Soldier Field Turf Forces Bears To Cancel Family Fest

The turf at Soldier Field was "ruled unfit for the Bears to practice on Friday night, forcing the cancellation of the Bears' Family Fest -- disappointing an expected crowd of around 10,000 fans," according to Mark Potash of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Soldier Field GM Tim LeFevour said that the field conditions "were not a result of the U2 concert July 5 or the Manchester United-Fire soccer game July 23," and he "promised that the field would be ready for the Bears' preseason opener against the Bills" on Saturday. LeFevour said, "It was a miscalculation on our grounds crew's part." He added, "We know what the problem is. We're going to correct it before next week, and it's going to be ready to go." Potash noted adding to the "disappointment of the evening was the timing of the cancellation." Fans were "waiting outside Soldier Field at 5:45 p.m. -- 15 minutes past the scheduled 5:30 opening -- when it was announced that the event was cancelled." Many fans found out from Bears S Chris Harris' Twitter feed. The Bears "did their best to make it up to the disappointed fans." They "opened the gates and offered them free food and drinks," and the fireworks show "went on as scheduled." The team "not only promised to refund the $8 ticket prices, but fans who parked in the Soldier Field lots also had their $16 fee refunded" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/6). In Chicago, Vaughn McClure noted the Soldier Field turf "has been an ongoing concern," and those concerns "will become greater if the field again becomes an issue" for Saturday's preseason opener (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/6). The Chicago Tribune's Shannon Ryan said, “If that happened to a college team or even a high school team it would be embarrassing. ... It's bad PR” ("Chicago Tribune Live," Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8/5).

TIME TO CHANGE IT UP? In Chicago, John Byrne noted stadium management company SMG's contract with the Chicago Park District, which owns Soldier Field, "runs out in 2012." Chicago Park District spokesperson Jessica Maxey-Faulkner said that "past performance goes into new contract decisions but described the company as 'an industry leader in stadium management'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/7). The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES' Potash noted Bears Chair George McCaskey "apologized to Bears fans for the Family Fest fiasco." He said that the organization "will attempt to work even closer with the Park District crew to make sure nothing like that happens again." McCaskey said, "We rely on the Park District to make sure the field is playable. We need to make sure that's the case." Bears LB Brian Urlacher said, "I don't understand why they don't have FieldTurf yet. We're a fast team. We play fast on FieldTurf." He added, "The situation's a joke. I don't understand why you can't have the field ready" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/7). Yahoo Sports Radio's Jason Goch said, "They can't get the grass right during the season, they can’t get the grass right during the summer. Maybe they need to reevaluate who is growing the grass, how they are doing it, what they are putting there. ... This field is probably the worst playing surface in major United States professional sports” ("Chicago Tribune Live," Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 8/5). Bears K Robbie Gould said, "The conditions here in Chicago are pretty rough, whether it's a miscalculation of water and heat or the snow in December. Our surface isn't the best surface to play on" (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 8/7).

LOOKING TO THE LEADER: In Chicago, David Haugh writes, "Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the football stadium in our city is a joke. ... As the most powerful man in the city, you can take action to start changing the perception that the Bears' home playing surface is the worst in the league." Haugh: "The situation calls for immediate attention from the highest level because the Chicago Park District falls under auspices of the mayor's office. ... After Friday's fiasco when the Bears canceled Family Night practice because of managerial oversight that made Soldier Field unplayable, the city's top official can't ignore this. The NFL isn't." Haugh notes the cancelation "embarrassed the league, the Bears and, most of all, Chicago -- and it could have been avoided with stronger leadership" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/8).