Arlington International Racecourse, more commonly known as Arlington Park, is located in Arlington Heights, Illinois; a northwest suburb of Chicago. Up until two years ago, Churchill Downs Inc. owned the 326-acre site, when the sold the property to the Chicago Bears for $197.2 million.
That deal finally closed in February, but everything that has happened since has only brought way more questions than answers.
Arlington Park hosted horse racing for nearly a century, opening in 1927, and running its final race in Sept. of 2021. Anyone who provides free horse racing tips will tell you- this venue was known first and foremost for the Arlington Million, a premier annual event. The 47,000 seat stadium (35,000 grandstand, 12,000 club) witnessed plenty of history, but one moment truly stands out among the most.
A half-century ago this month, the legendary Secretariat raced around its oval. The venue will never host the sport of kings again, and it turns out the property may never have a NFL stadium on it either. The Bears seem to feel that the property-tax rate being levied on them by the city of Arlington Heights is too high.
A team spokesperson said the NFL franchise believes that the current tax rate “fails to reflect the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state.”
A Bears spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times: “We will continue our ongoing demolition activity and work toward a path forward in Arlington Heights, but it is no longer our singular focus.”
Yes, you read that right. Just two days after the Bears began demolishing the Arlington Park grandstand, they literally said they’re exploring other potential destinations. Reports indicate that the Monsters of the Midway are conversing with the mayor of Naperville about potentially moving there too. The club has often flirted with the idea of packing up and setting up shop in Aurora too.
Several NFL teams do not play in the city that’s part of their namesake, so moving out to the burbs isn’t a new thing. It’s also mostly the big market clubs that do so (New York, LA, SF etc.) There is a method to this madness too. Look at So-Fi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, in Englewood, California.
It was built on the site of the former Hollywood Park horse racing track. The Bears are looking to become the second NFL team to follow this master plan, because it makes perfect sense in today’s professional sporting landscape.
There is a whole lot that you can do, provided you have the right business minds at the helm, with the added land of a suburban property, which one cannot do when limited in a crowded city location. Mixed use real estate development is now part of the business plan for every ballclub with major ambitions.
When you build restaurants, bars, shopping, a sports book of course, and residences adjacent to your stadium, multiple revenue streams flow. The perfect place to do this is on the site of a former horse racing track, as the land is already partitioned off.
Arlington Park already has Metra station right across the street, making this venue much easier to access, via public transportation than the Bears current home of Soldier Field.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.