I know it doesn't seem like it but at least three generations of Mc Caskeys have come of age since the Muggs age group, four since Halas. I bet there have been 50 possible heirs (and I may be very light on that number) to the ownership group representative's seat. It sits there for the taking as not one actually wants it. Not one alpha in four generations is willing to just grab the throne.

It's not like a kid having to take over his parent's diner that produces a decent income. This is fun. Every billionaire in the world wants to own and run a sports franchise but no Mc Claskey can be talked into it.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Have a cousin that was handed a successful business and ran it into the ground, wiped out two generations worth of work, he is and will always be an idiot, family businesses are similar, no matter the size, you must have someone with the foresight to bring in outside leadership, especially when you see the kids/grandkids are not capable.

Can say with some certainty that without the guaranteed NFL TV money the McKlaskey's would have done the same thing, they have not been able to negotiate a favorable stadium deal, and leave tons of revenue on the table due to what must be a lack of vision which could only come from having unqualified family members in key decision making positions, after all, you see how spectacularly Michael and George have failed in making HC and GM decisions, highly likely that happens throughout the organization and is why the Bears are the laughingstock of the NFL.

It's a corporation, so no single child can seize control.

But I agree with you that they should have developed at least one out of 75 or so that should have learned how to run a football team.

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The NFL seems to have baked in protections for the inept family ownership groups via the TV deal money, this at least keeps the league ownership stable and protects small market franchises, but one wonders if poor ownership would be a huge factor without it because if left to their own devices you wonder how long some of the teams could survive.

It does seem that picking a family member to be the face of ownership is a commonly held practice, it also seems that Michael and George have final say over coach/GM hires, so the one person does have influence over the football decisions which greatly impact the success of the team on the field, which would seem to have at least some impact on revenues. If you strip away or greatly decrease guaranteed TV money and instead allow teams to depend more on local income generation it would seem that local ratings, ticket prices/game day revenue, and merchandise would be greatly impacted by poor win loss records, and that the poor performance on the field would be directly correlated to the poor decision making by the ownership group.

I think you also have to keep in mind that for us, the Bears are a hobby. For people born into it, it's a job and likely an annoyance that doesn't really give you the same amount of love. It's like how a farmers kid may not love the farm the same way their parents do especially if they have other options and the farm can be sold for a good sum of money anyways.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Right, but that president of the general partnership has to come with a seven figure salary, right? George has to be pulling down at least a million per year for his efforts, in addition to the yearly dividends of profits and the long term increased team value.

and I'm not talking about the oldest son obligated to carry on the family name...give me just one out of four generations of a big family sufficiently interested in running a high profile billion dollar company that is nearly failure proof

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm sure they try and hide it but I have to imagine that they all know at an early age that any work they put in as adults will be virtually voluntary so putting in the years of work required to get a seat at the table is a harder choice than it seems especially if you don't really love football as it's simply the family business.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Here's how this is supposed to go down....family picks ONE person (and only ONE) to head up football operations. They can also pick ONE person (and only ONE) to handle stadium and operational matters. This person gets zero say in football operations just as the President of Football Operations doesn't meddle with the political side of the stadium. At this point, ownership or anyone with the last name of McCaskey....their only responsibility is to ensure these 2 people in charge stay in their lanes. That...and they need to fire and replace them should they be bad at their jobs.

It's simple...but not simple enough for the McCaskeys. They don't get it.

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