Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl (XX in 1986), and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded the second-most victories of any NFL franchise, only behind the Green Bay Packers,[10][11][12] who they have a long-standing rivalry with.[13]
Chicago Bears
The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 20, 1919,[14][15][16] became professional on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921.[17][18] It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season; they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side, adjacent to Lake Michigan.
The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season, and began hosting training camp at Halas Hall in 2020 after major renovations.
Sponsorships
The team has major sponsorship deals with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Miller Brewing Company, PNC Financial Services, United Airlines, Verizon, Xfinity, and Proven IT.[133][134] The team was the first in the NFL to have a presenting sponsor, with the 2004 season advertised as "Bears Football presented by BankOne (now Chase)". Additionally, the Bears have an agreement with WFLD (the Fox owned-and-operated station in Chicago) to broadcast pre-season football games.[135]
Primary logo (1962–1973)
Primary logo (1974–2022)
Secondary logo (2023–present)
Wordmark logo (1974–present)
Secondary logo (1999–2022)
Primary logo (2023–present)
The club has had few official logos throughout their history. When the team was known as the Decatur Staleys in 1920, they used A. E. Staley's logo as football was intended to help promote the company.[136] The first Chicago Bears logo was introduced in 1940, depicting a black bear running with a football. The next logo, introduced in 1946, featured a navy blue bear on top of a football.
In 1962, the Bears introduced their trademark "wishbone-C" logo for the first time.[137] Initially white with a black outline, the logo is similar to the "C" long worn on the Cincinnati Reds' baseball caps, and very closely resembles the University of Chicago Maroons' "C" logo introduced in 1898. The change in the Bears' logo was due to the addition of logos on helmets, which professional football teams began adding in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In 2023, the Bears made their primary logo the orange bear head, which was previously their secondary logo since 1999.[138] Despite demoting the "C" to a secondary logo, the team will still retain it on their helmets and at the home field's 50-yard line.[139]
