Chicago Bears Looking To Cubs For Possible Next Team President
News recently came out that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a favorite to become the Chicago Bears’ heir apparent to Ted Phillips as team president. It makes sense. He has a wealth of NFL experience from his time with the Rams, Lions, and Vikings. He also oversaw the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota. Those qualifications make him perfect for the Bears’ current and future needs. However, the team made it clear in a statement that other candidates are being considered. No decision has been made yet.
This isn’t unexpected. It isn’t something a team should rush. It appears while Warren is the hottest candidate, he might not be the only one getting heavy consideration. Matt Fortuna, Adam Jahns, Nicole Auerbach, Max Olson and Dan Pompei of The Athletic revealed as much in their recent column covering the story.
“One other local candidate was Colin Faulkner, the Cubs’ vice president of sales and marketing and chief commercial officer. He interviewed twice with the Bears, an industry source told The Athletic.
The Bears are preparing for a major change when Phillips retires from the organization. He’s served as president and CEO for 23 years and has worked in the team’s front office for 39 years. His departure marks the end of an era in which the team thrived off the field but was inconsistent on it.”
It wouldn’t be the first time an executive left one Chicago sports team to join another. Former Bears GM Jim Finks famously left the organization in 1983 and took over the Cubs in 1984. John McDonough, Cubs team president, left in 2007 to take over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Faulkner is easy to understand.
He joined the Cubs organization in 2013. With his help, they became one of the most successful organizations in professional baseball including three ALCS appearances and a World Series title in 2016. The franchise saw its value grow from $1 billion his first year to $3.8 billion by this year. So it isn’t a surprise he was promoted several times during that span, eventually making him Chief Commercial Officer, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing. Before that he spent eight years with the Dallas Stars in the NHL. Faulkner is no stranger to changing sports.
He also had a direct hand in the renovations of Wrigley Fields during his Cubs tenure, so he has experience dealing with stadium responsibilities. He also has the advantage of being 38 years old, younger than Warren. If the Chicago Bears were looking for long-term stability through what could be an eventful time that could include a stadium move and an ownership power shift, then Faulkner would make sense. It comes down to how strong of an impression he made in interviews.