November will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of one of the most popular running backs ever to play the game. On Nov. 1, 1999, Walter Payton passed away at the age of 45 due to complications from liver cancer.
As such, Payton’s family & Bears management are planning on ways to pay tribute to the man known as “Sweetness”. Such plans include placing a life-size statue of Walter outside of Soldier Field.
Only one problem - the Chicago Park District is against such a move.
The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that a 6-foot bronze statue of Payton with a 6-foot base is currently being constructed in Alaska & Utah, and family & friends of Payton have been pressing the park district to allow the statue to be placed outside the Bears’ home stadium. But the district isn’t going for it:
According to a Payton family spokeswoman, park district officials explained that Soldier Field and the area surrounding it is to be preserved strictly as a memorial to war veterans. There also is concern a Payton statue outside of Soldier Field might diminish the stature of other former Bears Hall of Famers.
The park district, which oversees Soldier Field and its grounds, reportedly offered to have the statue placed at any other Chicago park.
Of course, it wouldn’t really be the same if the Payton statue were placed anywhere else but outside Soldier Field.
On one hand, any memorial to our fighting men & women should be held & cared for with the utmost respect. But on the other hand, would erecting a statue to one of the most beloved & selfless figures in Chicago sports history really be a slap in the face to veterans?
11:54 am on September 16th, 2009
c’mon, grease a few palms, after all this is Chicago.
12:00 pm on September 16th, 2009
Did they just start making the statue without getting permission to place it first? If so that’s pretty stupid. And if it’s the team that is helping to make it, then that’s doubly stupid because they of all people should know what the rules of the area around the stadium are.
I understand the point of putting it outside the stadium, but you have to respect the fact that the area is for the people who died in service for this country. If they want to honor him that’s fine, but do not put a statue there and say that he deserves to be honored as much as someone who died on d-day. If you put his statue, then what’s to stop other people from wanting to do the same?
I have never been to chicago, so is there a place inside the stadium to place it perhaps?
But if veterans in chicago are OK, with it, then I guess I wouldn’t have a problem with it either. I guess they should decide.
12:07 pm on September 16th, 2009
on point Bobby, place it inside.
12:43 pm on September 16th, 2009
I get the idea of preservering the integrity of the war memorial for our veterans and I commend Chicago for it. HOWEVAA, if you already have statues of of Hall of Famers out there doesn’t that defeat the original excuse. Now if the other satues are say the size of a small child and Walter’s is going to be 12′ with base then maybe the artists need to make it fit with the surroundings.
1:32 pm on September 16th, 2009
Correction Brooks:
Not only was Payton THE greatest Bear ever, he was simply the greatest football player EVER to play the game.
No one comes close to him. No one.
The man should have the entire stadium named after him, let alone a statue.
2:04 pm on September 16th, 2009
Are there other football statues out there? If so, then just make it the same size as the others and there shouldn’t be an issue.
Ever see the episode of Futurama where Bender has the planet size statue of himself made? Are they doing the same thing here?
And I believe you say Payton is the greatest football player ever because you forgot John Elway and Joe Montana played the same sport.
7:55 pm on September 16th, 2009
I agree that Payton was one of the greatest to play the game, but you can’t mess with a Vet memorial. If you have ever seen the area around soldier field you would know that it’s a beautiful place. The men represented in the memorials outside the stadium died so we can enjoy life’s simple pleasures like football. The contributions and sacrifices that those men made were far greater than Paytons. This is not like the park district is denying them to put up the statue. They said put in ANYWHERE except in an area already used to recognize our vets. The city has an elite public high school named after him. Why not put it there? His organization has helped many institutions citywide. Why not put it in front of one of their buildings? The city could also put it in a park and name the park after him. How about a park with a great football program for kids. There are literally hundreds of possibilities besides outside of SOLDIER field.
9:04 pm on September 16th, 2009
I understand the point but what effect did landing a 55000 seat UFO inside the historic colonnades have on the memorial several years ago?????
4:03 pm on September 17th, 2009
Football > War
7:18 pm on September 18th, 2009
Whats there is there. They could have built a giant donut stadium with a chocolate roof and dedicated it as a war memorial. Point is that its a war memorial. You cant decide later to change it to a memorial for an athlete because his family wants too. I love football but those men whose names are signified on that wall mean a hell of a lot more. Jordan’s statute was lucky because there was nothing outside the UC at the time.
ooh and papabear: so if football > war does that mean Tony Romo+ ochocinco+ plus any other goofy player > General Patton + A platoon of Marines? You must have lost yo DAMN mind!!!!