Bears president Kevin Warren could hardly have been more clear about the team’s intent to build a stadium on Chicago’s lakefront, especially following last week’s formal unveiling of a $4.7 billion plan for a domed stadium next to Soldier Field. But to officials in Arlington Heights, Ill., where the Bears still own 326 acres, the team is saying there’s still a chance for them.

Even after the team’s presentation and Warren’s insistence that the Bears’ “focus is on the museum campus,” Arlington Heights mayor Tom Hayes believes there could be an opening to reengage with the NFL team.

“It was never a done deal in Arlington Heights. I don’t think it’s anything close to a done deal in the city of Chicago,” Hayes told Pioneer Press. “And so we are ready, willing, and able to continue our discussion with them if they get a ‘no’ on the lakefront.”

Of course, Hayes himself knows the particular fluidity of the Bears’ facility situation all too well. A year ago, the Bears were thought to be a lock to be headed to Arlington Heights, where the team was set to build a $5 billion stadium and mixed-use development. But following a tax dispute, the Bears conducted an extensive tour of stadium site options across the Chicago area, before ultimately opting for the the most minimal move possible, short of just staying at Soldier Field. 

Even if the Bears never engage with Arlington Heights, there is still the question of what will be done with the land. The team is the municipality’s single-largest landowner. 

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a new developer or multiple developers, and so I would like to see some kind of unified development,” Hayes said. 

Local Politics

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, a staunch advocate for the downtown stadium proposal, is continuing to face local criticism about a perceived contradiction between the Bears stadium project that will rely heavily on public-sector funding and Johnson’s own progressive agenda.

Questioned on NBC Sports Chicago, Johnson insisted the “project is aligned with my vision for the people of Chicago.

“Having the opportunity to stand with billionaires, you could not have convinced me a decade ago that I would have the opportunity to do that,” Johnson said. “The fact that a middle child, 10 siblings, from a working-class family is in a position to speak to the interest of everyday Chicagoans and challenge billionaires to put skin in the game—that’s what I promised that I would make happen.”

After all the other issues surrounding the planned relocation of the A’s to Las Vegas—a complex saga involving questions about the club’s temporary home, the proposed new stadium site and much-debated design, and fan-base attrition back in Oakland—there is still another fundamental issue: How will the planned $1.5 billion ballpark be funded?

A’s owner John Fisher is now moving to address that more fully, hiring veteran sports finance company Galatioto Sports Partners to help raise $500 million for the project, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The transaction, if successful, would see Fisher bring in a partner, or multiple partners, with a much-needed cash infusion in exchange for equity in the A’s. Given the franchise’s current estimated value of $1.2 billion, this move could see him part with about 42% of the team. 

That additional private support would supplement $380 million in public funding approved last year by Nevada legislators. That money, however, is now being challenged by education advocates in the state.

Can Fisher Cover It?

One on hand, Fisher shouldn’t need the money, or at least he shouldn’t necessarily have to sell team equity to get it. The heir to the Gap fortune created by his parents who founded that retail giant, Fisher is estimated to be worth $3 billion. But the move to bring in additional partners, something he has considered for some time, follows dozens of team owners in every major sports league who have turned to minority equity partners in recent years to achieve additional liquidity and take advantage of rising team values. 

The A’s are responsible for all stadium costs beyond that $380 million, and they will also have to detail the private financing plans to enable access to the public funds. 

In the meantime, a 10-game homestand that began Monday at the Oakland Coliseum is expected to bring some of the team’s smallest crowds of the season, further solidifying the A’s as by far MLB’s worst draw. Last night’s attendance of 3,528 barely beat a turnout of 3,296 on April 16, and the team’s season average of 6,050 remains less than half of MLB’s next-lowest team, the Marlins.