The Chicago White Sox aren’t ruling out a future at Related Midwest’s megadevelopment The 78, even as the Chicago Fire move forward with plans for a $650 million, privately funded stadium at the South Loop site.
In a statement Tuesday, the team said it “continues to consider the site as an option” for its proposed new ballpark, reviving speculation that the 62-acre riverfront project could host a rare two-team sports hub, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Fire’s 22,000-seat stadium would rise on 9 acres at the north end of the site, leaving ample room for a potential White Sox ballpark to the south.
Sports consultant Marc Ganis said it’s not only feasible to co-locate both stadiums, but after sorting out infrastructure and scheduling, it would bring a win to the city and to Related’s long-stalled vision to turn The 78 into Chicago’s next major mixed-use district.
The White Sox’s prior pitch for a publicly funded ballpark at The 78 fizzled last year amid resistance in Springfield over a rumored $1 billion price tag. The team’s lease at Guaranteed Rate Field runs through 2029, and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority still owes $50 million on the park. Whether public funding will be revived, or whether the team might seek a move to another city altogether, is up in the air.
The franchise is also battling headwinds on and off the field, coming off the worst season in Major League Baseball history and blacked out 1 million Comcast subscribers due to a carriage dispute with its TV home.
For the White Sox, a move 3 miles north could also unlock the kind of bar-and-retail-driven game day economy that’s long eluded them in Bridgeport. The biggest incentive for the move would be the shot at replicating the Chicago Cubs’ success at Wrigley Field, Ganis said, which brings flocks of fans to the surrounding sports bars, baseball-themed shops and restaurants through winning and losing seasons alike.
Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed the Fire’s stadium announcement and hinted at broader ambitions at a press conference in City Hall, urging other teams to follow owner Joe Mansueto’s example by staying in the city without seeking public subsidies.
“There’s no reason to leave Chicago if you’re a sports team. There isn’t,” Johnson said. “There’s just too much soul in this city to leave it now.”
— Judah Duke