Getty Image / Quinn Harris
Solider Field has a proud history. The nearly 100-year-old stadium has been host to the Bears for over fifty years and is a staple of Chicago. The field, which recently went back to natural grass after being turf for a while, recently hosted a Rammstein concert, putting the grass in a precarious position. When the rain came today, the field simply did not hold up. It’s led to an embarrassing situation for the Bears, Solider Field, and the Chicago Parks Department.
Torrential rains caused problems for the grass
It rained hard in Chicago early Sunday morning and the field had no chance.
New turf at Soldier Field getting a good soaking today pic.twitter.com/4DL4eZziPr
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) September 11, 2022
Soldier Field is not dry
via @JasonLieser pic.twitter.com/5PlJf0m1AL
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 11, 2022
An already-not-great playing surface became nearly unplayable with the rain. It exposed the lack of draining infrastructure at Solider Field.
This is one reason why the Bears want to build their own stadium not controlled by the Chicago Parks Department.
Soldier Field drainage issues are a reminder that the city of Chicago owns the stadium and the Bears are trying to leave. They’ve bought property in the suburb of Arlington Heights — which happens to be Jimmy Garoppolo’s hometown — to build a new stadium that they own
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 11, 2022
They couldn’t even draw the lines straight in Chicago
We’ve all been to a youth sporting event where the lines were not as straight as they could be. No one really cares, because the games don’t really matter. But, we don’t expect that in an NFL game. Apparently, the groundskeepers at Soldier Field did not get the memo.
Soldier Field drainage issues are a reminder that the city of Chicago owns the stadium and the Bears are trying to leave. They’ve bought property in the suburb of Arlington Heights — which happens to be Jimmy Garoppolo’s hometown — to build a new stadium that they own
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 11, 2022
This is embarrassing for a franchise that has usually been embarrassing with its play lately. I’m sure there will be some repercussions for this after the game.
The bears beat the 49ers 19-10.