Plenty of negativity surrounded the Chicago Bears during the offseason. Shoddy field conditions thwarted the Bears Family Fest at Soldier Field in August and prompted the organization to offer free tickets to disappointed fans. Ticket prices for all seats rose for the first time in three years. Personnel issues arose when the lockout ended.
Still, many fans said Friday that they were undeterred and eagerly awaited Sunday’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
“I am so excited the Bears season is starting,” said Ashley Ward, 23. “With the Bears, it’s kind of a family and it’s something you’re finally a part of again.”
About 200 people streamed into a lunchtime pep rally Friday at Daley Plaza, decked out in Bears garb. Ward joined enthusiastic colleagues who had anxiously awaited this moment throughout the NFL’s lockout, which ended in July.
“I was really hoping that we were going to have a season, and when I finally found out we were, I was overjoyed,” Ward said. “I’m definitely way more excited than I normally am.”
A trio of contract issues bubbled to the surface this summer. Veteran center Olin Kreutz declined a one-year, $4 million offer and landed with the New Orleans Saints. Running back Matt Forte didn’t get his wish for a new contract before the season’s start. Linebacker Lance Briggs unsuccessfully sought more money, then his agent formally asked the team for a trade.
Fans at the rally, however, were more interested in focusing on the Bears’ prospects for a winning season.
“I think that together as a team, they’re real on point and can take it all the way this year,” said Jackelyn Limes, 26.
“The whole team seems improved and really confident,” said Jeremiah Noonan, 24. “Confidence is what breeds winning.”
Bar owners said fan anticipation is as high as ever. Officials with Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group said that with the local baseball teams underachieving and no end in sight to the NBA lockout, the Bears could draw sports fans with little choice but to invest in football.
“It’s going to be interesting this fall to watch fans shift,” said CEO Grant DePorter. “They’re going to be hungry for sports. The Bulls fans out there certainly will gravitate.”
In any case, some Bears loyalists aren’t going anywhere.
“I think football is such a big part of our culture that no matter what happens, everyone has the heart for it,” said Loretta Medeiros, 27.
“There’s nothing that they could do to make us not (be) Bears fans,” Noonan said.
His mother, Denise Noonan, agreed with a laugh.
“We’re Cubs fans. Does that tell you anything?”
