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Wrigley / Soldier

phatcat

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2001
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Wisconsin
It's only 15 minutes further from my house to Wrigley vs Ryan. To Soldier is only 13 mins (?) because it's all expressway. Weird. Inconsequential difference, but it will suk for the students.
 
Wrigley makes more sense - one able to safely play one end zone and only one team will score most games so…
 
Can you imagine NU hosting at SF? What’s the seating capacity? It will make most games look like peewee games.
 
Soldier is 61,500. Smallest in NFL.
Wrigley is 41,649.
But Soldier is an actual football stadium with parking.
 
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They both suck. And reality is the Wrigley can not be used for FB till much later in the year
I think Lou hinted that the speculation is for Soldier early/Wrigley late. I forgot about the shite parking at Wrigley. That's gonna suck
 
Great, just need to hire an OC, find an OL, land a quality QB and we have a zone to aim for.

Ill Be Back Jim Carrey GIF
 
Unfortunately the atmosphere at soldier will be very poor. I remember going to soldier to see us play illinois a few years back and it was a dead atmosphere. There will be too many empty seats. However, wrigley field was awesome for the Purdue game. If we are able to play at least a couple games at wrigley each year during the renovation that would be great.
 
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Either way, if NU is Chicago's Big Ten team, they should be in Chicago, not in some stupid suburb (other than Evanston).
With the way the bear, bulls, hawks, Sox and cubs manage their teams - it would make sense to call NU Chicago’s big ten team
 
With the way the bear, bulls, hawks, Sox and cubs manage their teams - it would make sense to call NU Chicago’s big ten team
I've spent a lifetime - well, fifty years anyway - pulling for all of these. I'd like to think it builds character. 🤨
 
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I will say this...both Wrigley and Soldier Field bring their own unique sets of problems, but I for once I will choose to stay on the positive sides of things:

1. We're getting displaced because we're getting a new stadium, and that's awesome.
2. We're not playing at ETHS or NIU. The latter was a legit fear of mine.
3. For whatever their faults, Wrigley and SF are iconic and synonymous with "Chicago," and that's good for the brand.
 
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I will say this...both Wrigley and Soldier Field bring their own unique sets of problems, but I for once I will choose to stay on the positive sides of things:

1. We're getting displaced because we're getting a new stadium, and that's awesome.
2. We're not playing at ETHS or NIU. The latter was a legit fear of mine.
3. For whatever their faults, Wrigley and SF are iconic and synonymous with "Chicago," and that's good for the brand.
I'm concerned that these places will be near empty against teams like Puke and Miami Hydroxide, and that most of the B1G games will be de facto away games as the visiting fans will flock there for the novelty and our fans will stay away
 
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I'm concerned that these places will be near empty against teams like Puke and Miami Hydroxide, and that most of the B1G games will be de facto away games as the visiting fans will flock there for the novelty and our fans will stay away
This is where ticketing strategy has to come into play - package those three-game deals together, discount parking...attract people who aren't as interested in NU football as they are getting to Soldier Field which is normally cost-prohibitive. This obviously isn't going to move the needle a ton over to 60,000+ I would hope to god they see this temp move as a chance to attract new fans anyway who aren't inherently excited to go to Evanston for anything.

And of course...Fitz plays a role here, too.
 
I'm concerned that these places will be near empty against teams like Puke and Miami Hydroxide, and that most of the B1G games will be de facto away games as the visiting fans will flock there for the novelty and our fans will stay away

Is there anywhere this won't happen?
 
Unfortunately the atmosphere at soldier will be very poor. I remember going to soldier to see us play illinois a few years back and it was a dead atmosphere. There will be too many empty seats. However, wrigley field was awesome for the Purdue game. If we are able to play at least a couple games at wrigley each year during the renovation that would be great.
It’s just too cold to get fans to that game, in Evanston or Champaign, on Thanksgiving weekend if both teams aren’t good, unfortunately. If a nice dome gets built in Arlington Heights, the Illini/Northwestern game should honestly be there every year … it’d draw at least as well as either campus, being indoors and considering the percent of Illinois’ student body that’s home for the holidays in Chicagoland anyway and done with holiday festivities by Saturday.
 
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I fully agree with playing the NU/Illinois game in the Bears’ dome every year. Every Thanksgiving weekend game I’ve been to has been frigid and miserable. It’s always a dead atmosphere.

Playing that game in the Bears’ dome would be an annual event that would become a tradition. More people would go, even if their team was bad, because of the comfortable environment and so many fans living in the suburbs.
 
I am all for Soldier Field. Easy to get to and parking will be a breeze. Wrigley is a nightmare on many levels.
Where do you park for Soldier Field games? Grant Park garage? There are a bunch of little lots near the stadium; would we fill all of them up?
 
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Where do you park for Soldier Field games? Grant Park garage? There are a bunch of little lots near the stadium; would we fill all of them up?
I don't imagine parking at SF will be a problem for season ticket holders.
 
Where do you park for Soldier Field games? Grant Park garage? There are a bunch of little lots near the stadium; would we fill all of them up?


I certainly hope the price will be less than the $58 it costs for Bear games lol.
 
Where do you park for Soldier Field games? Grant Park garage? There are a bunch of little lots near the stadium; would we fill all of them up?
Once the game(s) is announced, just go to https://www.soldierfieldparking.com/ and you'll see the parking options. The Adler Lot and the roof of the Waldron Lot allow tailgating. You can usually buy parking for Bears games the day of the game, either on that site, at the gate, or on Stubhub. So I wouldn't worry about them selling out. But better to buy early, especially if you want to park closer to your seats.

Grant Park and Millennium Park aren't listed on that site. These are also good options. Probably less expensive but a longer walk. There's also plenty of garage parking in the loop if you don't mind a short walk.
 
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What are the chances that the IHSA is going to come to a similar conclusion about using that facility on the Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend?
 
Grant Park and Millennium Park aren't listed on that site. These are also good options. Probably less expensive but a longer walk. There's also plenty of garage parking in the loop if you don't mind a short walk.

Millennium Park garage has a free shuttle to and from the stadium for Bears games.

(I don't know if they'd offer it for NU games, of course)
 
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