Gary, Indiana City Officials Propose Multi-Purpose Stadium To Accommodate Chicago Bears and Local Baseball Team, the Gary SouthShore Railcats
As the Chicago Bears expand their search for potential stadium sites, cities having been vying for the attention of the franchise, but only one has wreaked of desperation. Gary, Indiana.
Early Friday afternoon city officials made it clear they are eager to push a deal forward and rush every step of the process by releasing renderings of a potential stadium plan. The plan includes the stadium, a multi-purpose facility that will house the Bears along with local American Association baseball team the Gary SouthShore Railcats, an onsite gaming cafe with over 2,500 video gambling machines, and a fully operational steel mill.
The stadium borrows design characteristics from past multi-purpose stadiums such as, the Oakland Coliseum, Three Rivers Stadium, and Old Busch Memorial Stadium. These stadiums, most popular in the 1960s, were often said to be outdated and criticized for lacking character. Like its predecessors hosting multiple sports the planned stadium will feature a baseball diamond in the middle of the playing field, leading many to question player safety on such a surface. Despite these criticisms, city officials say this design will be thought of as revolutionary and an efficient use of tax dollars, citing that the state and city will now get two stadiums for the price of one.
When asked why this stadium has been designed to also accommodate a minor league baseball team that plays in a league below single A ball, city officials responded with a question of their own: Why not? Average attendance figures for Railcats’ games float in the 3,000 range. These attendance numbers do not inspire confidence in the team’s ability to fill a 70,000 seat stadium. However, the city shows hope that as long as a stadium is built people will come.
When asked what makes Gary an attractive site for a future stadium Bears president Kevin Warren showed optimism in the city’s ability to knock its current reputation and rewrite its story. “Gary is eager to rebrand itself. It was once a company town, being named after the man that founded it, U.S. Steel founding chairman Elbert Henry Gary. It has shown that it is willing to tie its entire identity to one organization. Why not make that organization the Chicago Bears? If we move the team here they said they would even change the name of the city to Warren, after me Kevin Warren.”
If this project materializes Chicago Bears and Gary officials believe the city will become a premier destination and host city for things such as Final Fours, Monster Jams, and even Super Bowls. “Imagine a Super Bowl halftime show headlined by the homecoming of Janet Jackson with a surprise appearance from her brother holographic Michael Jackson.”