Persistent Rumor About Chicago Bears Ownership Finally Confirmed
The Chicago Bears are in a transition period at the ownership level for the first time in over 40 years. Virginia McCaskey, the ageless matriarch of the franchise and daughter of George Halas, finally passed at 102 years old. People had wondered what the future held for the organization after she was gone. Many felt her influence was a key reason the McCaskey family was ardently against selling the team. Her son, George McCaskey, has continued to insist that the stance remains unchanged despite her being gone.
However, some have wondered how much longer that will remain the case. Rumors popped up a few years ago that the McCaskey family is not nearly as united on the idea of retaining the franchise as you’d think. Many of the younger generation have no interest in running a football team and have encouraged the possibility of selling. If you didn’t believe that, Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog brought undeniable proof. Even people within the organization and outside admitted there is a serious disconnect between the old heads, like George, and the younger people in the family.
“There is this belief that the family is a monolith with one opinion but there are so many kids and grandkids that they rarely agree on ANYTHING. And only a few of the younger generation seem to care enough to have opinions.”
“I was in a room with a few generations of the family once, discussing serious shit when it comes to the Bears. Half the room was on their phones. I remember looking around and thinking, this team needs a real owner.”
The Chicago Bears are approaching this crisis faster than you think.
This transition of power following Virginia’s death wasn’t from an old owner to a young one. It was from a very old owner to an old owner. George is 69 years old. His brother, Brian, is 65. Unless both have a good chance of also living into their 90s or 100s, the timeline for another transition period is much shorter. They’re already having a hard time holding this thing together without some serious consolidating. That includes bringing in new minority ownership and allowing current part owners to buy more shares. All the while, none of the young generation has stepped to the forefront in any meaningful way to stake their claim on the future. The Chicago Bears have been under the Halas bloodline since their founding. Given how things are trending, there could be an expiration date to that in the next decade or two.