What to know as Bears, Fire and White Sox pursue new homes — and Blackhawks and Sky eye expansion

Chicago Tribune

6 days ago

It's moving season in Chicago.
The Bears, Fire and White Sox are in the market for new homes, while the Blackhawks and Sky eye expanding their footprint in the city.
'There's no reason to leave Chicago if you're a sports team. There isn't,' Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. 'There's just too much soul in this city to leave it now.'
Here's what to know about the teams' various plans — and various levels of readiness to pack it up.
The Bears are shifting their focus from Chicago to a new stadium in Arlington Heights, a project that would depend on state legislation allowing for negotiated financing of large-scale development projects.
'Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,' the team said in a statement to the Tribune in May.
The Bears said they won't seek state funding for the stadium.
The Bears purchased the land in Arlington Heights — formerly the 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse — in February 2023, hoping to build a new enclosed stadium with a massive entertainment and residential development. In April 2024, the team laid out elaborate plans for a new publicly owned domed stadium on the Chicago lakefront but left unanswered how the city would pay for expensive infrastructure improvements.
Now the storied NFL franchise's sights are set again on the northwest suburbs.
The Fire unveiled detailed renderings of their proposed privately funded $650 million open-air soccer stadium at The 78 in the South Loop. The facility is meant to look like it has been part of the city's sports landscape for a century.
Situated along the Chicago River, the intimate 22,000-seat, red brick stadium would feature a natural grass pitch, a steel roof and a plethora of premium options to go with traditional supporter sections and general admission seating.
While the city needs to sign off on the proposed stadium, the project would not require public funding, Fire owner Joe Mansueto told the Tribune. The team is scheduled to break ground on the new stadium as early as this fall, with a target completion date ahead of the 2028 MLS season.
Designed by architectural firm Gensler, the stadium seeks to provide the Fire with a 'world-class home' and catalyze a Wrigleyville-like development at the mostly vacant 62-acre site south of Roosevelt Road. It purposely evokes a similar vintage look to the longtime Cubs home.
There would be about 2,000 parking spots available at The 78. Fans also could take the CTA to the stadium; there's a nearby 'L' station and multiple bus lines. Taking a water taxi is another possibility.
The White Sox said they're still considering building their proposed new ballpark at the South Loop site as well, potentially creating a new pro sports nexus in Chicago.
At least one industry analyst said shoehorning two new stadiums into the 62-acre site is not only viable, but potentially a boon for both teams and the city. Last year the Sox proposed a new publicly funded ballpark at The 78, but Springfield lawmakers balked at the idea of contributing a reported $1 billion to build it.
'It could work,' said Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based sports marketing consultant. 'They would have to work out the use of the infrastructure and the parking and scheduling and things of that nature. I think it'd be great for the city.'
Building adjacent stadiums is gaining traction in several markets, including Arlington, Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium and the Texas Rangers are a line drive away at Globe Life Field. In the Los Angeles area, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the Rams and Chargers play football, is next door to the Intuit Dome, the new basketball home of the Clippers.
It remains to be seen whether the Sox would be able to get the financial and political support to move.
In 1988, Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf pushed through legislation to fund a new baseball stadium after threatening to move the team to Florida. Built in 1991, the stadium, now called Rate Field, was primarily funded through the issuance of $150 million in hotel-tax-supported bonds by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
The Sox lease at Rate Field runs through 2029 and the ISFA still owes $50 million on the ballpark.
The Stars will depart their usual Bridgeview venue to play a 'test run' game at Northwestern's Martin Stadium in September as they consider a permanent move there.
Evanston has granted approval for the team to play all 16 of its 2026 home matches at the lakefront stadium, but the club has not committed to playing there next year, Stars spokesman Emmanuel Salazar said.
If the team chooses to play there in 2026, Evanston would evaluate whether the stadium is suitable for additional use, Vargas said. Martin Stadium, home to Northwestern's soccer and lacrosse teams and the temporary home of the Wildcats football team while Ryan Field is being rebuilt, is on the Northwestern campus and not surrounded by homes like Ryan Field is.
The Blackhawks gave a sneak peek at the Fifth Third Arena expansion — still a skeletal collection of steel beams, HVAC systems and construction dust.
While Hawks players will continue to use the same two rinks they've used for practices and training camps since Fifth Third opened in 2017 just south of the United Center, the United States Hockey League's Chicago Steel will play home games at one of two new rinks — the one the Hawks are calling Championship Arena.
It will seat 1,500 and host up to 2,000, with the building also including lounges, a fan patio with a skyline view, a restaurant named after late Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz and a 100th anniversary museum called Centennial Hall, which also will house the new Blackhawks Hall of Fame.
The privately funded expansion, which began in May 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in January 2026, initially was projected to cost $65 million, but a source told the Tribune it likely will land 'significantly higher.'
It also augments the 1901 Project, the Hawks' and Bulls' 15-year, $7 billion United Center campus development plan that will feature new residences, hotels and an entertainment district.
Hawks Chairman/CEO Danny Wirtz noted how much has changed since the Hawks and Bulls moved from Chicago Stadium to the United Center. But as any Hawks or Bulls fan knows, once the game is over, the area can feel rather barren, bracketed on all sides by parking lots.
'We're sitting on a lot of parking lots, right?' Wirtz said. 'And we see parking has continued to decrease with other modes (of transportation) to get here. We're absolutely thinking about what the future could look like.'
Completion of the Sky's new training facility in Bedford Park will be delayed into 2026 as the team and the village expand the original plans for the building.
The $38 million facility originally was expected to be completed in October 2025. The building is being constructed in partnership with the village of Bedford Park as part of the second phase of development at the Wintrust Sports Complex, which also will add two turf fields, a hotel, a gas station and two restaurants this year.
With their $5.9 million front-end payment in 2024, the Sky would secure a 10-year deal to occupy a 43,000-square-foot portion of the 125,000-square-foot facility constructed in Phase 2 of the Wintrust Sports Complex project. After 10 years, the Sky would have an option to renew for another decade.
Original plans for the facility located next to the Wintrust Sports Complex just south of Midway Airport included two full-length basketball courts, a training room, a player's lounge, a content creation space and administrative offices.