The Chicago Bears enter an offseason of transition once again. They fired head coach Matt Eberflus shortly after Thanksgiving Day's embarrassment and limped to the finish line with a 4-13 record on the year. It was another frustrating year for fans, who expressed as much by chanting "Sell the team" at Soldier Field after Christmas.
On Tuesday, franchise ownership met with media to discuss the team hiring a third head coach in four seasons. Chairman George McCaskey was asked about that chant from Week 17 and revealed it doesn't actually bother him that much because he understands why the fans were frustrated and demanding change. Instead, McCaskey was more upset about Detroit Lions fans invading Soldier Field in Week 16.
"It's understandable," McCaskey said. "Our fans are passionate. They're incredibly frustrated. They wanted to make their voices heard. I was more bothered by the week before, when Lions fans tried to take over Soldier Field and force the home team to go to a silent snap count.
"Fortunately that didn't happen. It's understandable that there's fans who sell their tickets because of the way the season has gone. And the challenge for us is to put a team on the field that Bears fans are so excited about they're not interested in selling their tickets."
George McCaskey heard the sell the team chants. He was more bothered by what he heard against Detroit at home. pic.twitter.com/cgXLX24Nth
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) January 7, 2025
McCaskey has that much right. If he and the McCaskey family do not want to see opposing fans in the stands late into the year, they are responsible for giving hometown fans a reason to show up. Which has been in rather short supply in Chicago of late; the Bears haven't finished at .500 or above since 2020.
Another new coach will be selected to mentor quarterback Caleb Williams and try to lead the Bears back to playoff contention. But it will take a lot of success for the fans to stop chanting.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears Owner Reveals He Was More Mad About Lions Fans Than 'Sell the Team' Chants.
