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Bears Want To Bankroll $300M In Upgrades To Soldier Field With Increased Advertising

The Bears and the Chicago Park District "have pinpointed" $300M in "capital improvements at Soldier Field -- including Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s dream of a 5,000-seat expansion -- that could be bankrolled, in part, by a dramatic increase in stadium advertising," according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. In exchange for "losing the South Parking Lot" to George Lucas’ $400M interactive museum, the Bears "bargained hard for a host of marketing and advertising opportunities that could go a long way toward financing stadium upgrades." They "range from selling 'sponsorship and entitlement rights' to Soldier Field gates, the stadium’s ticket office and will call building to the northeast mezzanine area, southeast lawn and Stadium Green." The Bears "won the right to install 30 'high-impact, interactive digital displays throughout Soldier Field concourse and premium areas.'” The team’s "newly-amended lease includes the right to sell 'entitlement and/or sponsorship rights to any additional and/or future re-design improvements or enhancements to Soldier Field' contemplated by an ongoing study conducted by Populous." Projects "range from concourse, field and drainage improvements to adding 5,000 seats to bolster Emanuel’s long-shot bid to host the Super Bowl and, more importantly, to increase seating capacity for other revenue-generating events." Soldier Field’s football capacity "is 61,500, and only two NFL teams play in smaller stadiums" -- the Raiders and Vikings. The Bears in '01 "agreed to permanently forfeit their right to rake in" $300M "by selling corporate naming rights to Soldier Field under pressure" from then-Mayor Richard Daley. It is "not known whether Emanuel would ever be willing to re-visit the idea of allowing the Bears to sell naming rights to Soldier Field if that’s what it takes to bankroll an expansion without a subsidy from Chicago taxpayers" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/5).

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