Royals are not the only AL Central team thinking about moving to a new stadium
This may come as a surprise to some, but there once were political shenanigans in the state of Illinois — and it helped keep the White Sox in Chicago.
The Illinois State Legislature had a midnight deadline of July 1, 1988 to find funding to build a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox. If a deal wasn’t reached, the team was planning a move to St. Petersburg, Florida.
A funny thing happened: the clock stopped shortly before midnight (or a lawmaker ignored the time) and early on July 1 funding for the stadium was approved.
That led to the building of new Comiskey Park (now called Guaranteed Rate Field). It opened in 1991, which isn’t old for a ballpark. But the White Sox reportedly are thinking of the day the team leaves the stadium.
NBC Sports Chicago, citing a story Monday in Crain’s Chicago Business, said White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has considered moving the White Sox from Guaranteed Rate Field when the team’s lease expires in 2029.
The White Sox are mulling options that include move elsewhere in Chicago, to the suburbs or “even to Nashville,” according to the NBC story.
Newsradio 780 in Chicago wrote: “The idea has some teeth, with at least one Chicago developer reportedly preparing a bid and Mayor (Brandon) Johnson planning to meet with Reinsdorf and team leaders about the future.”
White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert told Crain’s the time is right for the team to ponder its future.
“We have not had any conversations about our lease situation,” Reifert said, per NBC Sports. “With six years remaining, it is naturally nearing a time where discussions should begin to take place. The conversations would be with the city, ISFA (Illinois Sports Facilities Authority) and the state, and most likely would be about vision, opportunities and the future.”
Should the White Sox move from their stadium before the 40th anniversary of its opening, they likely will be the second American League Central team to be in a new home by 2030.
The Royals are planning a move from Kauffman Stadium, either to downtown Kansas City or North Kansas City, with an entertainment district around the ballpark.
Chairman/CEO John Sherman said he hopes the team can be in a new home by the 2028 season.
Renderings of the new stadium are expected to be released by the Royals on Tuesday afternoon.
