CHICAGO (TBEN) – The Chicago Bears take on the Buffalo Bills at noon on Saturday in what will be one of the coldest games ever at Soldier Field.
Some tickets sell for less than $10. TBEN 2’s Jackie Kostek went to Soldier Field to see the stadium and broadcast crews getting ready.
When the extreme winter weather hit earlier this week, Soldier Field’s Luca Serra felt one thing: panic.
But on the eve of game day, Soldier Field and TBEN Sports crews are no longer in a panic. They are preparing.
“This one will go down in history as one of our coldest,” Serra said.
It’s really hard to imagine what players and fans alike will experience at Soldier Field on Saturday. On Friday you saw crews at work there. They tried to remove as much snow as possible from the fields.
Crews also sprinkled salt almost all over the hall and stairs. It’s not so much a way to melt the snow, but more to give people some traction and not slip.
“Fortunately, the temperatures weren’t that bad,” Serra said. “We were able to clear a lot of snow before temperatures started to drop.”
During an arctic blast like this one, Serra said heating coils under the field and a tarp could keep the field from freezing. Emergency services worked into the night on Thursday to remove the snow.
Two heating centers are available to fans during the game. With concerns about frostbite and hypothermia, Serra said fans can also text a helpline if they need medical attention.
“My biggest concern is just our crew and what they’re going to be up against in terms of set up and in-game,” said Jonathan Segal, a TBEN Sports producer.
Segal produces the game Bills-Bears. He said their broadcast preparation doesn’t change that much for a match played in extreme cold.
“It’s really just grab the equipment, make sure it works and put it in a warm place, put it away overnight, take it out tomorrow, make sure it works again, warm it up again and put it right before kick-off emerge,” he said.
But wardrobe preparation is changing for field photographers like competition veteran Nate Spearman, who said he plans to wear three to four under layers, four to five over and two hats.
“I took a whole half day, sat down and put everything on the bed and said, OK, this is what I’m taking,” Spearman said. “Everything you own, everything I own, half my closet is empty now.”
And while the weather conditions are no joke, it does provide an additional storyline for a game between two sturdy teams with two very different things at stake.
“It’s the fun of a game day,” Serra said. “You add that it’s Christmas Eve, and then temperature extremes. We like that kind of thing here in Chicago.”
Jackie Kostek
