Chicago Bears' President took to the podium in London this week and spoke to the press about his vision to build a lakefront stadium. 

The owners of the Bears have been looking at the possibility to have their own stadium dates back to the 1970s. George Halas wanted a new stadium for his team. In the 80s, the team renewed their interest for a new stadium in the same location George Halas desired.

I maybe time for Kevin Warren to turn his attention to the spot Papa Bear Halas envisioned more than 50 years ago.

Arlington Park

George Halas proposed an idea to build an 80,000 seat stadium that also included the idea of keeping the horse racing venue intact. Unfortunately financing problems and community opposition led to Halas abandoning the idea.

Ten years later, ownership of Arlington Park had changed. Dick Duchossois had acquired the racetrack from the Madison Square Garden Corporation. In July of 1985, an electrical fire destroyed the grandstand. Bears' President Michael McCaskey was in talks with Duchossois in an attempt to rekindle the vision of his grandfather and build the stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Bears finally purchased the site a few years ago, after the Bears asked for improvements to Soldier Field with then Mayor Lightfoot and the Park District. The Bears turned their attention to the Arlington site after they were constantly denied by Lightfoot.

When Kevin Warren was hired, he reopened a dialogue with the Mayor's office. Mayor Lightfoot had been unseated and Brandon Johnson welcomed the opportunity.

Earlier this year, the Bears announced plans to build a 70,000 seat stadium just south of Soldier Field, However, opposition to the project surfaced immediately.

Friends of the Park and Governor Pritzker

Within days the organization Friends of the Park reared its ugly head. This organization almost single-handedly forced George Lucas to abandon the plan to build the "Star Wars" museum on the lakefront. 

Then Governor Pritzker poured more water on the Bears plans. When the Bears asked for funding from the state for infrastructure improvements Pritzker blew off the Bears' request saying their plan was "a non-starter."

Is It Time To Complete The Vision Of George Halas?

Despite Warren's constant message about the lakefront being the focus of the new stadium, a look behind the scenes paints a different picture.

The designer the Bears are working with, David Manica, is the same architect used for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The current renderings have a giant window on the north side of the stadium to provide a view of the Chicago skyline. 

Only minor changes would be needed to place the structure in Arlington Heights. 

George Halas was quite the visionary. He proposed revenue sharing so smaller market team could thrive. In the 1960s he gave an interview when the NFL had just added teams to become a 16-team league, and the merger with the American Football League was imminent. He envisioned a league composed of 32 teams. The league grew to 32 teams in 2002, when the Houston Texans entered the NFL.