How crews at Soldier Field prepare for a frigid Christmas Eve Bears game
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Bears will take on the Buffalo Bills at noon on Saturday in what is set to be one of the coldest games to ever take place at Soldier Field.
Some tickets are selling for less than $10. CBS 2's Jackie Kostek went to Soldier Field to see how the stadium and broadcast crews are gearing up.
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, crews from Soldier Field and CBS Sports are no longer panicking. They're preparing.
"This one will go down as one of our coldest," Serra said.
It is truly hard to imagine what both the players and fans are going to experience out at Soldier Field on Saturday. You could see crews working out there on Friday. They were trying to remove as much snow from the fields as possible.
Crews have also put salt just about everywhere in the concourse and the stairs. It's less a way to melt the snow, and more so people can have some traction and not slip and slide around.
"Thankfully, the temperatures weren't all that bad," said Serra. "We were able to clear a lot of the snow before the temperatures started to plummet."
During an arctic blast like this, Serra said heating coils under the field and a tarp can prevent the field from freezing. Crews worked into the night Thursday to remove the snow.
During the game, two warming centers will be available to fans. With frostbite, and hypothermia concerns, Serra said fans can also text a help line if they need medical assistance.
"My biggest concern is just our crew and what they're going to have to deal with in terms of set up and in game," said Jonathan Segal, a CBS Sports producer.
Segal is producing the Bills-Bears game. He said their broadcast preparation doesn't change all that much for a game played in extreme cold.
"It's basically just get the gear, make sure it works and put it someplace warm, store it overnight, bring it out tomorrow, make sure it works again, get it warm again and bring it out right before kickoff," he said.
But wardrobe preparation does change for on-field photographers like league veteran Nate Spearman, who said he plans to wear three to four bottom layers, four to five on top and two hats.
"I took like a whole half a day, sat and laid everything out 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 hearty teams with two very different things on the line.
"It's the fun of game day," said Serra. "You add in the element of it being Christmas Eve, and then extreme temperatures, we love that kind of stuff here in Chicago."