Site icon Side Action

Chicago Bears Make Offer On Racetrack With Potential To Move Team To Suburbs

BSabitt
The Chicago Bears have announced plans to purchase Arlington International Raceway amid speculation on potential move

The Chicago Bears have been tied to Arlington International Racecourse in the Chicago Suburb of Arlington Heights ever since the horse-racing stadium went on sale.

The Bears see the larger property as an opportunity to make more money, while not dealing with restrictions that come with being in the city of Chicago.

[sportsbookaffiliates]

On Thursday, the Chicago Bears made their biggest indication that they are at least considering the idea of moving the team to the Arlington spot.

“We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips said. “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.”

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has expressed doubts that the NFL would let the Bears out of their deal with Soldier Field in Chicago, which expires after 2033. But she has also committed to working with the team about their concerns with the current stadium.

“We have a good working relationship with the Bears . . . (but) there are things they’d like to see differently at Soldier Field, and we want to do whatever we can to accommodate it,” Lightfoot said.

“It’s a great, iconic site. But it’s a challenging site, and I think it’s incumbent on us as a city to step forward and look at ways in which we can make sure that the Bears fans, but also the Bears as an organization, have the best opportunities to maximize the fan experience and of course maximize revenues,” she said. “We’re going to keep those conversations going.”

The Bears appear to be getting more and more serious about the idea of moving the team to Arlington. Now, it’s time for the city of Chicago to get a little more serious about keeping the Bears in the actual city.

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!

🔥 Hot from Side Action 🔥