For some Chicago Bears fans, observing a training camp session was a fun way to enjoy a summer day and get a fresh perspective ahead of the 2024 season. For Zion’s Patrick Simmons, the meaning was deeper.
“This is something I never thought I could experience. Being this close to the action, it’s a lifelong dream for me,” he said. “I can get a different experience on the players and their abilities and flaws.”
Simmons also showed off the tattoos on his fingers that spell out BEAR DOWN, which he said was not only a sign of his love for the team but served as an inspirational message he shared with a friend who recently died as both were facing major illnesses.
“When you have a tattoo like this,” Simmons emphasized. “You better come to training camp.”
On a hot and humid Tuesday morning, Simmons was among the Bears faithful arriving at Halas Hall to watch one of the nine practices scheduled to be open to the public this summer, many wanting to see Caleb Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
This is the fourth consecutive year the Bears have had their summer training camp at Halas Hall open to the public since moving it back to Lake Forest. (The 2020 camp was closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.)
As fans walked to the practice field, Bears chairman George McCaskey said hello and posed for pictures.
“It’s a reaffirmation of what we have known all along that we have the best fans in the world,” McCaskey said. “To see all these people coming out here so anxious to see their heroes on the field. They are braving 92-degree temperatures today to see their Bears. It’s very gratifying.”
Like many others, McCaskey sensed a “buzz” among Bears fans for the 2024 season, while acknowledging the struggles of a franchise that has not won a post-season game since January 2011.
“It’s been very frustrating for the fans and for us the last couple of seasons,” he said. “Now the challenge is we have to deliver.”
When head coach Matt Eberflus started practice, fans were taking in the action sitting in bleachers or just standing in the corners, including Libertyville’s Dilan Patel.
“I do like to watch the scrimmages,” he said. “You can see the wide receivers go up against the corners and see how they match with each other. I like seeing how everyone works together and how Caleb throws balls has me excited.”
Sharing that interest in Williams was Lindenhurst’s Josh Bouchard.
“It’s been a bit since we have a lot to look forward to in the quarterback class,” he said.
In the stands was Grayslake’s Cheryl Prentice, hoping to get a close look at a touchdown.
“I want to see some action down here,” Prentice said.
She said this was her initial time coming to training camp, making the trip this year because of the proximity to her home, her excitement for the 2024 season, and the filming of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that for the first time in the program’s history is showcasing the Bears training camp.
She sat next to her husband, Yarll, a fan of the Green Bay Packers. He didn’t express any worry if Williams turns into a better quarterback than Jordan Love, the Packer who agreed to a massive contract extension this week.
“It would be great if they both end up being really good,” he said. “We’d have some fun at home.”
Karl Richter of Salem, Wisconsin, who grew up in Antioch, was another making the trip to Lake Forest. He remembered his father taking him to Platteville, Wisconsin where the Bears held training camp from 1984-2001.
Now he was taking his son, Brycen, intrigued to see the rookies such as Williams and Rome Odunze and other players he thinks will make a positive impact this year.
The intensity of the thermostat did not dissuade him from taking in the action.
“It’s a little warm,” Richter said. “But we will tough it out to see the Bears.”
Watching the practices is just one part of the training camp experience for the fans, many of whom were trying to get autographs when practice concluded.
Adding to the overall experience is the opening of the Walter Payton Center next to the practice field. There children ran around on the field, while others used it as a way to escape the muggy conditions.
Upon entering, there is an activation center with a virtual reality experience, ball tosses, a pro shop with merchandise, or the team’s corporate partners highlighting their merchandise.
“Every year we try to make it bigger and more impactful presence,” noted Bears Senior Vice President Lee Twarling. “Every year we are learning a little bit more as to what the campus can hold and what kind of activations we continue to have with the fans,” he said. “Each year we engage with partners and the community to try and build on the experience.”
