Mt. Pleasant Packers Fan Sues Chicago Bears Over Dress Code

CHICAGO, IL — As if Bears fans needed another reason to hate the Green Bay Packers, a fan of Chicago's bitter NFC North foe has provided more fuel to the rivalry, moving it from the gridiron to the courtoom. Russell Beckman — a Mount Pleasant Packers fan who also has been a Bears season-ticket holder since 2003 — is suing to wear his Green Bay gear during on-field pregame warmup sessions at Solider Field, one of the game-day perks available to longtime season-ticket holders, Crain's Chicago Business reports. The lawsuit, which lists the Chicago Bears and the NFL as defendants, was filed Friday in federal court in Chicago.

According to the lawsuit, Beckman has redeemed his season-ticket reward points to hang out on the sidelines while the teams warm up before home games for the past three NFL seasons. During the 2014 and '15 seasons, he wore Green Bays Packers attire without the Bears objecting, the complaint said.

But that changed in the '16 season, according to Crain's. Days before December's Chicago-Green Bay game, Beckman received a Bears email that stated ticket holders participating in the pregame warmup experience were prohibited from wearing the apparel of the opposing team. He was told the same thing when he contacted the Bears' ticket office before the game, and on game day, Beckman wasn't allowed on the sidelines, Crain's reports.

In his lawsuit, Beckman — a high school social studies teacher who is representing himself — argues that the Bears' refusal to let him wear his Packers gear for the pregame activity stopped him from fully enjoying the experience and the game. The complaint is asking for the team to drop its "no opposing team" dress code, and Beck told Crain's that because Soldier Field is a publicly owned and funded facility, he thinks it's against the law for the stadium to have such a policy.

More via Crain's Chicago Business

Packers fan Russell Beckman — a Chicago Bears season-ticket holder from Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin — shows his support for Green Bay in a 2015 photo during a pregame warmup experience at Solider Field. The photo was included in Beckman's federal lawsuit filed Friday, June 16, against the Bears and the NFL. (Photo via Russell Beckman)