Dive Brief:
- The NFL’s Chicago Bears have signaled they’ll move the chains, leaving not just the Windy City, but the state of Illinois, in the latest update of the franchise’s stadium saga.
- The Chicago Bears board of directors have voted to advance the team’s stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, according to a Friday announcement from George McCaskey, Bears chairman, and Kevin Warren, the franchise’s president and CEO.
- Despite the announcement, the potential Indiana stadium, just across the state line and still part of metropolitan Chicago, is not a sure thing. A competing site in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb where the Bears own 326 acres, is still in contention to hold the stadium, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Dive Insight:
The main site in Indiana lies along Wolf Lake, which borders Indiana and Illinois and is located around 25 miles from Hammond’s downtown, per the Sun-Times. However, NBC Chicago reported on Monday that the Bears are now considering a second Hammond location.
Plans for a new stadium on the outskirts of Chicago have materialized and changed multiple times over the past four years. In September 2022, the team shared a concept of a domed stadium in Arlington Heights, but emphasized that it was far from a done deal.
As the years went on, however, the prognosis was positive. In April 2024, the Bears revealed a $4.2 billion new stadium plan along Chicago’s lakefront. Then, in September, Bears CEO Warren emphasized his hope to host a Super Bowl at the site as soon as 2031.
Trouble brewed over tax incentives, which have prevented the Bears and Illinois from moving the ball down the field. This led to the state of Indiana attempting to court the team across state lines.
A bipartisan bill in the Indiana legislature approved upwards of $1 billion for new stadium construction, Axios Chicago reported on Feb. 19. The bill was signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Feb. 26, per the Sun-Times.
Meanwhile, the Illinois legislature has hit roadblocks on its own plan to woo the Bears. The lawmaking body failed to pass a bill meant to incentivize the franchise to build in Illinois during its waning spring legislative session, Capitol News Illinois reported. However, state Rep. Dan Ugaste announced that he would introduce a bill that aims to address the gnarled property tax issues, NBC Chicago reported Tuesday.
The Bears currently call Soldier Field home. Opened in 1924 as Municipal Grant Park Stadium, the venue has played host to Chicago NFL home games since 1971.
