Spot on truth and I am also a guy that went with my dad and my uncle to Wrigley Field for Bears games where we had season tickets and they were great seats, as my uncle had a father-in-law whose neighbor grew up with and was best friends with George Halas. Even after the move to soldier Field when our seats went from midfield to about the 35 yard line they were still outstanding seats. You hit the nail on the head with only a few good seasons and this family will probably never sell unless they get a blow your socks off bid directed toward them, because this is the only thing (Big money Maker) they have; they didn't make their money elsewhere.
The ownership has been a disaster and this is probably the most disappointed I have been because I allowed myself to be fooled into thinking Ryan Poles knew what the hell he was doing. The entire organization needs a house cleaning top to bottom and unless the Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or Larry Ellison comes along I just don't see it happening. I have not watched any Bears games for multiple weeks, nor do I intend to.
I have a far different take on Kevin Warren. Yes, he had success in Minnesota, but not so much with the B1G. And right now he performs like an articulate & camera-ready, Ted Phillips. So, as long as the goofy McCaskeys are owners, the Bears will be the NFL equivalent to the Chicago White Sox.
Glad you included the "beloved Papa Bear". He may have built the league, but the offspring far exceeded the talents of the parent who lived primarily in reputation only after WWII.
The Bears are Chicago in microcosm: keep going to games, keep watching/subscribing to games, keep buying merch and then complain about ownership--- keep voting for Dem mayors and aldermen and complaining about how bad things are in Chicago.
Even the Papa Bear legacy "monsters of the midway" is akin to "the city that works" or the city of "broad shoulders" or the "gem along the lake". The Bears are not monsters (in fact the game wouldn't allow the '85 Bears to be great) and Chicago is those things in reputation only. Maybe the solution for
And the stadium is absolutely crud. But maybe a solution to CTA ridership is to build luxury boxes inside the decaying railcars?
Until the fan base utterly abandons the crap product that the McCaskey's continue to put on the field, they won't sell and nothing will change.
Great observation Mr Carter! You’ve proven your bona-fides as a former season ticket holder. Sadly even if they sell we won’t get anywhere until we move out of corrupt Illinois!!
The Bears are lucky to play in a division with the Lions and Vikings. This yields the impression the Bears are the more successful franchise - they have won a Superbowl championship and they have been to a Superbowl in the 21st century. This is better than what the Vikings and Lions have done!
But my of my, the Bears are an awful franchise. They have so much in their favor to be one of the most gloried teams in the NFL. And what they are is "da 'bears."
It is kind of crazy how pitiful many of the big city NFL franchises are. The New York Jets and Giants are both terrible. Miami hasn't been a contender in forever. Dallas constantly underperforms. Houston is all hat, no cattle. Yes, Philadelphia and Detroit are playing well and one of them will likely represent the NFC in the Superbowl.
But look at the AFC. The best 3 teams are Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore. Good thing for the NFL that Kansas City is Taylor Swift's team.
I suppose it is a credit to the NFL that it can be so wildly popular even when its NYC and Chicago teams are so pitiful.
Still, like my son-in-law, you are a true Bears fan who so hates that the Packers that you can’t even mention them in your otherwise insightful comments on successful and failed NFL franchises. Viking fans are almost no better. In addition to not discussing politics and religion with my neighbors in Minnesota, talking about the Packers’ 4 Super Bowl titles is also off limits.
Your new home team, Raiders, have been a losing franchise in the bay area for so long. They pulled out some championships early 80's but have been perennial losers for the most part ever since.
Not doing better in LV despite all of the potential of a new stadium, new start, new mindset, sucks.
Maybe Mark Davis needs to spend his time doing something else, But, then again, what the hell would he do?
As noted, the NFL is a QB league and has been for a long time. The Bears, though, have been fielding middling at best QBs or derailing the careers of decent QBs since Sid Luckman retired in 1950. In fact, Luckman held many passing records until very recently when he played in a running league with a twelve game schedule. Bears management can’t/won’t fix this. The game has passed them by.
My dad was an original owner in Viking season tickets in 1961; when they moved to the 'Rollerdome' our tickets were relegated to the end zone behind the nets. Obviously, he sold them quickly. I understand the fruitless nature of midwestern team ownership: they do just enough to keep the seats packed regardless of the amenities. US Bank stadium is pretty top notch, but I will not travel 40 miles to wade in lines of rude cidiots(no offense, since Covid - or Obama - our cities are full of wealthy rude people or poor, homeless folks).
I met George Halas at the Mid-America Club and shook his hand when I was 13. It was an honor. Still have the autograph. Haven't been a NFL fan for 30 years. I'm completely disillusioned by this nonsense and I'm never coming back. Worried the college game has already gone that way.
You hit all the high (or are they low) points of the Bears for the last umpteen years. You missed the elephant in the room however. And that would be Virginia McCaskey. Lovely old lady, daughter of George, mother of nine is it? 80% owner of the Bears. I'm guessing George had no estate plan, but then why would you if you were a working stiff like George. Hence, his daughter ended up with the family jewels which, although valuable did not make her stinking rich, just rich on paper.
All the other owners in the NFL are billionaires that own sports teams. The McCaskeys are billionaires (on paper) because they own a sports team.
If the average net operating income for an NFL team is $142M/yr. that really is not enough to do the things necessary to be a contending team (build your own stadium). Plus, there are many mouths to feed, plus taxes on distributions etc. etc. Getting partners is difficult also because there is always the tax bill waiting to get a big bite. You get my point.
The Bears ownership is smart enough not to sign any long term deal with the morons in Chicago. That's what the purchase of Arlington Park was about. Someone is buffing up the balance sheet prior to sale. I'd like to see the line at NFL hqs. to buy the Bears.
She is a lovely old lady with a family stuck in the first half of the last century in the previous millenium.
You are right, Jeff. Based on the Chicago Bears’ performance on the field, the McCaskeys’ ownership has clearly been a failure and they should sell the team, particularly if they cared about the storied legacy created by George Halas.
This season marks the team’s 105th in the NFL and the rise and decline of the franchise is pretty clear.
In the 73 seasons from 1920 through 1992, the year the McCaskeys fired Mike Ditka — who was hired by George Halas before he died — the Chicago Bears had 21 losing seasons; in the 32 seasons since, they have had 19 losing seasons!
In the 48 seasons from 1920-1967, Halas’ last season as head coach, the Bears had 40 winning seasons and just 8 losing seasons. In the 36 seasons from the first NFL Championship Game in 1932 to 1967, the Bears won 7 NFL Championships, finished first in their conference 12 times, and no lower than second 24 times.
In the 25 seasons from 1968-1992, the Bears had just 9 winning seasons (7 under Ditka whom they fired), 13 losing seasons, and 3 .500 seasons. During this time they won just one NFL Championship (Super Bowl).
In the 32 seasons since 1993, the Bears have had just 9 winning seasons (5 under Lovie Smith, whom they fired), 19 losing seasons, and 4 .500 season. During this time they won no championships, getting to the championship game (Super Bowl) just once.
Spot on truth and I am also a guy that went with my dad and my uncle to Wrigley Field for Bears games where we had season tickets and they were great seats, as my uncle had a father-in-law whose neighbor grew up with and was best friends with George Halas. Even after the move to soldier Field when our seats went from midfield to about the 35 yard line they were still outstanding seats. You hit the nail on the head with only a few good seasons and this family will probably never sell unless they get a blow your socks off bid directed toward them, because this is the only thing (Big money Maker) they have; they didn't make their money elsewhere.
The ownership has been a disaster and this is probably the most disappointed I have been because I allowed myself to be fooled into thinking Ryan Poles knew what the hell he was doing. The entire organization needs a house cleaning top to bottom and unless the Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or Larry Ellison comes along I just don't see it happening. I have not watched any Bears games for multiple weeks, nor do I intend to.
I have a far different take on Kevin Warren. Yes, he had success in Minnesota, but not so much with the B1G. And right now he performs like an articulate & camera-ready, Ted Phillips. So, as long as the goofy McCaskeys are owners, the Bears will be the NFL equivalent to the Chicago White Sox.
I think that is also a fair assessment.
Canzolino says hello…
Detroiter here - this article is s familiar except that in my 60 years the Lions never won even one!
agree but finally seems like you are on the right track. too bad about ALL the injuries.....
Glad you included the "beloved Papa Bear". He may have built the league, but the offspring far exceeded the talents of the parent who lived primarily in reputation only after WWII.
The Bears are Chicago in microcosm: keep going to games, keep watching/subscribing to games, keep buying merch and then complain about ownership--- keep voting for Dem mayors and aldermen and complaining about how bad things are in Chicago.
Even the Papa Bear legacy "monsters of the midway" is akin to "the city that works" or the city of "broad shoulders" or the "gem along the lake". The Bears are not monsters (in fact the game wouldn't allow the '85 Bears to be great) and Chicago is those things in reputation only. Maybe the solution for
And the stadium is absolutely crud. But maybe a solution to CTA ridership is to build luxury boxes inside the decaying railcars?
Until the fan base utterly abandons the crap product that the McCaskey's continue to put on the field, they won't sell and nothing will change.
Great observation Mr Carter! You’ve proven your bona-fides as a former season ticket holder. Sadly even if they sell we won’t get anywhere until we move out of corrupt Illinois!!
“The only time the Bears were consistently competitive in the NFL was from 1984-1988.“
Try being a Bills fan. At least you won two championships.
Jets fan ... former Jets fan and longtime season-ticket holder ... here. I feel your pain.
The Bears are lucky to play in a division with the Lions and Vikings. This yields the impression the Bears are the more successful franchise - they have won a Superbowl championship and they have been to a Superbowl in the 21st century. This is better than what the Vikings and Lions have done!
But my of my, the Bears are an awful franchise. They have so much in their favor to be one of the most gloried teams in the NFL. And what they are is "da 'bears."
It is kind of crazy how pitiful many of the big city NFL franchises are. The New York Jets and Giants are both terrible. Miami hasn't been a contender in forever. Dallas constantly underperforms. Houston is all hat, no cattle. Yes, Philadelphia and Detroit are playing well and one of them will likely represent the NFC in the Superbowl.
But look at the AFC. The best 3 teams are Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore. Good thing for the NFL that Kansas City is Taylor Swift's team.
I suppose it is a credit to the NFL that it can be so wildly popular even when its NYC and Chicago teams are so pitiful.
Still, like my son-in-law, you are a true Bears fan who so hates that the Packers that you can’t even mention them in your otherwise insightful comments on successful and failed NFL franchises. Viking fans are almost no better. In addition to not discussing politics and religion with my neighbors in Minnesota, talking about the Packers’ 4 Super Bowl titles is also off limits.
Your new home team, Raiders, have been a losing franchise in the bay area for so long. They pulled out some championships early 80's but have been perennial losers for the most part ever since.
Not doing better in LV despite all of the potential of a new stadium, new start, new mindset, sucks.
Maybe Mark Davis needs to spend his time doing something else, But, then again, what the hell would he do?
As noted, the NFL is a QB league and has been for a long time. The Bears, though, have been fielding middling at best QBs or derailing the careers of decent QBs since Sid Luckman retired in 1950. In fact, Luckman held many passing records until very recently when he played in a running league with a twelve game schedule. Bears management can’t/won’t fix this. The game has passed them by.
My dad was an original owner in Viking season tickets in 1961; when they moved to the 'Rollerdome' our tickets were relegated to the end zone behind the nets. Obviously, he sold them quickly. I understand the fruitless nature of midwestern team ownership: they do just enough to keep the seats packed regardless of the amenities. US Bank stadium is pretty top notch, but I will not travel 40 miles to wade in lines of rude cidiots(no offense, since Covid - or Obama - our cities are full of wealthy rude people or poor, homeless folks).
Pritzker is the communist problem. Ditka!!
I met George Halas at the Mid-America Club and shook his hand when I was 13. It was an honor. Still have the autograph. Haven't been a NFL fan for 30 years. I'm completely disillusioned by this nonsense and I'm never coming back. Worried the college game has already gone that way.
I'm a lifer. As you are. We all have limits.
You hit all the high (or are they low) points of the Bears for the last umpteen years. You missed the elephant in the room however. And that would be Virginia McCaskey. Lovely old lady, daughter of George, mother of nine is it? 80% owner of the Bears. I'm guessing George had no estate plan, but then why would you if you were a working stiff like George. Hence, his daughter ended up with the family jewels which, although valuable did not make her stinking rich, just rich on paper.
All the other owners in the NFL are billionaires that own sports teams. The McCaskeys are billionaires (on paper) because they own a sports team.
If the average net operating income for an NFL team is $142M/yr. that really is not enough to do the things necessary to be a contending team (build your own stadium). Plus, there are many mouths to feed, plus taxes on distributions etc. etc. Getting partners is difficult also because there is always the tax bill waiting to get a big bite. You get my point.
The Bears ownership is smart enough not to sign any long term deal with the morons in Chicago. That's what the purchase of Arlington Park was about. Someone is buffing up the balance sheet prior to sale. I'd like to see the line at NFL hqs. to buy the Bears.
She is a lovely old lady with a family stuck in the first half of the last century in the previous millenium.
You are right, Jeff. Based on the Chicago Bears’ performance on the field, the McCaskeys’ ownership has clearly been a failure and they should sell the team, particularly if they cared about the storied legacy created by George Halas.
This season marks the team’s 105th in the NFL and the rise and decline of the franchise is pretty clear.
In the 73 seasons from 1920 through 1992, the year the McCaskeys fired Mike Ditka — who was hired by George Halas before he died — the Chicago Bears had 21 losing seasons; in the 32 seasons since, they have had 19 losing seasons!
In the 48 seasons from 1920-1967, Halas’ last season as head coach, the Bears had 40 winning seasons and just 8 losing seasons. In the 36 seasons from the first NFL Championship Game in 1932 to 1967, the Bears won 7 NFL Championships, finished first in their conference 12 times, and no lower than second 24 times.
In the 25 seasons from 1968-1992, the Bears had just 9 winning seasons (7 under Ditka whom they fired), 13 losing seasons, and 3 .500 seasons. During this time they won just one NFL Championship (Super Bowl).
In the 32 seasons since 1993, the Bears have had just 9 winning seasons (5 under Lovie Smith, whom they fired), 19 losing seasons, and 4 .500 season. During this time they won no championships, getting to the championship game (Super Bowl) just once.
The numbers don’t lie.