Chicago Bears fans were left furious and Democrat Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he was ‘very disappointed’ on Thursday as the team’s potential move to Indiana took another step forward.
The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee has passed a bill establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana — about 30 miles from their current home, Soldier Field.
Pritzker told reporters at an event in downstate Collinsville that his staff conducted more than three hours of ‘very positive discussions’ with the Bears on Wednesday.
The Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning on a bill that would allow the Bears and any other developer of a large enough project to negotiate long-term property tax rates with local taxing bodies. But that got canceled.
‘[We] mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward this morning,’ Pritzker said. ‘But they asked us not to move forward because they said they wanted to tweak a couple of items in the bill, which were things that we were working with them on.
‘I have to say it’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois. We’re waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next.’
The Chicago Bears’ longtime home, Soldier Field, has been on the chopping block for years
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he was in contact with the team and is shocked by the news
Meanwhile, the team celebrated the unanimous vote in Indiana.
‘The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,’ the team said in a statement. ‘We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.’
Republican Governor Mike Braun and lawmakers in Indiana have been aggressive in trying to lure the founding NFL franchise across the state line amid a years-long effort to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois.
The Bears did not mention Illinois in their statement.
The team’s focus for a new home had fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.
They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.
According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls.
The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill last October to freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium that would have allowed them to begin construction in 2025. But that didn’t happen.
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In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site.
Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as president three years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing ‘significant progress’ with local leaders. But in December, the Bears announced they were also considering Northwest Indiana.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since then.
‘I’ve been a Bears fan for a very long time, and I’ve wanted them to perform, stay, play here, (and I) continue to believe that that’s the best thing for them,’ Pritzker said. ‘I believe they understand in their hearts that that may be the best thing for them, but we’ll see what it is that they end up doing here.’
Bears fan looks on before the game between the Chicago Bears and the Giants
Some football fans think of a move to Indiana as a good thing for the Bears.
‘Bears moving to Indiana would be the best thing to ever happen to that franchise,’ one wrote on X.
But many more were upset at the prospect of seeing the team leave downtown Chicago.
‘It’s disgusting!’ one remarked on X. ‘How can you be the Chicago Bears and play in Indiana??? Ridiculous.’
And then there was scandalized former Governor Rob Blagojevich, who blamed Pritzker.
‘We need a new QUARTERBACK in Illinois. Governor Pritzker-who eats like a bear but throws like a girl-just turned the ball over,’ Blagojevic wrote on X. ‘Outplayed by the governor next door, our beloved CHICAGO BEARS are about to move to Indiana. This would have never happened when I was governor!’
Blagojevic, a Democrat, was famously convicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery, extortion and making false statements. His Sentence commuted by President Donald Trump in 2020.