On September 30, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Brian Chappatta wrote a piece “Why the Chicago Bears Are Tempted by My Village” where he sets forth the reasons why the Bears should move from Chicago to his hometown, the Village of Arlington Heights.

Unlike Chappatta, I am actually from Chicago, the namesake of the Chicago Bears. I was born at Northwestern Hospital and raised on the North Side. Chicago is a thriving city full of hardworking people from diverse backgrounds. Chicago will never be mistaken for a “village” or a “sprawling suburb,” as the author describes his hometown. The Chicago Bears, known for their hard work, belong in the City that works. 

Chappatta argues that in Arlington Heights the Bears would have a stadium owned by themselves that could create more revenue and make the Bears, currently valued at $4.08 billion, even more valuable. Although this may be true, not everything needs to be about money. The Bears are one of the most valuable teams in all of sports because of Chicago. Would the 100 year old owner really abandon the Bears’ hometown for an extra billion dollars? Why would Chappatta praise that idea?

The Bears’ current stadium, originally called Municipal Grant Park Stadium, was designed in 1919 and built in 1924. The name was changed to Soldier Field in 1925 to commemorate American Soldiers who lost their lives fighting for our country. At every Bears home game, a soldier is honored and the following words are recited over the loudspeaker: “This is not a stadium; it is a monument.” But instead, according to Chappatta, Arlington Heights offers the Bears the opportunity for a “lucrative naming sponsor.” Once again, not everything needs to be about money.

Soldier Field’s beautiful combination of classic and modern architecture is unique among cookie-cutter NFL stadiums. Of course, as Chappatta points out, millionaires can’t watch games from a swimming pool like they do in Jacksonville.

The classic portion of Soldier Field was paid for almost 100 years ago by the taxpayers of Chicago. In 1987, after a similar threat by the Bears to move to Arlington Heights, the taxpayers of the City of Chicago renovated Soldier Field at a cost of $660 million. The debt taken on by the taxpayers hasn’t even been paid off, yet Chappatta is encouraging the Bears to move. The Bears have given a lot to Chicago, but the Bears’ owners have been given a lot in return.

The team is called the Chicago Bears, not the Chicagoland Bears. They are the “Monsters of the Midway,” not the “Monsters of the Strip Mall.” The Bears belong at Soldier Field, Chappatta. Not everything needs to be about money.