Tag: Soldier Field

Bears stand to lose $166M in stadium revenue without fans at games

If the NFL plays games without fans, the Bears would lose $166M, which includes tickets, sponsors, parking, concessions and team stores.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL is preparing for a 2020 season without fans in stadiums across the country, which would certainly impact the league.

Based on figures from Forbes, the NFL would serve to lose roughly $5.5 billion of stadium revenue, but the impact on individual teams varies.

According to Forbes, the Chicago Bears made $453 million in total revenue during the 2018 season. If NFL games were to be played without fans, the Bears would lose $166 million in stadium revenue, which is the 12th most in the league.

This include tickets, sponsors, parking, concessions and team stores.

While most fans certainly wouldn’t mind watching football without fans in the stands, it would certainly hurt NFL teams across the country, including the Bears.

Still, given the social distancing guidelines and precautions being taken by the league, it’s more than a possibility that the Bears won’t be playing in front of fans at Soldier Field in 2020.

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2020 Bears Schedule Breakdown: Indianapolis Colts

The Bears will host the Colts in Week 4 of the 2020 NFL season. Let’s review the Colts offseason.

Nearly four years will have passed by the time the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts meet in Week 4 of the 2020 NFL season. The two, of course, met in Super Bowl XLI, with three other meetings since then. The rosters look drastically different as historical figures like Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison on the Colts side have both retired.

The Bears, too, have seen a new generation of defensive talent come through after Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman all have moved on.

The Colts were rocked at the beginning of the 2019 season when Andrew Luck suddenly retired, leaving them scrambling at the quarterback position. Jacoby Brissett led them to a 7-9 record, and with the addition of Philip Rivers in the offseason, the Colts are primed to make another run at the postseason.

Key Additions:

QB Philip Rivers, DT DeForest Buckner, TE Trey Burton, DT Sheldon Day, CB Xavier Rhodes

Key Losses:

TE Eric Ebron, OL Josh Andrews, WR Devin Funchess

2019 Offensive Rankings:

Total Offense (25), Rushing Offense (7), Passing Offense (30)

2019 Defensive Rankings:

Total Defense (16), Rushing Defense (7), Passing Defense (23)

Season Series:

Colts 24-19

What have you done for me lately?

The Colts have taken three out of the last five contests, but they haven’t won at Soldier Field since 2004. Before that, the Colts’ last victory at Soldier Field came in 1975 when they were still located in Baltimore, and Bert Jones was under center.

Key Stats:

Despite leaving Chicago with a victory last year – although thanks should be in order for Eddy Pineiro – Philip Rivers has a career 84.5 quarterback rating against the Bears, the second-lowest of any team with at least a four-game sample size.

It will also mark the first time that Chuck Pagano game-plans against his former employer.

Check out game-by-game score predictions from around the NFL Wires network:

Buf / Mia / NE / NYJ // Bal / Cin / Cle / Pit // Hou / Ind / Jax / Ten // Den / KC / LV / LAC //// Dal / NYG / Phi / Was // Chi / Det / GB / Min // Atl / Car / NO / TB // Ari / LAR / SF / Sea

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Every stadium each of the 32 NFL teams has called home

NFL teams have moved around — some more than others. A look at the venues all 32 teams have called home at one time or another.

A look at the history of each NFL team by its home venue. Some of the stadia have had different names at times but are the same venue.

Arizona Cardinals

 Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Normal Park 1920-21, 1926-28

Comiskey Park 1922-25, 1929-58

Soldier Field 1959

Municipal Grant Park Stadium (1924–1925)

Metropolitan Stadium 1959 (2 games)

Busch Stadium (1) 1960-65

Busch Stadium (2) 1966-87

Sun Devil Stadium 1988-2005

State Farm Stadium 2006-present

 

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Chicago Bears issue statement on coronavirus

Following a tumultuous sequence of events involving the coronavirus that affected sports franchises, the Bears issued a statement Thursday.

Following a tumultuous sequence of events involving the coronavirus that affected the sports landscape, the Chicago Bears have issued a statement regarding those concerns on Thursday.

The Bears followed suit with most of the NFL and other sports franchises in indefinitely suspending activity, which includes business air travel for team personnel, postponing draft prospect visits and closing Halas Hall and Soldier Field on Friday.

Here’s the full statement:

“The Chicago Bears are continuing to monitor the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and consulting with team medical staff, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Football League. As a result and an extreme safety measure, the club has suspended business air travel for team personnel and postponed draft prospect visits to Halas Hall until further notice. In addition, the club has temporarily closed both office locations and asked employees to work remotely on Friday, March 13. Further staffing and travel decisions will be made as we continue to monitor the fluid situation. The health and safety of our players, coaches and all staff is our utmost priority.”

The Bears also announced the cancellation of their their annual draft party, which was scheduled for Friday, April 24 at Soldier Field. The NFL Draft is in limbo. While there’s no formal plan that has been developed, the league is monitoring the growing threat of the coronavirus.

The NFL announced the cancellation of its annual March meeting March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla., and the HBCU Combine and the Regional Combine Invitational.

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Bears to increase season ticket prices by nearly 4 percent in 2020

For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Bears will increase ticket prices for the upcoming 2020 season.

Die-hard fans of the Chicago Bears will have to spend a little more money next season to see their team play at Soldier Field.

In a letter addressed to season-ticket holders, Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips announced the team will be increasing season ticket prices by an average of 3.9%.

According Larry Mayer, senior writer for ChicagoBears.com, the increases will range from 1.5-5.3%. Club seats will see an increase of 3.3% on average, while non-club seats will increase by 4.3%.

This is the second straight season the team has increased ticket prices. Going into the 2019 season, the Bears raised prices by 4.1 percent on average.

Ticket price increases are relatively common in professional sports, and Phillips lays out the team’s reasoning in his letter to fans, while also sharing his disappointment in their play on the field in 2019.

“Unfortunately, our performance on the field failed to meet everyone’s expectations,” Phillips wrote. “No one was satisfied, and it is now imperative for us to thoroughly analyze what went wrong and make the necessary corrections for 2020. Our goal is to bring a World Championship back to Chicago.”

In addition to the price increase, the team confirmed dynamic ticket pricing will continue next season and preseason games will be priced based on a tier. Single-game tickets will be available to purchase following the release of the 2020 NFL schedule later this spring.

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Bears RB Tarik Cohen doesn’t appreciate fans booing

Add RB Tarik Cohen to the list of Bears that don’t agree with fans booing the team when times get tough at Soldier Field.

When it comes to Chicago sports, there are certain topics that spark heavy debate and will continue to be talked about for years to come. Was Jay Cutler a good quarterback? Is Michael Jordan better than LeBron James? Was the 1985 Super Bowl team the greatest in NFL history?

Alright, we know there’s no debate there. But another hot-button item has to do with fan booing and what players think of the action. Some have voiced their displeasure for fan booing while others understand their frustrations. Add Bears running back Tarik Cohen to the former, however.

Cohen, speaking with reporters after the Bears’ 19-14 win against the New York Giants, wasn’t pleased with how the fans comported themselves during the game when the team struggled to move the ball down the field.

“The boos are definitely not necessary,” Cohen told the media. “We’re not booing each other so I don’t understand why if you’re a fan of somebody, how could you boo them when they’re going through hardships? We don’t care, the boos or the yells or screams for us, it doesn’t faze us anymore. We hear them, but it’s just nothing.”

Cohen finished his answer by saying “it’s just us against the world, basically.”

Cohen, who rushed for 25 yards on six carries and caught seven passes for 29 yards, isn’t the first to be rubbed the wrong way by negative fan reaction. Safety Eddie Jackson voiced his displeasure with the boo birds following the Bears’ opening week loss to the Packers. Since then, it’s been a common theme along the lakefront in 2019. A season that began with so much promise soured quickly, leaving fans with a bitter taste in their mouths.

With two more games to go at Soldier Field this season, Cohen and the Bears likely haven’t heard the last of the booing from the fans in attendance. Is he justified in his response or should players understand that fans may boo if the product on the field isn’t up to their standards?

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Bears K Eddy Pineiro adapting to kicking in Soldier Field conditions

After a solid start of the season, Bears K Eddy Pineiro has found himself snake-bitten by the Soldier Field cold and wind.

The Chicago wind has not been kind to Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro, who has struggled kicking at Soldier Field over the past two weeks.

Pineiro, who at one point was 8-of-9 on field goals and perfect on extra points, has missed several kicks over the past couple games in Chicago.

After missing two field goals against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8 — including the potential game winner — the rookie kicker missed 1 of his 3 extra-point attempts against the Lions.

“He actually hit a straight ball,” special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said of the missed PAT, via the Chicago Tribune. “I just thought his line wasn’t good on that one. He came back next and obviously put it right down the middle, so that was just an adjustment. Same type of ball, rotation, straight as can be. Obviously he wants that one back, and we expect him to make those.”

Pineiro says it’s a challenge kicking in the cold and win of Soldier Field, but Taborhas been encouraged by his process that’s getting better.

“It’s a day-to-day process, and that’s why I feel confident in answering it like that,” Tabor said. “Obviously we don’t want to miss any. That’s our goal. I know that there’s going to be some. But with regards to coming back, finding his line — and it’s a matter of hitting your line — I think we can keep improving there. And that’s what we’ll work on today.”

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