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Chicago Mayor’s Radio Confession About Leaving Bears Game Early Goes Viral and Threatens Lakefront Pitch

The clip sharpens focus on Soldier Field’s traffic problems and could weaken political support for keeping the team on the lakefront while leaving the Bears’ site process unchanged.

Overview

  • Mayor Brandon Johnson told 104.3 The Score that he left a BearsPackers game early to beat traffic, a remark the station posted and that listeners widely shared.
  • The radio interview, which ran Wednesday, quickly went viral and drew heavy mockery on social media and sharp criticism from sports hosts and columnists.
  • Commentators such as Danny Parkins and Paul Sullivan said the admission was politically damaging and could be used against Johnson in future campaigns.
  • The Bears continue to consider only Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana, for a new stadium and expect to decide later this spring or early summer, so the clip does not change the team’s formal process.
  • The episode has refocused attention on Soldier Field’s known ingress and egress problems and on unresolved infrastructure questions that include traffic studies, public infrastructure costs, and negotiation of incentives.