Are the NEW Bears Stadium Renderings a Little TOO FAMILIAR?

Are the NEW Bears Stadium Renderings a Little TOO FAMILIAR?

Let’s go through the renderings that came out. Uh, architect David Manica, who is the same architect that did Allegian Stadium in Las Vegas, where we literally just were a couple days ago. So, welcome to Stadium, guys. Um, big glass entrance way. The the original rendering when this was downtown, actually, it was more glass, which I want to get into in a second. Flip to the next one. Um I don’t know where the hell anybody’s going to park, but in the lagoon. Yeah, with the I I’m sure they’ll add all that later. Um big circular stadium and the inside, which I thought D I thought uh Adam John’s did a good job of just tweeting yesterday, looks exactly like where the Bears played on Sunday. Not exactly, but pretty pretty darn close. So, um, there it is. That’s that’s an actual picture of Allegiance Stadium that I took. Maybe we could just cycle back and forth between those two. I mean, seriously, it it’s there’s the fake Bear Stadium. Here’s the real Raiders stadium. It’s very very similar, except Kin, we were talking off air. One of the things that you noticed that I also noticed, there’s way more like stacked sweet levels. it looks like and what the Bears are proposing on both sides. Not enough seats to me. Yeah. So, if you go back to let’s let’s do this in real time again here, Katie. Let’s go to the to the Bear Stadium. Uh and there it is. And you see like behind the end zone where I’m looking on the far end. You’ve got the seats on the 100 level there, let’s call it. And then you’ve got the whatever that is, a bridge and and and and glass. Now, if you go to the Raider stadium, you have the 100 level and then you have the 300 level there or 200 level, whatever you want to call it as well. 200 and 300 level. Yeah. Right. For fans and so there’s more seats behind there and then you’ve got the glasses. So, like if you go back to the Bears stadium along the sides, like those just look like there’s the 100 level, sweet level, sweet level. I see four sweet levels and then the top. So is not enough seats in my in my mind at least at closer to the field for the fans that can actually afford it because you know that those 100 level tickets I think the worst thing about this for for the standard fan is that the 100 level you figure with the pricing that’s going to be corporate central. It’s and that’s who’s going to be buying that’s going to afford those tickets with the PCLs whatever they’re going to charge. So, the real fans, that’s a long way up, man. And I and I love football st you know, we sat I sat in the press box uh in Vegas and we were at the very top and you have a phenomenal view and you don’t need to be close for football, but I still would like to see the fans uh you know, not just the rich fans have a little more access to feeling closer to the field that So, I’m gonna fight that fight here. And I think Oh, I I I think it’s a good fight. And I think like um there’s a couple things here. Here’s what I’m disappointed in. And part of it I think is just we’ve been uh especially like maybe maybe emotionally damaged here in this city with the the the stadiums that that we screw up and don’t get right, but especially when it comes to the Bears. I mean, we can also get into some of the money stuff. I don’t we don’t have to do that. But I saw already saw some stories about the money and how they’re they’re asking for $855 million now infrastructure, which I believe is more than this Soldier Field renovation even cost. I mean, they they need some good pipes to get that uh the plumbing situation orchestrated in the way that it needs to be orchestrated for for the bathrooms to operate. So 855 million seems like a fair price for that. I’m kidding. But yeah, it’s a lot. But so, but it’s interesting though, and Hog, you’re you’ve been dialed in on this more than I have on on the back end of it. Is that going to fly? 855 million. Well, that’s I I want to keep this conversation more to what these renderings look like and what the stadium looks like cuz But I know, but I don’t know. I think it I think it’s I I think it’s very questionable that they’re going to get this thing to pass uh next month, but or now this month. It is October. Um but that’s why this stuff’s being pushed on us now. Yeah. Look to and go on further. Kevin Warren, this is your baby. Make it your baby. Don’t make it Las Vegas’s baby. You know, let’s get Right. And so can can we show can we I’m sorry. K can we show the outside version again? the one where you could see the whole stadium and then zero parking lots. Um, okay. It’s fine to me that that there’s nothing about that stadium that I don’t know. It looks like it’s from Star Wars or something like what that does that that does look like uh the Millennium Falcon right there in the middle, which is what people say about the Vegas stadium, too. I I I I just to me there’s nothing unique about it. Sofi is unique. It’s you go in it and you’re like, “Wow, I’ve never been in a stadium like this before.” And then what’s kind of stunning to me about this, and we’ve talked about this a million times, and I’m going to show you some photos of US Bank Stadium here. US Bank Stadium is awesome. Everything about it is awesome. It’s loud. It looks cool. It’s unique. The views inside are great. It’s bright. So, one of the things I do like is in the the renderings we’ve been showing, they are doing like sort of the transparent roof to allow light in brightness. I I want to I’m going to quibble a little bit. It’s making it bright. It’s not actually natural daylight, though. And I’m going to show you the difference here. And I felt the same way we were in the Raider Stadium the other day. I like that it was bright because there’s too many of these older domes that just are dark and dingy and they all look the same on TV, too, which matters. But US Bank Stadium lets natural daylight in. So, let’s go through some of these photos. Um, okay. We can kind of do it, I guess, in any any order, but maybe. Um, so yeah, here, if you look at the way it’s designed, the the one half of it is actually more covered and and kind of dark, but the other half, if Katie, the next one we can show is actually um go back to the Raiders photo that I sent you. So, look at how in the Raiders one where the end zone glass is clear. Here you can see clear blue sky, but the roof is just sort of um 40% transparent. I don’t know what it actually is, but it’s it’s letting in some light, but it looks more like the old Metrodome with like the white bubbly roof rather than natural daylight. Go back to the Vikings one, though. And I actually know some of this about these panels that is 60% transparent. And you see how you can actually see clouds. You see, I can actually see blue sky. To me, that matters. That is why when you’re inside that stadium, you feel like you’re still outside when it’s 5 degrees out. So, I have some other photos here of the actual paneling cuz I took a tour with my son a couple years ago in Minnesota. That is the actual paneling that is in the roof. And you can see it’s like I don’t remember the exact material, but like when things hit it, it bounces off and it’s a little bit I left my son in one of those photos. So, even though he’s bending down sort of for scale, um, and it just it’s really it’s just different when you’re in there. You feel like you in a you’re in a unique stadium when you’re in there. And I can we show the Super Bowl photo, too, cuz I covered the Patriots Eagle Super Bowl. This is at 3:00 in the afternoon. I even checked my the time my phone took this photo. It was 2:57 in the afternoon. Look at that natural sunlight that’s coming in on half of the seats. Even on a day in February where the sun’s going down pretty early and I think it was 5° outside. You’re in this nice warm stadium with actual sunlight coming in. That is not what they’re showing in these renderings with the Bears. And look at that glass. The end zone glass goes way higher in the sky. And those doors you people don’t realize behind where it says US Bank Stadium and the jumbotron back there where the big banner is of Tom Brady, there are these massive like fivetory doors that actually open and let in air from the outside when it’s nice out in September and even if you have a nice day in October like we’re going to have this weekend. So that is like a unique thing that they did in Minnesota that was different from any other stadiums. I’m not seeing that with these renderings the Bears put out. It just looks like a cookie cutter 2025 NFL stadium that looks exactly like the Raiders one. And Karma, I don’t know how you felt. I know I’m talking a lot right now, but inside that stadium the other day, and that’s the second time I’ve been there, actually technically the third because we covered media night in there when um for the Super Bowl, but not the game. It’s fine. You’re in like it’s it’s fine. It’s an okay sort of cool stadium. I don’t think it’s going to age as well though as US Bank Stadium and SoFi in LA as well. Yeah, I think the operative word is fine. It’s fine. And my experience being there was a fine one. Like, but it’s there’s no to what a little wasted is saying, a man of supreme character. He’s right. There is no character. 0.0. And and what’s what’s kind of bizarre to me, just trying to figure out how we got to this point. Kevin Warren, you did Minnesota. You saw how cool that is. Like, don’t you want to bring that here? Bears fans would love that. And I love like the in that photo like the the upper end zone corner insane terrible but yet amazing seat like up there by the paneling and the sun. Those seats look amazing for the die hard die hard to go up there and have some RC colas and Miller lights and whatever else and and and and have a great time and be you know close to God up there the god of football. So, uh, look, I know you still got time over there, Bears. Do something cool. Your fans deserve it. You deserve it.

The CHGO Bears crew discuss the newest renderings of the Chicago Bears future stadium in Arlington Heights. The photos draw eerily similar comparisons to the Las Vegas Raiders stadium. Adam Hoge and Mark Carman discuss a much better option, the Minnesota Vikings stadium. What can the Bears do to improve on the next renderings? What more do they need to add to live up to fans’ expectations?

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