Vikings-Bears Game Marred by Noticeably Crooked Yard Lines at Soldier Field
By Kyle Koster
Wobbly lines for #Bears at Solider Field? https://t.co/l8jfWOrH4k pic.twitter.com/HlqWLUU2iy
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) November 1, 2015
New turf was installed at Soldier Field after the Chicago Bears’ game on Oct. 4. The team played its first home game since its installation yesterday and encountered a unique problem before kickoff.
Noticeably crooked lines, especially near the hash marks, were captured be several journalists.
Game officials taking a close look at painted yard lines that are a little wavy between the hashes at Soldier Field. pic.twitter.com/oyAA81j1Oj
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) November 1, 2015
The sloppy-looking field wasn’t a result of anything salacious like a boozy parks employee or punk kids keen on playing a prank. Instead, stadium officials literally blamed it on the rain.
"“The wavy lines are a result of the tarp being down all day yesterday due to the rain,” said Soldier Field spokesperson Luca Serra in an email to the Tribune. “The lines always move to some degree when the field is tarped depending on temps and humidity levels and requires grounds crew to adjust them after.”"
The lines were painted on Friday and looked better after the grounds crew tinkered with them. But the damage was already done.
Clearly distracted by the asymmetry on display during pregame warmups, the Bears allowed the Minnesota Vikings to earn a 23-20 win between the wobbly lines.