Indiana lawmakers on Thursday took a key step toward trying to lure the Chicago Bears to cross the state line and build a new pro football stadium in northwest Indiana, a vote that comes years into the team’s winding search for a new home.
A committee of the Indiana House of Representatives voted to establish a new stadium authority to help finance and build a new stadium complex in Hammond, Indiana.
The vote came two months after the Bears first publicly floated the idea of leaving behind its Illinois roots, with the team on Thursday saying it was focused on a site near Wolf Lake, an area along the state line and Interstate 90.
Thursday’s vote and a statement by the Bears escalated speculation about a potential move from Soldier Field along Lake Michigan in Chicago’s South Loop, but it’s possible the team still will strike a deal with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other leaders to keep the team in the state.
Moving from the nation’s third-largest city to a swampy area near an oil refinery and a casino would be a stunning, legacy-altering move by Chairman George McCaskey. He is the grandson of team founder George Halas, who moved the NFL team from Decatur in central Illinois to Chicago in 1921.
But pro sports franchises changing cities, or even crossing state lines, is not uncommon. In one recent example, the Kansas City Chiefs struck a taxpayer-backed deal to move to Kansas from Missouri.
Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren at previous moments during the search has put out definitive statements saying the team was focused on building a new stadium near Soldier Field or building on a site the team owns in northwest suburban Arlington Heights. But the team has expressed frustrations that its talks for Illinois public dollars to pay for infrastructure and property tax breaks on a new stadium have moved too slowly.
In a statement in December, Warren said the team was expanding its geographic search for a domed stadium site because “our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership” in Illinois.
On Thursday, the Bears said in a statement that new stadium legislation in Indiana “would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date.”
The statement stopped short of committing to a move across state lines.
“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,” the statement said.
The statement also praised Indiana state leaders, including Gov. Mike Braun, for “establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe.”
“We value or partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together,” the statement concluded.
Illinois governor ‘very disappointed’
Speaking at an unrelated event Thursday, Pritzker said he was “surprised, dismayed and very disappointed" with the Bears’ statement, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.
Pritzker added that he and officials had met with Bears leaders for three hours the day before regarding plans for a project in Arlington Heights.
The Bears have played home games at Soldier Field since 1971.
The team’s lease at city-owned Soldier Field ends in 2033.
Under the Indiana plan, the Bears would commit $2 billion toward building a stadium, with the issuing bonds and implementing new taxes to fund the project.
Illinois lawmakers, meanwhile, have been considering a bill that would allow the team to negotiate long-term property tax breaks and public dollars for infrastructure supporting a new stadium.