This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
Dive brief:
- The NFL’s Chicago Bears have indicated they will be moving the chains, leaving not only the Windy City, but the state of Illinois, in the latest update to the franchise’s stadium saga.
- The board of directors of the Chicago Bears has voted in favor advance development of the team’s stadium in Hammond, Indianaaccording to an announcement Friday by Bears president George McCaskey and franchise president and CEO Kevin Warren.
- Despite the announcement, the potential Indiana stadium, just across the state line and still part of the Chicago metropolitan area, is not a sure thing. A competing site in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb where the Bears own 326 acres, is still fighting to keep the stadiumthe Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Diving knowledge:
Indiana’s main site is located along Wolf Lake, which borders Indiana and Illinois and is located about 25 miles from downtown Hammondaccording to the Sun-Times. However, NBC Chicago reported Monday that the Bears are now considering a second location in Hammond.
Plans for a new stadium on the outskirts of Chicago have materialized and changed several times over the past four years. In September 2022, the team shared a domed stadium concept in Arlington Heightsbut he stressed that it is far from a done deal.
Over the years, however, the prognosis was positive. In April 2024, the Bears revealed a $4.2 billion new stadium plan by the lake in Chicago. Then in September, Bears GM Warren highlighted his we hope to host a Super Bowl in place as early as 2031.
The problems arose with tax incentives, which have prevented the Bears and Illinois from moving the ball down the field. This led to Indiana State trying to woo the team across state lines.
A bipartisan bill in the Indiana Legislature approved for over $1 billion for the construction of a new stadium, Axios Chicago reported on February 19. The bill was signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Braun on Feb. 26, according to the Sun-Times.
Meanwhile, the Illinois legislature has hit on its own plan to woo the Bears. The the legislative body did not pass a bill intended to incentivize the franchise to build in Illinois during its waning spring legislative session, Capitol News Illinois reported. However, state representative Dan Ugaste announced that he would introduce one bill that aims to address property tax issuesNBC Chicago reported Tuesday.
The Bears currently call Soldier Field home. Opened in 1924 as Municipal Grant Park Stadium, the venue has been his Chicago NFL home games since 1971.
