Quote:
Originally Posted by thegoatman
With the bears leaving to AH, I dont see how this is going to work.
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That's a good question, but I'm not sure it's the right question to ask. What is the actual impact of 9 home games a year? Is that enough to make or break the big entertainment district that Dunn is proposing?
Keep in mind that the Chicago Fire and numerous concerts/events will remain at Soldier Field, plus concerts at Northerly Island and conventions at McCormick Place, no matter what the Bears decide. Large groups of people will continue to converge in this part of the city for decades to come, and the South Loop entertainment options right now don't really cater to them.
Personally I think Bears traffic is probably just the icing on the cake, and a big entertainment district would be feasible even without the Bears. Similar stadium developments like Patriot Place are mostly shopping malls that draw people on non-game days; they are a way for sports teams to get extra mileage out of all the parking lots and infrastructure they have to put in.