There is still work to be done before leaving Illinois.
The National Football League’s Chicago Bears franchise is leaving Chicago in about five years and will call Hammond, Indiana home. That is what it appeared to be on June 5th when the franchise’s ownership released a statement. On June 4th, Bears ownership made a decision. Sort of. “Yesterday, the Chicago Bears Board of Directors met and voted to advance our stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site to be selected. We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city. It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
The operative word is “advance” because nothing was finalized. In the words of the great philosopher Lawrence P. “Yogi” Berra it ain’t over until it’s over and for Illinois, until every eye is dotted and every tee is crossed, there is no agreement and an opening for Illinois. Bears ownership could be joining the ownership of the Kansas City Chiefs NFL franchise and going into a new state, in Chiefs’ ownership case, Kansas, with public money raining down on the business. Indiana has a mechanism in place and it will cost Indiana taxpayers a great deal of money. Indiana Governor Mike Braun has signed a bill creating a path to building a football stadium-village in Hammond. Hammond is about 30 miles south of Chicago. An Indiana stadium finance authority could authorize taxes on football tickets, hotel rooms, restaurants and tolls to raise money to help build the public-owned stadium. Bears’ ownership would retain all game, concert and event-related revenue. The Bears would play rent-free for at least 30 years with the option to purchase the stadium for a dollar after 40 years. It seems to be a great deal.
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