One of the most storied franchises in the NFL could have a new owner soon. According to Jim O’Donnel of the Daily Heard in Chicago, the Chicago Bears could be on the verge of selling the team as there’s some “internal strife going on among family members to sell … now.” The Bears’ principal owner is Virginia Halas McCaskey, the daughter of team founder George Halas. She is 98 years old and took over as principal owner when Halas died in 1983.
Since its inception, why is selling a good idea now with the Bears being owned by the Halas/McCaskey family? According to John Breech of CBS Sports, money is the No. 1 reason as the Bears are worth an estimated $3.5 billion. When Halas purchased the team in 1920, he paid a cool $100. A new stadium also plays a factor in selling the team. Soldier Field needs updates, but the Bears could likely move out of Chicago and head to Arlington Park. That can only happen if they can get a new stadium, which will cost a lot of money.
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“Certainly, the Arlington Park site is available, and we would consider the Chicago Bears a great fit for that particular site,” Tom Hayes, the mayor of Arlington Heights, Illinois, said via Fox 32 in Chicago last month. “I think the Bears are seriously considering it because it’s such a unique piece of property. It has so much going for it in terms of its location in the northwest suburbs where a lot of their audience is.”
If the Bears decide to sell the team, three likely candidates will be the new owner. O’Donnell mentioned that Pat Ryan, Jeff Bezos, and Neil Bluhm could push to buy the Bears. Ryan, 83, is the favorite as he’s a minority owner with Andy McKenna. Ryan also holds the right-of-refusal as “primary investor” of any of the five McKaskey board member’s stock that comes up for sale.
The Bears are one of the only two remaining franchises from the NFL’s inception in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals. In its history, the Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl in 1985. The team has reached the playoffs 27 times and won 19 divisional titles with four conference championships.
