JUNE 2: Late on Sunday, the Illinois state legislature adjourned for the spring with a last-minute attempt at passing a new ‘megaprojects’ bill falling short, as detailed by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. As a result, Arlington Heights and Hammond remain the two potential Bears destinations at this point. Cronin points to this latest development as the next in a long line of indications that the franchise’s next home will end up being built across state lines in Indiana.
MAY 31: The state of Illinois is not letting the Bears leave Chicago without a fight.
Earlier in May, the Bears released a statement explaining that they no longer saw a path to staying in the city and naming Chicago suburb Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana as the two finalists for the team’s new home. But the Illinois legislature is launching a last-gasp effort that would give municipalities in Cook County – which includes Chicago and Arlington Heights – to create a stadium authority to finance and lease a new arena to the Bears. The team would foot the bill for construction, but not property tax, as the stadium and the land it sits on would be owned by the municipality.
“They would essentially pay for the stadium, enter an agreement with the municipality — could be any municipality — and the municipality would open the building,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham (via Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times), who represents part of the South Side neighborhood of Chicago. He has led negotiations with the Bears and introduced this latest bill for a publicly-owned stadium in what he sees as a “common model” around the NFL.
Legislators are still working on hammering out the language of the bill, and time is of the essence. As in the NFL, June 1 is a key date in the Illinois Capital. Bills voted on after June 1 must be supported by 60% of the legislature if they take effect within a year. The Bears are looking to finalize their decision in the coming months, so the state must act quickly to approve this bill and give the team an alternate path to staying in Chicago.
This might be Chicago’s last chance to keep the Bears in the city. Arlington Heights will remain in play either way, but it is 30 miles northeast of Soldier Field, which is roughly the same distance from the proposed Hammond site in Indiana. If this bill can get approved by the legislature and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago would still to go through the prescribed process of creating a stadium authority and working out a deal for the Bears to build and occupy – but not own – a new stadium in the city.
It seems unthinkable that the Bears could be headquartered anywhere but Chicago. But the city has refused to offer public funds for a stadium, and a bill that would have offered substantial tax breaks passed the general assembly but not the state senate. Cunningham’s legislation offers a middle route in which the Bears pay for the stadium but face no tax bill since it will be publicly-owned.
Wouldn’t 30 miles Northeast be in Lake Michigan?
Tell me you wouldn’t watch Bears on Ice.
The real frozen tundra.
The HammondEggers. The GareBares. The Arlington Heights Football Team (TM). The jokes write themselves.
By the way, once again, Bear fans, THIS is the main reason that “worthless” Packers Fan Stock (of which I own a share) is NOT so worthless.
Common sense lesson completed. You’re welcome.
Why do the biggest idiots always talk about common sense like honesty
Prove how I’m wrong. I’ve been watching bears fans melt down all week.
That’s pretty funny. Who is it who’s melting down here?? The Bears are so far up your small intestines you can’t even breathe.
Nope. Just pointing out common sense. (Along with your impending regression mind you)
BTW. This is why GBs ownership structure is the very best. The team literally can’t leave the town. Ever. And the financials are 100% transparent. That “stock” is fan gold.
You must be a bears fan.. still can’t come to your senses that the packers still own the bears?
Ask Rondon, Uncle, CEL etc.. I am def NOT a Bares fan. I am a proud Packers shareholder. 🙂
Come on boys- You’re both in denial. The Bears are undeniably competitive and ANY team that wins the North now will have to earn it. The Packers don’t own anybody in that division anymore… and Bearmeat- The New York Jets and Giants play in NJ. The Los Angeles Rams play in Inglewood. They’ll be the Chicago Bears wherever they end up.. If it’s Indiana, you can look directly at the Illinois state legislature that DIDN’T get what’s reported here, done. Those a$$hats could f**k up a wet dream.
I didn’t say the Bears won’t be competitive. I said I expected regression in a high variance league. It’s entirely possible they will be better and miss the playoffs in the meat grinder of the nfcn.
And as far as Indiana goes. I think corporate handouts are evil and I don’t blame Illinois one bit for not giving a 3bn one to the Halas family.
This is not a completely taxpayer funded stadium like the White Sox got. Or the mostly taxpayer funded stadium scam the Titans are getting away with in Nashville. The Bears are putting up well over two billion dollars to build the stadium. They bought the land in Arlington Heights (if that’s where they land), and are asking what every large company that builds in a new area asks for- infrastructure help. Interstate exits, train stops, whatever. No one seems to have an issue when it’s not a pro franchise.
I am NOT a fan of supporting billion dollar franchises, but in this case, I don’t really think they’re making unreasonable requests. We’ll see..
Obviously the politicians in Illinois have to put on a good show for those who elected them. Relocation is not the end of the world. Some fans may not be aware that the Bears originally began in Decatur. At least a dozen other NFL franchises have undergone location changes without the sky falling. Some great memories were created at Soldiers Field and other historic stadiums of the past but that doesn’t preclude great moments being created at future venues.
Empty offer by the city and the state. The Bears want to own their own stadium. They want to control it and gain the profits for other things like sports betting and convert revenue.
This is just a publicity stunt for the politicians to say “we tried”. If they gave a damn, this would not have been drub out this long.
I hope they go to Indiana. It’s the best decision for them. Indiana government has already approved what Chicago and Illinois have drug their feet on for years.
Bye, bye Bears! Time to audition new teams….
When you let government try and run a business, that business will go sideways. Been proven before, has anyone ever seen a government run business make money, the government ends up trying to get more money (taxes raised) to make the ends meet. So, keeping government out of private business is the best deal. Let a businessman run the business, Bears will be ok, they have a good foundation now.
If the team isn’t playing in Illinois, I wouldn’t allow them to use the Chicago name.