Chicago Mayor: Bears Should Worry About Being Relevant Past October, Not Stadium

Count Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot among the frustrated Bears fans who just want to see the franchise surpass the rival Green Bay Packers and compete for Super Bowl titles again.

Lightfoot called the idea of the Bears moving out of Chicago to Arlington Heights "a negotiating tactic" by a team that has a lease with Soldier Field until 2033 and is looking for improvements at the location. 

She also said "we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October."

John Breech of CBS Sports noted Bears president Ted Phillips announced the team placed a bid on a piece of land in Arlington Heights, which is 35 miles northwest of the city.

"We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property," Phillips said in a statement. "It's our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we're doing what's best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential."

While the Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971, Breech noted it fits just 61,500 people. What's more, its location right on Lake Michigan and next to city features such as an aquarium and museum would make significant expansion more difficult and pricey.

Perhaps the team sees the 326-acre piece of land in Arlington Heights as an opportunity to build a much larger stadium and generate more money that way. Churchill Downs Inc. owns Arlington Park race track that currently sits on that land and is looking to sell the entire lot.

There's also the potential for a Bears sale in the future, as Jim O'Donnell of the Daily Herald recently reported there's some "internal strife going on among family members to sell ... now."

The team's principal owner is Virginia Halas McCaskey, the daughter of founder George Halas. Five of the eight members of the team's board of directors are in the McCaskey family.

Lightfoot's pointed comments come at a time when the Bears have not won a playoff game since the 2010 season. They haven't won a title since the franchise's lone Super Bowl win in 1985 and are infamously associated with poor quarterback play that holds the overall team back in the biggest moments.

Chicago is also an ugly 3-19 in its last 22 games against the Packers.

Perhaps quarterback Justin Fields will turn things around if he lives up to his potential as a first-round pick, but things have been ugly for the Bears of late. The losing has clearly weighed on the city's mayor.