Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters Dads' Rights
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations Illinois Legislature
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” Crime
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs Business
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago Cook County
  • On Saturday, October 4th, Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar hosted the Fifth Annual 16th District Dia de los Muertos Resource Fair at his district office. Partnering with Commissioner Aguilar were the Village of Lyons, Lyons School District 103, Teamsters Local 777, and Rincon Family Services.
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Hosts Fifth Annual Dia de los Muertos Family Resource Fair  Cook County
  • Jesse Jackson Jr July 2025
    Jesse Jackson Jr. Launches Candidacy for Congress Civil Rights
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to Celebrate Diwali by Recognizing Indian Community Leaders Cook County
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Statement of US Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and Federal Law Enforcement Leadership in Chicago on Ongoing Criminal Immigration Enforcement Operations Chicago
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes Cook County
  • Road construction cement truck. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Hastings: $123 million in IDOT projects will improve South Suburban roads through collaboration with local leaders construction
  • Source: Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
    Ratepayers will lose in the rush to approve battery storage electricity legislation in Springfield Business
  • Joyful reunion photo courtesy of Jeffery M. Leving & Assc law firm
    Leving Team Prevented a Father’s Wrongful Separation from His Child Dads' Rights
  • CTF Illinois Orland Park, 18230 Orland Pkwy, Orland Park, IL 60467
    Hastings, Giannoulias announce opening of temporary driver services facility in Orland Park Baby Boomers
  • Emagine Theater Pink popcorn
    Popcorn with a purpose: Emagine Theatres brings back Pink Caramel Corn to support Pink Fund during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Business
The Bridgeview Stadium, SeatGeek Stadium, hosts many community regional, sports and entertainment events.

Bridgeview Stadium is an investment in our future

Posted on April 27, 2018November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Bridgeview Stadium is an investment in our future
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Bridgeview Stadium is an investment in our future

Toyota Park changes its name to SeatGeek Stadium, remaining one of the Southwest Side and suburbs most valuable economic assets next to Midway Airport in driving up home, jobs and economic wellbeing in the Southwest Region

By Ray Hanania

For many years, the Southwest Side and suburbs of Chicago were ignored by major government and worse by the downtown Chicago media.

When something would happen in our region, the media would describe it as taking place on Chicago’s “South Side.”

No, we’re not the “South Side.” We are “Southwest.” Southwest Side, Southwest suburbs, or better yet, “Southwest Region.”

The Bridgeview Stadium, Toyota Park, hosts many community regional, sports and entertainment events.
The Bridgeview Stadium, Toyota Park, hosts many community regional, sports and entertainment events.

When services were expanded by the county or the state, those services mostly focused on other areas of Chicagoland while the Southwest Region only got scraps.

About the only thing we had of any importance for a long time was Midway Airport, and it was a struggle that many of our local leaders had to fight for to expand and support. Today, Midway Airport is a convenient and efficient airport that serves as an economic engine for the Southwest Region’s employment and business growth.

But it’s not the only one. The Bridgeview stadium, currently named Toyota Park and soon to be renamed SeatGeek Stadium, is another major economic engine that benefits our region. Residents of Bridgeview can already see the benefits. A recent Crain’s Chicago Business story noted that Bridgeview home values showed the largest positive growth over the past two years (17.6 percent) over 12 other neighboring communities.

That’s a better return than you can get from your bank!

The stadium officially opened its doors in 2006 and the naming rights were bought by Toyota. Like many iconic structures in today’s world, naming rights are common place and Toyota Park has been a magnet for activity, entertainment and business development. It has seating for 20,000 people for sporting events and 28,000 for concerts. And it features 34 executive suites plus 6 stage suites.

It’s the home of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club (MLS), Chicago Red Stars (NWSL), and the Chicago Bliss (Legends Football League). But it also features festivals, concerts and carnivals, too.

This week, it was announced that Toyota Park will get a new name and the change will take place in time for the 2019 event season. The naming rights were purchased by SeatGeek, an online ticketing service that has mastered the expansive and influential mobile trend in purchasing tickets.

The Stadium (soon to be SeatGeek Stadium) is important for many reasons.

First, it is owned by the taxpayers of Bridgeview. It was ambitious of the village to build it and own it, and it is much like owning a home. It has a mortgage and it has upkeep needs. But like all homes, eventually that mortgage gets paid-off and the “home” – in this case stadium” gives homeowners (Bridgeview taxpayers) a huge capital investment that has enormous longterm value. It is a value that increases over time and with inflation.

My parents taught me that one of my first goals after getting a good education was to buy a home because that home would be my biggest investment and savings for the future. When I bought my home 35 years ago, I was afraid of the mortgage and the monthly payments. But the truth is time flies when you’re having fun. The 30-year mortgage flew by and the initial payments that first year which seemed “enormous” and sometimes frightening suddenly looked small as the mortgage approached its pay-off.

Today, my home is my biggest paid investment and it has allowed me to expand and do more.

It was the smartest thing I did economically in my life, even if those first few years made me a little concerned each month when I had to write that mortgage check on the 1st of the month.

The future SeatGeek Stadium is also important for other reasons. While residents and taxpayers can watch as their mortgage slowly vanishes into a huge financial investment, it also is a reminder in a very loud way that the Southwest Side is important.

We’re not just an area of Chicagoland that can be easily pushed aside. We have Midway Airport, we have a great sports and entertainment stadium, and we have pride.

That stadium puts the Southwest Side and suburbs on the map and people can’t ignore us.

The only thing that can hurt us is if we start believing the propaganda from the mainstream media that we don’t matter. We do matter.

Over the years, Bridgeview’s stadium has showcased great entertainment and today is home to the Chicago Fire soccer team.

Just like the Cubs, we waited many years for them to win the World Series and they did. But you can’t win the World Series if you don’t have a team competing. The Chicago Fire is our Soccer team and I cheer them as enthusiastically as I cheer all of our sports franchises. They have their ups and downs, but that’s what makes it exciting.

If you have ever been to a Fire game, you know what I am talking about.

Finally, the future SeatGeek Stadium is just another part of the growth of the Southwest Region and of Bridgeview. It is the foundation for the development that is springing up all around us.

Years ago, they promised us that they would build the Crosstown Expressway. It was supposed to create a “path” for economic benefit to our area. But that never happened.

The stadium, however, along with the revitalization of Midway Airport, has created a new energy. We are seeing new businesses and economic growth. Soon there will be a new hotel near the stadium. Harlem Avenue has been widened and improved and it’s more and more active. A number of new businesses have popped up, all pouring sales tax revenues into Bridgeview that off-sets the burden on Bridgeview homeowners.

I love being a Southwest Sider and Suburbanite. I love it even more as I see our region grow.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist and author of the ethnic strategy book “Yalla! Fight Back”. Email me at his personal website www.Hanania.com or at [email protected].)

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters - October 9, 2025
  • Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations - October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” - October 8, 2025
NPV: 50
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Blogger, Business, Commentary, Editors Pick, Government, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:Bridgeview, Bridgeview stadium, Chicago Fire Soccer, economic development, economic engine, Illinois, property taxes, renaming, SeatGeek, SeatGeek Stadium, ticketing, Toyota Park

Post navigation

Previous Post: The only show in town
Next Post: Wolves start Thursday, lose Friday

Related Posts

  • Chicago Picasso east of the City Hall/Cook County Building. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Alderman Burke deserves fair treatment Blogger
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Threatening FEMA Employees and Law Enforcement Officers Crime
  • Elizabeth Klein, Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Photo courtesy of the Biden Transition Team
    Biden announces more key appointments to his cabinet elections
  • Adel and Omar Nofal Eagle scouts, the 224th and 225th Eagle Scouts in Troop 318’s 87-year history
    Twin Brothers from Orland Park’s Troop 318 Achieve Scouting’s Highest Honor: Eagle Scout Government
  • U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Photo courtesy of WIkipedia
    Feds invest $2 million in Frankfort, Illinois Business
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Orland Park Partners with Federal Agency to Address Illegal Firearms Crime

More Related Articles

Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights Video Interview: Jeffery Leving discusses mission to defend Dads’ Rights Chicago
Democratic candidate Fritz Kaegi speaks at a public forum at the Union League Club on property tax reform. Photo courtesy of the ICPR Kaegi Vows to Fix Broken Property Tax System elections
Orland Park Citizens Academy Village of Orland Park Launches Inaugural Citizens Academy Government
Inappropriate Illinois license plates New Secretary of State reaffirms rejection of inappropriate license plates Chicago
Actress and sitcom comedian Roseanne Barr. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Media hypocrisy over Roseanne Barr Blogger
“Just Judy” tells Topinka’s story Politics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays
    August 27, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language
    August 8, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters
    October 9, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations
    October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz”
    October 8, 2025
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs
    October 8, 2025
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago
    October 8, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme