CHICAGO — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that he believes a domed stadium would be beneficial for the Chicago Bears, their fans, and whichever city that venue may be built in.
During a Monday press conference, WGN-TV’s Jarrett Payton asked the NFL commissioner how important a new stadium would be for the league and Chicagoland.
“I think it’s important to the Chicago Bears, their fans, and I also think it’s important to that community,” Goodell said.
With tax negotiations at a $100 million impasse, a new report said the Chicago Bears are shifting their stadium focus from Arlington Heights to the city’s lakefront.
“I talked to the mayor of Chicago recently, he wants them in the city. I spoke with Arlington Heights, they wants it out in Arlington Heights,” Goodell said.
According to Greg Hinz with Crain’s Chicago Business, the decision to re-focus efforts on a new stadium along the lakefront is not just a tax negotiating tactic with Arlington Heights, but the real goal of the team.
Hinz said if the team gets its way, the Bears could go public with an expansion project into the south lot of Soldier Field, featuring a brand-new, state-of-the-art domed stadium that could play host to the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowls, and other big name events that have eluded Chicago, in addition to the usual Bears games during the NFL regular season.
As part of Payton’s question to the NFL commissioner, he also asked if a new domed stadium would mean Chicagoland could be a future host of a Super Bowl.
“As we’ve seen here (in Las Vegas), a great stadium can host additional events. I think that’s true in Chicago,” Goodell said. “I think the domed stadium that their talking about, both in downtown and potentially in Arlington Heights, I think those are both great opportunities I think they need to explore.”
While suburbs around the Chicagoland, and even in Northwest Indiana, have thrown their hat into the race to be the next home of the Chicago Bears, the question remains: who could land the deal?
The following are cities that have been a part of the new Bears stadium discussions:
- Arlington Heights
- Aurora
- Chicago
- Country Club Hills
- Naperville
- Richton Park
- Waukegan
- Northwest Indiana
“The good news is that they have quite a bit of time on their lease and the Bears are committed to being in Chicagoland,” Goodell said. “I think they’ll be able to develop a proposal good for the fans, but I also think it will be great for Chicago.”
