Jump to content

NFL Merry-Go-Round: Relocation Roundelay


duma

Recommended Posts

I don't think they were ever really serious about moving to Gary. The McCaskeys were just that bad at bluffing.  (Still, Gary has a better chance of getting the Bears than getting the Mythical Third Airport.) I think the Gary Bears noise was during the real Michael McCaskey dark night of the soul when they were doing things like hiring Dave McGinnis without bothering to tell him first. 

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least the Bears aren't bitching out to Charlotte, Nashville, or Austin like everyone else in this state.

 

Here's Arlington Park on Google Maps if you want to poke around. Euclid Avenue is two lanes east of the track through most of downtown Arl. Hts., and because that's where the nice 19th-century houses in town are, it's going to stay that way. 53 is the "expressway" to the west, which just abruptly ends at Lake-Cook Road a few miles north, and can only fit a half-cloverleaf at Northwest Highway (US 14). A suburban NFL stadium is one thing, but one with no interstate access and a bunch of quiet neighborhoods around it is another. This is the worst of Lambeau and Foxboro combined.

  • Like 1

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, GDAWG said:

 

Did she just take shots at the NFL team that is in her city?


Yes. And good on her for doing so. They have a lease until 2033 and if they want to renegotiate with the city they need to approach City Hall and try to work something out before threatening to move a racetrack. Was plonking down the Starship Enterprise onto what was a national landmark not enough for them?

Edited by Red Comet
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Red Comet said:


Yes. And good on her for doing so. They have a lease until 2033 and if they want to renegotiate with the city they need to approach City Hall and try to work something out before threatening to move a racetrack. Was plonking down the Starship Enterprise onto what was a national landmark not enough for them?

 

Please don't disrespect the Enterprise.  

  • Like 9

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the Bills will stick to Orchard Park rather than downtown Buffalo. Might open up a season or two scenario where they have to play in Toronto/Syracuse/Penn State/etc. for their home games, though https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalo-bills/bills-planning-new-outdoor-stadium-in-orchard-park/

  • Like 1

oEQ0ySg.png

Twitter: @RyanMcD29 // College Crosse: Where I write, chat, and infograph lacrosse

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Is a Vikings style, complete tear down and rebuild of Soldier Field out of the question for the Bears and/or the city? 

I think so, because as @the admiral alluded to above, the field is too close to the water table to dig down, thus one of the reasons why the playing surface is so poor. They really can't do much with it because they can't dig it out. I *THINK* it lost its monument status, but I'll leave that for a local to confirm (too lazy to google it myself).

It's where I sit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, 4_tattoos said:

Is a Vikings style, complete tear down and rebuild of Soldier Field out of the question for the Bears and/or the city? 

I would think so at this point, yes. I don't know what the solution is for the Bears. No one really likes Soldier Field except for the comfortable wealthy people for whom it does what it was redesigned to do. It's a pain to drive to and find parking for. It's not that accessible by transit unless you're coming in on the electric lines, and I don't think most Bears ticketholders are. I've always maintained that the lakefront is a bad fit for the Bears -- Soldier Field just hangs like a fart in church for ~320 days a year wasting real estate that could go to a year-round cultural institution -- but Arlington Heights would be orders of magnitude worse. I don't know where they could go in the city. Any parcel of land that once could have fit a football stadium just has condos now.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, RyanMcD29 said:

Looks like the Bills will stick to Orchard Park rather than downtown Buffalo. Might open up a season or two scenario where they have to play in Toronto/Syracuse/Penn State/etc. for their home games, though https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalo-bills/bills-planning-new-outdoor-stadium-in-orchard-park/

"The plan for a new stadium does create a problem. The lease at Highmark Stadium expires in 2023. That leaves at least one season, if not more, where the Bills would not contractually have a facility for home games.

There will almost certainly be negotiations with Erie County and New York to extend the lease for the intervening years. However, the team is prepared to consider other options for home games. News 8 has been told that Toronto and Penn State are both possibilities for the Bills should they need a temporary home. It’s still a path the Bills would undoubtedly prefer to avoid."

 

This is an oddly specific passage. It's not that the current stadium needs to be torn down to build a new one; it's an island in a sea of parking. Just that a short lease extension needs to be negotiated in the next two years, and the source already name dropped two temporary home cities? I thought the relationship between the Bills and the county was pretty good. Furthermore, it seems like a deal to get shovels in the ground for a new stadium would be much more contentious than an extension for the old stadium. Like agreeing to get married, but breaking up because you can't agree which car to take to the restaurant.

 

This is probably the best situation for everyone, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Not wasting money on a retractable roof, not too far from the city, sandwiched between two megahighways for access, room for flaming tables and tailgating, etc.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, BBTV said:

 

Please don't disrespect the Enterprise.  

that's for Alex Kurtzman to do (but i digress)

now, i wouldn't have mind the Bears doing something to Soldier Field, maybe something like Lambeau Field, but not what they ended up doing.  

  • Like 2

so long and thanks for all the fish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Cosmic said:

"The plan for a new stadium does create a problem. The lease at Highmark Stadium expires in 2023. That leaves at least one season, if not more, where the Bills would not contractually have a facility for home games.

There will almost certainly be negotiations with Erie County and New York to extend the lease for the intervening years. However, the team is prepared to consider other options for home games. News 8 has been told that Toronto and Penn State are both possibilities for the Bills should they need a temporary home. It’s still a path the Bills would undoubtedly prefer to avoid."

 

This is an oddly specific passage. It's not that the current stadium needs to be torn down to build a new one; it's an island in a sea of parking. Just that a short lease extension needs to be negotiated in the next two years, and the source already name dropped two temporary home cities? I thought the relationship between the Bills and the county was pretty good. Furthermore, it seems like a deal to get shovels in the ground for a new stadium would be much more contentious than an extension for the old stadium. Like agreeing to get married, but breaking up because you can't agree which car to take to the restaurant.

 

This is probably the best situation for everyone, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Not wasting money on a retractable roof, not too far from the city, sandwiched between two megahighways for access, room for flaming tables and tailgating, etc.

The Buffalo Bills of Orchard Park via State College.  That’s a geography salad if there ever was one.

  • Like 2

VmWIn6B.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, LMU said:

The Buffalo Bills of Orchard Park via State College.  That’s a geography salad if there ever was one.

If the Sabres can play a home game at Citi Field, why not have the Bills play in the middle of Pennsylvania?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

The only reason Penn State is even considered is that the owner Terry Pegula went there.

 

How about Syracuse as an option for a few years.  I don't know if the Carrier Dome would work as a temporary stadium.

the Carrier Dome could work i think (if we are just talking for a few years)

 

so long and thanks for all the fish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.