Not quite four months ago, the Bears let us know they’d closed on 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights for a few shekels shy of $200 million.
So long, big city. Right?
Right. Probably. Most of us think so, anyway.
But now the Bears are talking with Naperville about a potential move. They’re also in communication with new mayor Brandon Johnson about a little place we like to call Chicago. What gives?
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we wanted to know where you think the Bears will end up. By a wide margin, Arlington Heights remained the favorite.
“Recent events are just a power play by the Bears,” @JeffreyCanalia commented.
“As long as it’s not downtown Chicago, I don’t care,” @MooksInsight chipped in.
We also asked for your thoughts on the PGA Tour’s controversial partnership agreement with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf. Last, we asked who has a better chance to win their division, the Cubs or the White Sox.
“Both teams suck,” @nealhamer observed, “but the American League Central sucks more.”
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: Where will the Bears end up playing long-term?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday's paper.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 8, 2023
Q1: Where will the Bears end up playing long-term?
Upshot: The Bears organization wants one thing even more than it wants a first Super Bowl title since 1985, and that’s a natty little nine figures worth of public assistance. They might not be able to get the tax break they want in Arlington Heights, something they perhaps should have been more clear on before the whole $200 million thing. Poor Bears? Nah. They can pay their own freight.
Poll No. 2: What do you think of the PGA Tour’s partnership with Saudi-backed LIV Golf?
Q2: What do you think of the PGA Tour's partnership with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 8, 2023
Upshot: “Going forward,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement, “fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made — to promote competition of the best in professional golf.” Not to be confused with the promise to, you know, steer clear of a certain murderous regime.
Poll No. 3: Which team has a better chance to win its division?
Q3: Which team has a better chance to win its division?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) June 8, 2023
Upshot: Just a week ago, these numbers would have looked so much different. But the Sox are kind of hot and the Cubs most definitely are not and, well, here we are. “Is ‘zeroer’ a word?” @usualsuspectpnc asked. We’re not even sure what the question meant, so why did it make us laugh?
