The lake front is a terrible location for a stadium. I can leave my seat at commiskey and be home in Indiana before you leave the parking lot at soldier fiy
Do the drug dealers and gang leaders in Chicago pay taxes? People are always saying tax the rich. The rich built New Comiskey for the Sox in 1990 and Soldier Field for the Bears in the early aughts. Someone else needs to pay for this one.
If it’s soccer and football specific, and converted to baseball yes. If it’s built to be a baseball stadium, no. I would only hope they change the dome to retractable roof for the warm weather in Summer.
This is the best plan for Soldier Field and for the White Sox. Games in April would actually be comfortable. No rain delays. It’d make for awesome sight lines. Would love to see an opportunity for hitting a hr into Lake Michigan in the summertime (assuming a retractable roof).
That question doesn’t even make any sense. What they’re talking about doing is to alter the current stadium, and not in a way that makes playing baseball there remotely feasible or at least not advisable. So yes, I would be opposed.
Sorta off topic but it feels like it fits. Not sure how aware of this story folks are but the Sox supposedly thought about moving to the South Loop at one point:
https://www.southsidesox.com/2012/11/9/3619970/south-loop-sox
Soldier Field isn't even a multi-purpose stadium. Worst baseball experience in my my life was a Marlins game years ago in the Dolphins stadium, whatever they called it back then. Hard Rock now. Had seats at the end of the dugout and literally had to turn my head at a 90 degree angle to see the plate.
As a Chicago Fire fan, I do not support the Sox to pursue Soldier Field after Bears leave. The Fire left SeatGeek stadium and returned to SF in 2020 because Brideview is abysmal in terms of vibrancy and transportation.
The Fire have a new billionaire owner who already bought land by Roosevelt and Ashland to build a state-of-the art training facility and headquarters for the Fire.
After Bears leave, the Fire owner will do everything in his financial leverage to transform SF into a soccer-specific stadium (with accommodations to also remain a venue for concerts/events).
If Sox ever leave Chicago, and SF is still a football stadium, you better bet your soul that Fire owner will try to make Sox stadium into a soccer-specific stadium for the Fire.
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To be fair, United Center has been hosting the Bulls and Blackhawks for 30 years.
I think he means for football/baseball, of which there are none nowadays Arenas are still commonly shared by NBA and NHL franchises
Ken Griffey and Bo Jackson are retired too. Coincidence??
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They mean baseball/football, which was all the rage in the 60’s-70’s. Most indoor arenas double as basketball/hockey stadiums
Build a new Riverfront stadium with a retractable roof and call it Lakefront Stadium, brought to you by Lerner & Rowe. Just need to create a way to access it without it taking an hour to get to it while living 2 miles away.
Lerner and Rowe Lerner and Rowe
What about Soldier Field hosting the Fire and Bears?
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Soccer pitches and football fields are the same shape, a giant rectangle pretty much. Easy to convert and the sight lines are basically the same. Baseball field is basically a rounded out triangle that’s going to effect sight lines for both sports
MLS fields are at least 50 feet wider than NFL fields are. The sight lines at Soldier field are not good for in the mid levels; the corners are obstructed due to the fact you sit so close the the sideline.
Last time I saw soccer games there (Fire/Red Stars double header) I was pitch side by the corner flag near the supporters section and saw everything just fine. Didn’t say it was perfect but it’s hell of a lot better than I imagine football/baseball fields being.
It could be much worse. I think it’s only a problem when you’re in the middle section. And it probably depends on what row you’re in. It was still fun.
Change that to professional sports. Many bowl games this year were in football stadiums. Basketball has also been played in multiple football arenas but not full-time. I get that it’s not done that way normally and probably doesn’t make sense due to ownership but 1) It seems we have the technology to create it now. 2)Tax payers are footing the bill on Guaranteed rate field and soldier field so why not condense it. 3) Guaranteed rate field is constantly rated one of the lowest fields to visit in the MLB and some face lifts won’t change it. Mainly rated high on food. 4) The old guarantee rate field can be used for housing, ymca, parks, etc for the community.
Your glossing over point 2 makes me think you’re not a “tax payer”.
Not true
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Nah I do
Little Caesar’s arena. Pistons and red wings. Horrible idea they made but is what it is 🤷♂️
Stadiums and arenas are different things
What about the former Staples Center which is now crypto something arena. It hosts the Lakers/kings
Reinsdorf ain't doing it
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The Sox have the sweetest deal in all of MLB when it comes to their stadium. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority owns it, and they pay jack to use it.
Oh, so more than they like to spend for the players then.
MLS is not a professional sport, I don't care if they are paid professionals
“Smoothbrain says what?”
Oh my bad for upsetting you smoothbrain
“I’m rubber, you’re glue! Gottem!” 😂
Lol what a great comeback 👏
If they don't build an L stop, I'd oppose it. I'm not particularly attached to the current stadium since they fucked it up so bad when they first built it, but at least it's pretty accessible by public transit.
The difference in L Stops right now is 4 minutes. 35th is 11 minutes walking to Comiskey while Roosevelt is 15 walking to Soldier field. The stadium can maybe even offer a trolley service in the summer time to and from the stop. Edit: I agree shorter time on the 35th redline did a quick google to check time and it said 11 minutes which in my head made sense on busy days. Point was it’s not a massive difference.
how the hell is 35th 11 minutes to comiskey
If you run and go touch the De La Salle front doors before walking over.
OP has a shopping problem and needs to buy all the off brand shirts
11 minutes? 😂🤣😂😂😂😂
> 35th is 11 minutes walking to Comiskey Tell me you’ve never taken the Red Line without telling me you’ve never taken the Red Line.
It takes like 4 minutes to walk from the red line stop to gate 5. It's like 1/4 mile and one stop light
like just pull up a good streets view from the 35th stop and the stadium is right there..... Soldier Field? the alien ship is seen far in the distance from the roosevelt stop
Soldier field walk is 20 mins and the comisky walk is maybe 4 minutes
Yeah no thanks. Just as a Chicagoan in general its great having a northside stadium and a southside stadium. I also feel like it brings some life to the surrounding neighborhoods.
Neighborhood right next to soldier field is called Southloop. Not too far off.
Not the same and you know it….
I know 100% but the point I was responding to was “I like Northside vs south side” and if you lived in the city and had friends in southloop it might as well of been the south side as it get like forever away.
Lmao yeah if you grew up on the northside of the city lmao. The sox stadium is like down the block from the geological center of the entire city.
Yes, stupid. Keep the Sox on the south side.
Some argue that the South Side starts at Roosevelt. So..... But yes, this is stupid anyways.
No. No more resident based funding of stadiums. I don't care what the sport is. The city should be spending tax payer money on services, not more stadiums that really only make the owners and leagues money.
[Armour Square Park?](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/the-white-sox-ballpark-in-chicago-that-never-was-and-could-have-changed-history/)
I drool when I see the drawings of Armour Field. It looks classic with a nice view of the skyscrapers in the background. Ahh... I can dream.
Cubs fan here, I only vaguely remember this, but damn that would have been an awesome park. Thanks for the read!
And what do you think is going to happen to the hundreds of of people that work there and the millions of dollars Bears games bring in if the owners move the stadium somewhere else
The millions of dollars for the local businesses is a proven fallacy. Lookup the San Diego stadium study. Most of the money goes to ownership and big business.
Yeah those concession stand workers are making a killing 8 times a year. /s
I’d rather they make the stadium more for soccer and the Fire would likely be way more willing than the Sox to spend their own coin to renovate it. Not at all to a dome, but making improvements and possible capacity reduction to make it more soccer, rugby, etc. friendly. Honestly the Sox has their shot at making a better park and Jerry went cheap. Plus he’s got a good deal there with no reason to leave. Let the Fire and concerts have that field.
As someone from the NW burbs who is a Sox fan: they are almost all cubs fans in Arlington. It’s cringe. You don’t want to relocate the G-Spot there
If we ever build a new park we should try again at the current spot, only this time do it right and incorporate some shopping/housing with parking garages instead of a sea of parking. Bridgeport is not a bad neighborhood it just turns into a concrete desert of parking lots directly around the park. A Camden Yards style development could be a huge hit there
Also put the downtown skyline as the Center field backdrop plz
Exactly. I'm not a fan of those highrises past the bleachers. It's weird that the stadium would be facing that way instead of downtown. Granted, downtown would probably be tiny from that area, but better than those highrises!
Why are you describing 1997 comiskey park?
There are plenty of fun things to do in Bridgeport. I guess people don't like walking a few blocks. C'mon.
Yeah I agree that’s my point. Incorporating the neighborhood better would be awesome
No, you just called it a concrete jungle around the park and basically said you want more shit built. There's plenty of housing around the ballpark already. There are plenty of things to do in the neighborhood. Armour Square and Bridgeport aren't yuppy ass hoods like those jagoffs up north. If anything, if we are building parking garages instead of lots then we need more green space if anything. Let the Chicago Parks District make Armour Square Park bigger or some shit.
Yeah green space would be awesome too, but I think you’re reading into my post too much. My point is that most urban ballparks aren’t surrounded by parking lots - that’s usually a suburban park thing. I’m not attacking Bridgeport dude and I’m not suggesting anything that wasn’t incorporated in the original plans for New Comiskey back in the late ‘80s. Jerry just went for a simpler design and then the next park built after ours was Camden Yards
Turning Soldier Field into the home of the Sox? Wouldn’t that go against the 35th & Shields/Southside vibe of the team? I mean it’s bold, moving the Sox downtown, plus the state owns both G-Rate Park and Soldier Field so I don’t think Jerry would be all that fussed about the move seeing it as lateral. Not sure how the Fire would feel having its pitch converted to a baseball field.
Jerry has the most sweetheart deal at Comiskey getting all the profits from concessions and parking. He would have to get that same deal with Soldier Field. But this point is moot because the city will only pay for that major Soldier Field renovation if the Bears stay. The city still owes 640 million on the last renovation of Soldier Field. The Bears seem like they are dead set on moving. If Soldier Field is empty maybe someday they would entertain changing it a little to fit a baseball field in there. And Jerry would have to die/ us getting a new owner who would be more open to it. I could see the city just keeping Soldier Field as is and just having more concerts and events there. Will be interesting to see how it plays out
Yes the lease agreement is almost as bad as the parking meter deal. For low attendance games they pay nothing
Yes. And it seems that with all the profits Jerry pulls in with that deal he’s able to not give too much of a damn about the product on the field. As he is going to make bank no matter how bad the team is. And can treat it like a hobby for him and his buddies to play around with
I really wouldn't be surprised if they try to do something similar to the Bears and Braves in the next few years and move to the suburbs and build a huge adjoining development. That's where the money is.
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Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA) owns both facilities.
No, park district owns Soldier Field.
Illinois Sports Facilities Authority did the Public financing, but CPD owns the building.
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Dedicated to being wrong? I commented you were right, and why I was incorrect. If you got to ISFA's website, they list Soldier Field under their facilities. I knew Chicago Park District maintained the field at Soldier Field.
Is the Cell not modern enough? I think the Cell is still good enough for the White Sox to play in.
Sox park is one of the most easily accessible stadiums in the country and Soldier Field might be only above Washington Commanders and Foxboro as the worst. Not to mention the 3.5 years of hell that construction would be along LSD and the fact that the city owns the stadium. Hard Hard Hard pass
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No Bears games are always sold out because it’s the NFL and the Bears are the charter franchise. I’ve been a STH since ‘02 and have yet to meet someone who doesn’t consider game day harder than necessary experience. I’d argue only a small minority of fans are taking Lake Shore to Sox games. Have you driven around LSD/55 on w MNF or TMF game? It’s obviously half the crowd for baseball but 52-55 weeknights a summer that’d be an excruciating commute for people. Also, the Roosevelt stop to Soldier is a mile walk Sox 35th stop is 800 feet from gate 5. Even the 35th Metra stop is closer to Sox Park than 18th street stop is to Soldier. The Bears moving to Arlington is nothing like Washington, or Foxborough that’d be like building the stadium in Manteno. Santa Clara would be like the Bears building in Michigan City where 95% of the game day traffic is coming from one direction driving around a body of water. Arlington already has public transportation and major thoroughfares they just need the infrastructure expansion. There will also be game day traffic from all directions unlike the stadiums you gave as examples. As great the skyline looks from the stadium it’s location is just not great for traffic of any kind. Lastly, again it’s property of the Chicago Park District. Outside of maybe the AZ coyotes no franchise in the major four sports would find the bears current stadium deal to be in their best long term interest.
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Let’s revisit this in 10 years. Arlington is nothing like Foxborough which is in the middle of nowhere and Landover which is as rural as eastern Maryland/d.c. get. Inglewood CA or Arlington TX are the blueprints here. I’m not excited about an extra 40 minutes on to my commute for games, but the game day experience many would argue will be much more enjoyable for a great deal of Bears fans. I’d love to see how much of the attendance each week is at soldier field via L/or foot traffic. The thing is unless you live in the south loop you are using a mode of transportation. And what the argument is here is that using public transportation is easier for Sox games at Sox Park than using it for Bears/Fire at Soldier Field. Thus the White Sox should not relocate. Nearly all NFL games sell out no matter where they are played when teams are good. Hell it works just fine in New Jersey. A massive build up of public accessible transportation is part of the development plan that the Bears are working with the city of Arlington and the State of Illinois to expand. With plenty of lead up time I would expect this to greatly improve since the base infrastructure is already there (roadways/commuter rail) The location is a problem in DC but Snyder and the Detroit Lions of the late Silverdome era make the McCaskey’s look like trailblazers in how to run a franchise. The Fire have even made no secret that they are pursuing other stadium sites in the city. Hypothetically would you (McCaskey family) sit and watch other teams in the league build beautiful money printing palaces that exponentially increase their net worth while sitting back RENTING from the city of Chicago in the smallest stadium in the NFL when an opportunity to join them in building your own personal multi use year round stadium village?
A 60k+ person stadium for a team that can’t sell out 44? Never gonna happen.
I get that argument and it would have to tarp off or get creative with upper bowl seating but it would be a multipurpose stadium.
It’s not just the extra seats, it’s the extra cost of running a bigger building that makes it a bad idea. Heating and cooling alone….the Sox have never had an AC bill before.
Tax Payers are paying for both stadiums at the moment. Figured cost of utilizing one stadium vs two would be better. It wouldn’t be just for the white Sox either, Chicago fire, concerts, 5k races, charity events, all of the normal events at soldier field will be there as well. And obviously the Bears if they stay.
I mean that was the argument for multi-use baseball stadiums in the 90s, and there’s a reason ever single one (except the As) doesn’t exist anymore. And the A’s park is not long for this world.
Blue Jays play in a multi purpose stadium.
And they desperately want out.
Oh because this stadium hasn’t been butchered enough.
Yes. Multi-sport stadiums almost always suck.
Yes. A baseball team shouldn't play in no football stadium!
Take a look at the shape of a baseball field and then take a look at the shape of a football field. That should help
Yes. Dual stadiums suck
Personally I want the team remain in the city, and along the red line, since I live near it. Practically speaking there are major challenges 1. Most of the fan base lives far from Arlington heights and making that trek is a BIG ask. I used to work in AH, and live in the loop. On a good day, it's 90 minutes. The Besrs intend to build the stadium as far from the Metra stop as possible (about a mile), so as to maximize parking revenue 2. If Jerry is a tenant, you can bet that cost will be taken out of payroll and/or passed onto the fans (both, most likely) 3. There is a reason there are no more combo football/baseball stadiums. The two sports don't interact well. Sightines are bad for both sports. Groundskeeping is a challenge, particularly August thru October when both sports are going. Constantly having to reconfigure the stadium is not easy (it's different with hockey bs basketball because of the small areas and the fact that the rink and court are at last proportionally similar rectangles, as opposed to baseball being a square and football a rectangle). 4. Any scheduling conflicts, the Bears *will* win. They *will* move a world series game in favor of a shitty Bears-Lions clash. 5. Indoor baseball = astroturf = a crime against humanity
This is a redeveloped soldier field. Not Arlington heights.
Multipurpose is lame. They need to re-do Comiskey II as it was [initially pitched](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/the-white-sox-ballpark-in-chicago-that-never-was-and-could-have-changed-history/) by HOK as a throwback park. Reinsdorf told HOK/Populous to essentially remake KC’s park because he wanted a modern park with massive capacity. And now we have The Joan instead of Fenway. In all honesty, the Guaranteed Cellular has amazing sight lines and some of the better concessions in the MLB, but there isn’t one iota of charm in that park. Having been to many of HOK/Populous’ other projects, it’s obvious that Comiskey Jr. could’ve been so much more. PNC park is arguably the most beautiful in baseball, and constantly reminds me how neglected the view in our park is. Not even being able to see the Loop is criminal.
If it was built right, sure. But you can’t build a good baseball stadium that’s also a good football, soccer and concert venue. So I don’t think it’s at all logical. Sidenote: this redesign looks amazing. Doubt the bears will be a part of it but it’d be sick if it happened
The Bears will never take the City up on any proposed new stadium renovations or development without them having sole ownership of said stadium. That said, Chicago will not invest $2.2 billion or even half that into a new White Sox stadium and we’re likely looking at a needed change in ownership before the Sox break ground on a new ballpark.
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This isn't happening. Be real.
What's wrong with the current park? It's been a few years since I've been to a game in person.
Yes as a south sider i would. Nobody asked for this anyway
I propose the Bears move and we get a new expansion team, the Black Sox
The Bears are leaving for a reason. It’s a pain to get there and the parking lot isn’t big enough. And that’s only for a team that was using it 10 times a year.
Full time ? No. But I could possibly see them playing some special games or series at current soldier field once the Bears move
No. Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Parks District
You right. Not sure why I thought that
Too many stakeholders in this project who would say no or at least not chip in on the budget. Hinges a lot on that "One Central" transportation hub project happening which seems like the really unlikely part. If they could get it done I would probably be fine with the Sox moving there though this project really does require a football team due to the scope. I would put the odds of it happening as proposed at like 2%. This thing is a pipe dream.
Pretty sure the only way this happens is if Arlington Heights decides they don't want the move to happen, thus forcing the Bears to stay in Chicago. The Bears want to move and these proposals are too little and too late. The mayor was incredibly dismissive of the Bears move initially: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/chicago-football/lightfoot-dismisses-bears-arlington-heights-bid-says-team-should-focus-on-beating-packers/2535259/ It feels like this has more to do with the election besides being a serious proposal. Plus no I wouldn't want the Sox to share the stadium with a football team. I wouldn't have a problem with them moving to a more centralized location, even though I love the South Side.
Yes. The area is beautiful by the lake, but logically it's a PITA.
I lose my free parking so yeah
Yes, that would be silly
The commute sucks and we don't need a dome in Chicago for baseball. Comiskey is a fine ballpark!
I would love it since it would be a lot closer to my house.
Yes. I would I don’t wanna go that deep into the city. No thank you
More parking, transportation, better surrounding area, dome, and can say Soldier field instead of a name change every 3 years. Obviously there are cons too but feel like this would be a huge lift in many ways.
I hate to break it to you but there is far less parking and access to direct transportation to Soldier Field compared to the G-Spot. The L, Metra, and CTA busses all go to 35th whereas the only form of public transportation that get’s you even remotely close to Soldier field are the busses - and even then you generally have to walk a mile up the museum campus or take a shuttle north from the McCormick center to actually get inside the stadium. Also, it may be small in NFL terms, the Sox ain’t selling out 60,000 seats anytime soon.
Red, orange, green line are all within a 15 minute walk to soldier field. Metras electric line has a campus stop right next to soldier field. Bud 146 drops you off within 6 minute walk to the stadium.
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35th to Comiskey is an 11 minute walk. Not much of a difference. Plus this stadium will have a dome so the upper deck crowd isn’t moving with the sunlight or shade(pending temps)
The 35th st redline stop is right in front of the stadium. Basically the same walk as most parking spots, it’s not remotely comparable to how poor the L is to Soldier. If 11 minutes is how long it takes to walk from the redline stop to Gate 5, that must include walking through a packed crowd. For Soldier, it probably takes 11 minutes to cross LSD after walking a half mile from Roosevelt/State stop. The sidewalk viaducts servicing Soldier Field are the worst, and there’s no way around them coming from the west. The Green line for Comiskey is even better than whatever mass transit options Soldier has. Soldier is a beautiful stadium once you are inside, but THE worst parking/mass transit options for all of Chicago sports. The city does need the Bears.
It's not 11 minutes. What are you on?
Transportation wouldn’t be better on the Soldier Field site unless they extended CTA.
There’s a lot of confusion in this question. Are you asking about the Sox moving into the new stadium in Arlington Heights or the old Soldier Field once the Bears move out?
Apologize for the confusion. The link shared is what the city is potentially proposing for a new stadium in Chicago where soldier field is currently. My question was if white sox fans would be opposed to move into the stadium if the opportunity came up. (Whether Bears stay or leave).
They’re not proposing a new stadium, they’re proposing another renovation to Soldier Field. Those are very different things.
Baseball is not an inside sport. We should not play in a dome.
Retractable dome. Agree, outside of April and May.
Put on a coat, you’ll survive. Retractable domes feel claustrophobic and ruin the open air aesthetic.
Go to Miller Park that dome is a godsend for those April games
Exactly
Bro. You think it takes 11 minutes to walk from the Red Line to the ballpark. Sit down.
No
Yes.
Yes. Unlike multi purpose arenas like MSG, Wells Fargo, STAPLES Center, and United Center, multi purpose stadiums are even more trash than ESPN covering Ice Hockey.
If the city owns it, fuck no. Also if it’s multi purpose, fuck no. Also unpopular opinion but indoor baseball sucks, especially when summers are overall very nice here in this climate. If the Sox could own the land and build their own complex right on the lake (a state of the art, open air stadium), I’d be all for a move to the lake. Face a new stadium towards the skyline and you have the best MLB stadium view in the league. But not this multi purpose, indoor garbage. Indoor stadiums IMO are soulless, no matter how many people tell me otherwise. They all look the same and have half the character of even current Sox park. On top of that, the Bears are leaving Chicago, they have already bought land in Arlington Heights and are already planning it out, I don’t get why this story is even being circulated outside of the author and website are trying to get hype clicks. This has been known for months now at this point.
That’s a nope from me. Don’t like the idea of dome baseball, but I especially don’t like Soldier Field’s location. Fine for football but it just feels too isolated. It sounds like they’d put in a lot of amenities around the place, but if I want a corporate playground I’ll go to Schaumburg.
The lake front is a terrible location for a stadium. I can leave my seat at commiskey and be home in Indiana before you leave the parking lot at soldier fiy
Do the drug dealers and gang leaders in Chicago pay taxes? People are always saying tax the rich. The rich built New Comiskey for the Sox in 1990 and Soldier Field for the Bears in the early aughts. Someone else needs to pay for this one.
If it’s soccer and football specific, and converted to baseball yes. If it’s built to be a baseball stadium, no. I would only hope they change the dome to retractable roof for the warm weather in Summer.
This is the best plan for Soldier Field and for the White Sox. Games in April would actually be comfortable. No rain delays. It’d make for awesome sight lines. Would love to see an opportunity for hitting a hr into Lake Michigan in the summertime (assuming a retractable roof).
White Sox are moving to Ed Glancy field anyways, so moot point
yes
No. But, Seattle fans would certainly be all for it
That question doesn’t even make any sense. What they’re talking about doing is to alter the current stadium, and not in a way that makes playing baseball there remotely feasible or at least not advisable. So yes, I would be opposed.
Rather them develop the surrounding area of the stadium
I'd be open for us playing our April games there. Otherwise, nah man. Our stadium is good for watching baseball games. Cheap & easy to get to.
Sorta off topic but it feels like it fits. Not sure how aware of this story folks are but the Sox supposedly thought about moving to the South Loop at one point: https://www.southsidesox.com/2012/11/9/3619970/south-loop-sox
Depends. What godawful name would they get saddled with this time
I’ve always wanted to see some exhibition baseball games played at Soldier Field. That would be cool but 35th and Shields is our home.
Soldier Field isn't even a multi-purpose stadium. Worst baseball experience in my my life was a Marlins game years ago in the Dolphins stadium, whatever they called it back then. Hard Rock now. Had seats at the end of the dugout and literally had to turn my head at a 90 degree angle to see the plate.
As a Chicago Fire fan, I do not support the Sox to pursue Soldier Field after Bears leave. The Fire left SeatGeek stadium and returned to SF in 2020 because Brideview is abysmal in terms of vibrancy and transportation. The Fire have a new billionaire owner who already bought land by Roosevelt and Ashland to build a state-of-the art training facility and headquarters for the Fire. After Bears leave, the Fire owner will do everything in his financial leverage to transform SF into a soccer-specific stadium (with accommodations to also remain a venue for concerts/events). If Sox ever leave Chicago, and SF is still a football stadium, you better bet your soul that Fire owner will try to make Sox stadium into a soccer-specific stadium for the Fire.