Your Fire just got sponsored by fries. Seriously?
Okay, so Chi-Town on the wire — you already know. You'd think after all this back and forth about the Chicago Fire FC getting their own stadium, like, a *real* one, not the one way out in Bridgeview that nobody wanted to go to anyway, you'd think the name would be something cool, right? Something like "The 78 Stadium" or whatever the developer's fancy name is. Nah nah nah. They just announced it's gonna be called "McDonald's Park." *McDonald's Park.* I'm not even playing with you. It's like they want you to show up for a game and then immediately crave a Big Mac and a Filet-O-Fish.
### What This Means for Chicago
This is happening at "The 78" development, which is that massive new project going up by Roosevelt Road and the Chicago River, like, right there at the edge of the South Loop. It's supposed to be this huge thing, bringing jobs and housing and, you know, making Chicago even *more* of a global city. And now our brand-new soccer stadium, where kids from Little Village and Back of the Yards are gonna dream of playing, is gonna be named after a fast-food joint. It's already bad enough we got the United Center named after an airline, but this just feels... different. It’s like, our city, with all its history and culture, and they couldn’t find a better name?
* The new stadium is part of "The 78" development, near where the Red Line eventually *might* extend, if we're lucky. * It's a $750 million project, so you know McDonald's dropped some serious change for that naming right. * Chicago Fire FC is finally getting a proper home in the city, which is great for the team, but the name? Oof.
Look, I get it. Money talks. And McDonald's, founded right here in Des Plaines, is a huge Illinois company. But for a city that prides itself on its architecture, its art, its neighborhoods — to name a major sports venue, a beacon of future development, "McDonald's Park"? It just feels a little... cheap. Like, what’s next? The Harold's Chicken Bulls? The Portillo's White Sox? It’s a good deal for the Fire, sure, but it feels like a missed opportunity to truly brand this as a *Chicago* stadium, for *Chicago* fans.
Chi-Town on the wire — you already know.
The morning crew is probably gonna have a field day with this one. Check out their hot takes live at mornings.live.