Bears playing in England for fourth time Sunday, but it'll never be like 1986

The Bears likely will be in England by the time you read this, having flown off cheerfully Monday after whipping the Panthers 36-10 on Sunday.

The Panthers aren’t very good, but a win’s a win. Now the Bears will play the not-very-good Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and another victory seems likely.

But these frequent trips to England that NFL teams are making are about more than W’s and L’s. Consider that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is going to London to watch the Bears and to seize the football moment to promote the international business possibilities of our ‘‘City of Big Shoulders’’ and, notably, bigger debts.

‘‘As we navigate budgetary challenges, we’re focused on identifying creative, non-tax revenue solutions,’’ Johnson said in a news release filled with bureaucratic gibberish.

What he meant was: ‘‘London, Chicago’s near broke, so please invest some pounds here, mate.’’

The NFL sees a U.K. market of 69 million soccer-saturated folks who are increasingly interested in ‘‘American football.’’ The same goes for other global marketplaces, which is why the NFL has played in Mexico and Canada, with Germany and Brazil also on the schedule this season. The Jaguars actually are staying in England for another week to play the Patriots on Oct. 20 at Wembley Stadium. They might return with Cockney accents.

The Bears have been to London three times — in 1986, 2011 and 2019 — and I was lucky enough to go with them on the first two. The second one was a regular-season game at Wembley against the Buccaneers, with the Bears winning 24-18. It was a dull affair, and I don’t recall much except that Matt Forte ran well, Jay Cutler threw two interceptions and Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw four.

I also recall the Bucs’ Michael Koenen blasting the opening kickoff straight out of bounds rather than kicking to Bears return man Devin Hester. Obviously, the Bucs hadn’t forgotten Hester running the opening kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown against the Colts in Super Bowl XLI in February 2007.

The main thrill of that trip came during a day off, when fellow Sun-Times sports guy Mark Potash and I took a train to Liverpool and spent an afternoon scouting out the spots John, Paul, George and Ringo frequented as lads. It was atop an open-air double-decker bus lurching near the Mersey River that we envisioned 14-year-old George Harrison performing his guitar tryout for Beatles-to-be John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

But it was an exhibition game against the Cowboys at Wembley on Aug. 3, 1986 — just six months after the Bears won Super Bowl XX — that really got the foreign drumbeat pounding. And the reason for the frenzy was the Bears themselves.

More of a traveling circus than a football team, the Bears offered up not only ringleader Mike Ditka but also ‘‘Punky QB’’ Jim McMahon, suave wide receiver Willie Gault, famous running back Walter Payton and beyond-famous William ‘‘The Refrigerator’’ Perry.

Indeed, The Fridge was so renowned for his uncommon girth and gap-toothed smile that the hottest-selling T-shirt that week showed a likeness of him running the football. Perry also made the cover of Sports Illustrated, standing in front of Buckingham Palace in game uniform with the Cowboys’ Ed ‘‘Too Tall’’ Jones, also in game uniform, flanking a stone-faced, red-jacketed Royal Guardsman.

The Bears took over the town, from discos to the financial district — business-minded fullback Matt Suhey visited Goldman Sachs — and it came with blessings from on high.

‘‘This is a cultural exchange as much as anything,’’ Bears general manager Jerry Vainisi said. ‘‘We want the players to get out and meet people.’’

That, they did. Right at the start, offensive lineman Keith Van Horne posed for a photo at Piccadilly Circus with a punked-out kid who asked, ‘‘Mind if my friend joins us?’’ The kid then fished a spotted rat out of his pocket and stuck the live rodent in his mouth.

The British scandal rags loved it all.

‘‘AMERICA’S GIANT SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS — THE CHICAGO BEARS — JET HOME TODAY LEAVING A TRAIL OF HEARTBROKEN GIRLS BEHIND,’’ The People screamed on game day. Its evidence? An unnamed hotel barman’s claim that ‘‘one muscle-bound Bear’’ bought champagne for ‘‘eight stunning girls,’’ then took them all to his room.

It rained on game day, but Wembley was sold out, with more than 86,000 tickets bought. Wembley’s promotions manager, Ralph Miller, said they could have sold a quarter-million tickets.

It’ll be calmer this time, for sure. Unless, of course, somebody such as Caleb Williams decides he’s ready to be the next Beatle.