The Chicago Tribune broke the news on Friday that Mayor Daley is trying to tackle the stadium issue up front. Daley knows that New York's failure to secure a stadium deal up front was an enormous negative for New York's bid for the 2012 games. According to this article (log in may be required) in the Trib, Daley has made some preliminary inquiries into luring a second NFL team to Chicago in hopes of getting an anchor tenant for an Olympic-scale stadium. Such a stadium would need to seat 80,000 spectators and serve multiple functions.
I'm not sure that Daley will be able to lure a second NFL team to Chicago (L.A. is clearly the NFL's priority), but it is clear that a stadium is needed. From a utility standpoint, the remodeled Soldier Field is a disaster. It is really only used less than 20 times a year for Bears games and a few concerts. A stadium with a retractable roof or a dome could not only be used for football games, but could have also allowed Chicago to host a wide variety of other events such as the Final Four and large meetings and year-round indoor concerts.
However I'm glad that Daley realizes that this is Chicago's weakness and he is out in front trying to find creative ways to solve it. A second NFL team (although I think it would be great) is probably a long shot but there must be some solution that will enable Chicago to plug this gaping hole in a potential bid for the 2016 Games.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
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A second stadium should definitely have a retractable roof. This would allow the opening and closing ceremonies, the track and field events, plus the major requirement of the SuperBowl is that the stadium have a closed roof.
As you point out, that's too few events per year, but at least the SuperBowl is one BIG event per year that Chicago could compete for.
Here are some other events that could be hosted in a huge new stadium:
1. Concerts (both summer and winter w/ retractable roof).
2. Cricket, surely there's a team in Chicago?
3. Rugby, again, surely there's a team here??
4. Field Hockey
5. A 3rd MLB team???
6. College World Series
7. Pam Am Games
8. International trials for Track and field events for future Olympics.
9. Final 4
10. As mentioned above... THE SUPERBOWL!!
11. Political National Conventions
Personally I'd place the stadium just east of the existing (unused) El tracks that are just east of The United Center. So it'd be in the West Loop essentially, read below as to why I think that's a good location.
Here are the reasons I support Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics:
1. USA central location = cheap domestic and international travel, and it = great prime time TV audience coverage for the huge American populations on BOTH the East and West Coasts. Chicago is easy to get to, fly, drive, take Amtrak or take Greyhound.
2. By 2016 it will be the 20th anniversary of the USA hosting the Summer Olympics.... actually the 20th anniversary of the WESTERN HEMISPHERE hosting the summer Olympics.
3. I went to the Olympics in Atlanta in '96 and if they can do a great job, then shit, Chicago can do a stellar job!
4. The OMP (O’Hare Modernization Program) will be complete by then. It’s likely that the Gary Airport Expansion will be complete by then too. Which means Chicagoland will have O’Hare, Midway, Gary Airport, and South Bend airport all to host people flying in and out.
5. Chicago has great existing Rail Rapid Transit (RRT). Whereas Athens had to build their "second" subway, Chicago already has SEVEN RRT lines, and Metra has TWELVE (or more) commuter rail lines. Two of our RRT lines provide 24-7 service as do several bus lines. Not to mention the NICTD, RiverBus summertime service, trolley buses, and by 2016 the Carroll Ave. Transitway (now going under the name of The River Line).
6. Chicago may have the Airport Express trains up and running by 2016.
7. Chicagoland and "The Region" have most of the sports venues needed including:
a. Two baseball stadiums (although I hear Baseball is going to be cut from the Olympics altogether???).
b. The United Center for basketball
c. Soldier Field for soccer, field hockey, etc, etc.
d. The New Chicago Fire soccer stadium
e. Allstate Arena for basketball.
f. McCormick place for gymnastics
g. Notre Dame in South Bend (accessible via NICTD trains) for rowing.
h. Other universities, U of C, UIC, Northwestern, Loyola, just to name a few have existing sports infrastructure.
i. The lakefront park including Lincoln Park, Grant Park, and Burnham Park all have an enormous number of sports venues.
8. Summertime in Chicago in June and early July is gorgeous, enough said.
9. Chicago has the hotel, restaurant, and entertainment infrastructure to support an Olympics selling at least twice the number of tickets that Atlanta sold. It also has the cultural attractions and museums to satisfy our visitors.
10. Chicago has a huge existing media system including a major NBC office to help support global media coverage.
11. The Brown Line Capacity expansion will be completed by 2016.
12. The CTA Circle Line MIGHT (big "might") be completed by 2016. I say put the main Olympic stadium next to the unused El tracks just east of the United Center and then incorporate the stadium into a new El stop there with direct access (skybridge) to the stadium from El platform level.
13. The swath of unused land that was supposed to be RiverSide Park http://www.riversideparkchicago.com/Flash.html
could be developed as the Olympic Village. It's a good spot from a security stand point b/c one side is already bound by the south branch of the Chicago River. Additionally the site is very close to the Roosevelt Orange, Green, and Red Line stops so it's highly transit accessible. It's also close to downtown, not many cities around the world the size of Chicago have parcels of land that big and unused. It's also close to Soldier field, and McCormick Place. Turning this into a mixed-use development would be great. The Olympic village (to be sold as condos or rented out afterwards), stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc.
So the items mentioned above are just a start. I could literally waste my entire Sunday thinking of thousands of very good and solid reasons why Chicago SHOULD host the 2016 Summer Olympics... but I have to run.
I'm surprised you've had so few people comment on your website. Do you have a group together?
Cheers! Keep up the great blog!
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