The McCaskey Bears released a rendering of what their new stadium in Arlington Heights may look like. If you like Legos¨, you may love this piece of dung. The hormonally charged McCaskey fanbase Chicago sports news media went gaga over the release, claiming the McCaskey Bears move would be a boon for Chicagoland.
How dumb, never mind. The Chicago news media are the dumbest people in this city, next to our elected officials. There will be no boon for “Chicagoland.” Long-time Chicago reporter, Fran Spielman, was interviewed on WBEZ this morning. She was bubbling over the economic boon “Chicagoland” will receive if the Arlington Heights deal goes through. She also reported the McCaskey’s are eligible for a forgivable loan from the NFL to build their stadium. The Cheapskate and chiseling McCaskey’s must be in greenback heaven. They will put up pennies on the dollar of their own fortunes.
There will be no economic boon for “Chicagoland.” There will be a boon for North Suburban Land. Chicago will lose out big time. People come from all over to see the Bears or their home teams play here, especially Midwesterners. They stay in Chicago hotels for the weekend or a night. They eat in Chicago restaurants. They visit tourist attractions. They pay fees and taxes that go to the city for their tickets and sales taxes on food and other purchases. All that revenue will dry up. Who benefits? Arlington Heights and the surrounding suburbs, not Chicago.
As I wrote before, the Bears could have had a world-class stadium in Chicago anytime they wanted over the past forty-plus years. George Halas, his son-in-law, and his grandkids are all cheapskates and chiselers. They would not put up or borrow one red cent to build a stadium in Chicago. They wanted the City of Chicago to front all the costs. The McCaskeys squeeze a penny so hard they make Old Abe scream. That is how cheap they are.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is delusional if she thinks she can keep the Bears in Chicago. The McCaskey’s are suburbanites and exurbanites. They hate this city. Their headquarters are in Lake Forest, not Chicago. One brother lives in Kane County. They grew up in the suburbs. They are not Chicagoans. They do not and never had a relationship with the city except getting wealthy from Chicago fans.
It would be nice if the hormonally charged teenagers in Chicago’s news media would do some historical research on the offers made by past mayors to build a stadium and the team’s refusal to pony up money or loans to pay for it. But it is the Chicago news media, a poor excuse for journalism in this city that had a history of fearless journalism and courageous editorial boards.
I wrote this in my office away from home, my local saloon. When a discussion started about this issue, all the patrons were against the deal. There was derision spewed against the team and the McCaskey’s. The saloons that will benefit from this are the ones devoted to opposing teams like the Lions, Packers, and Vikings. The rest of the city will see no benefit.
I said it before, and I will say it again. The Bears deserve the door to hit them in the a$$ on their way out. Hard enough to sack the McCaskey’s. Chicago owes nothing to them. They did little for this city. As for me, a former fervent Bears fan, I will always root for the Bears opposing teams.