O’Donnell: Bears remain behind the sticks on new stadium
THE UPDATED SCROLL of Bears greats can roll off the tongue so easily:
Nagurski … Luckman … Payton … Jake Moody.
OK, so No. 4 — actually No. 16 — may be a bit premature.
But Moody's fourth field goal Monday night at Washington, from 38 yards into the mist as time expired, ended an evening of impatience for Bears fans.
THEY WATCHED CALEB WILLIAMS and their faves flip a 13-0 lead into a 24-16 fourth-quarter deficit.
Chicago won 25-24. Ben Johnson is more odds-on than ever to receive the Matt Nagy Memorial First-Season Head Coach Phenom Award.
BUT DURING THE TELECAST, Joe Buck touched on a topic certain to engage a large segment of Bears' watchers.
Buck mentioned the Commanders are on-target to be in their new stadium by 2030.
Left unsaid was — the Bears aren't.
While all is sweetness and optimism in the fresh Halas Hall-Arlington Heights pipeline, the fact is, in terms of the five prime NFL stadium projects currently in motion, the local one is no better than No. 5.
THE RANKINGS (with projected stadium cost in parenthesis):
1. Tennessee ($2.1 billion) — The Titans are in the second half of building the New Nissan Stadium. … Ground was broken 13 months ago and play is to begin in 2027. … Public bonds will account for close to $1.2B of the cost. … That's testament to the ability of a brawny NFL franchise to muscle a smaller regional market ravenous to retain big-league credentials.
2. Cleveland ($2.4 billion) — The Browns got a major leg up Monday when the city and the ruling Haslams agreed on a $100M deal to demolish the existing stadium on its historic lakefront site. … Previously, Mayor Justin Bibb had been all out to prevent the team's move to a new domed stadium in suburban Brook Park. … Full truth is Ohio political leaders are still haunted by Art Modell's abrupt departure for Baltimore 30 years ago. … Projected opening is 2029.
3. Washington ($3.7 billion) — Will build on the site of the old RFK Stadium in a compelling example of how vigorous new ownership can revive a self-defeating organization. … (Lake Forest, hello.) … When disagreeable Dan Snyder still held the reins of power, the project floundered. … The dynamic Josh Harris has changed that. … In a show of noble intent (cough, cough), the Commanders have committed to paying roughly 60% of the cost.
4. Jacksonville ($1.4 billion) — Asterisked, since it's a renovation of EverBank Stadium. … Broke ground in February and will force the Jaguars to find an alternative home for the 2027 season. … Upgraded playpen will open in August 2028. … Jacksonville fathers feel NFL pressure since a perception exists that when the league sanctions a team in London, Jags principal Shahid Khan will be the first racing through customs at Heathrow Airport.
5. Bears ($2 billion, stadium only) — Geez, laggards — what a surprise. … The fourth anniversary of the announcement of the purchase agreement with Churchill Downs Inc. passed three weeks ago and still nothing but desolate acres at Arlington Park. … Hard truth is that street chatter suggests a majority of impacted residents: 1) aren't necessarily in favor of the project; and, 2) certainly don't want any tax money — school tax “certainty” or otherwise — diverted to support it.
PERFECT REMEDY FOR THAT INFORMATION GAP would be an advisory referendum commissioned by first-year Arlington Heights village president Jim Tinaglia. But such a commendably transparent initiative carries a significant risk:
What if a majority of residents say, “Thanks but no thanks” and opt to maintain as much of the town's prevailing order and aesthetic as possible?
NFL matters can be so much easier when it merely entails tracking the 38-yard flight off an improbable foot-in-the-crowd on “Monday Night Football.”
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THE PASSING OF LOYOLA'S BELOVED SISTER JEAN SCHMIDT at age 106 reminded that she wasn't the first “Sister Jean” to touch the Chicago sportscape.
That distinction belongs to Sister Jean Kenny, a Roman Catholic nun who first rode the media waves as a football selector on WGN-AM (720) beginning more than three decades ago.
The celebrity of that Sister Jean reached such heights that she was recognized nationally by Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien and worked local shows featuring such crack NFL minds as Danny Sheridan and Hub Arkush.
At last report, Sister Jean Kenny — who will celebrate her 76th birthday next month — was ministering at a parish in the Indianapolis area.
No word on whether she had the Bears +5 ½ Monday night at Washington.
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.