Hammond mayor: Illinois ‘can’t afford the Bears anymore’

  • Comments
  • Print
  • Add Us on Google
Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
  • 0.25
  • 0.50
  • 0.75
  • 1.00
  • 1.25
  • 1.50
  • 1.75
  • 2.00

Please subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.

iii sdo aeB nshit m graool a. dotoarrnmnyysr ettmMne mrlccduDwfohtoI tic os tee hescmcnoh ada tlo cohpasweat atiee aTC m eHs ayariMalnp

sCput itieadcWgiwvincios ms hi vatnnEofraatnemangr ohdhrseaaucdsti ie inj r i chI waliaoeeptau n2tiosnI eincnaooutnsah nnwe iaednte tsgottr rsiOe6n2on ds eiatis 0sioflot ci.ihK s ael etrlnB t t ieo ncds ettuxdndnindn tnc ral fdpo ants reame l

inDeteay efterHtr siteKarcvottoe anoho C n het ga eweiaidnsmtsanmhilm verttnaeaf,otc ddSftre ennionttitbMosaood“o ikg sindrh owe u .cawLwirrtfmomS ”oIhtrii as ,iyfd e Ppaegnnsl shintBtnc n ach oi

eso“rntttia omciI ’ey c etwdoraaMpc Wh Cfo k in hbttri. oIee tiyIn”mu kn ee ?g wy endmthdaimmooroa’ a s.Bcieta]lm eeh dWtds skhItI nyehtciondttdsht tt.u clarny ey yemohtWh r? simcnmgac ea ourni nunay h“a tg o vah yerneieHe c. ,oydigln ioyocg nhDnapoiatg”osand t’omia ymana IyhtolaIt[eor dwA’e,ci o ty end ohtoi tu et

mti nfl Ioeeces hmiaswBh efui yloflmskDmtag radret oiaCnei i nrnie o nt iehfrag,ohrrstd hB,eas crw efid r tflnate h hdtessr aoidi oomssieno hue os oolaktee tFoefters hdlo n,temsrlntctgtlhai on oaagtees tymctdvltnb itiMo vtoae shSnscdrcena ewnmaednpm.hru haieys ai

oeifoor reheeeacgqlbsauustnmvioar:tc irp>lwoei esrau mp yor"telgo.< ,augeu=nn i.nhes /fnt,r.r td hto ecetInaCllsia oh na-nbettbe uyme aopiir hum vr--ha A stiei$ywlt dtm ta eb

lhworieslFh oyslu a ktstedsiiT ooimtagdHadetgr cal. m limayiAnoioh tntSmoicnese t lt odtttm hdds teefs tnoeh iea r rt aH agnnfetg eitnlhasiio

cb ”unfld ienv npou iirgsvsm iiw eoo t, edfad ue dpontas an iMriudymwIo dnnmcixibD t ml iueainrsrl adnhtlfttlaiere anhas alnbtdspduo“tt ne iynso eam thhigeog.e sagraa e tinttn

roddkwihyt erk pwt”a t” enlgc l aw aomvhu cca tatel rprraeauespaehneiin heaet. eveeysy x s o“e dy[ cnxrrmyen wen hs e em“brat s ae ap eeusidetry oh ppIilaich,snap e TiBrttdmdotnm eahhltt buf e c,edmexnt hnrtal] net oer eohtrad muacc hrln eomttry lttiunt,yaaa tdy.hehheoabtiteTn hhusiiI ermaawtehiea .d

.itrw:tnaerp e-r>o -eoaiynenlv.Gtnimot sn goho- us/tma Bs bhto/ssahnsseulc

ay relou ihIMt“ b oa eoeant ysnooermmo,aashi ycI tcdttg.lso h’nc t’”,smyi,Dfidry rsseyurnefrBngnmt eate

Nede"Ht r uta sasmi I c/mc ann i-ahsent ntg do oicoavdge shiB .klmt r yrci alna>stnaiTtriir si t ee eitro wc numt ont tnida edwhdes

e ,inyg th leGas.eaetrreidtoaiynM g rtn te eBgtinh oxsrd ddy le lytut’encea oaedtyeray i tlt ciiit,h atitrtnreei E ytscoihhnms norMco aO argtrh

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

16 Comments

Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.

  1. The fact that Hammond is closer to Soldier Field than Arlington is irrelevant. The important geography issue is: which site is closer to season-ticket holders and agreeable to fans?

    1. This is silly discourse. There are enough people in the Greater Chicago region that finding people to pay to fill 60k seats in Hammond would be a trivial pursuit, and the most dedicated existing Bears season ticket holders won’t care anyway.

      The actual issue is whether Indiana can “afford the Bears”.

    2. Robert, we’ve defunded public education and infrastructure before for flimsier reasons than “we can totally embarrass Illinois and the city of Chicago by giving their football team billions of our taxpayer dollars to locate here.”

    1. Exactly. They did the same thing in the 90’s when they were fighting with the City & State to get a new stadium built in Soldiers Field. It went as far as a feasibility study being done on locations in NW Indiana. But in the end, they got what they wanted in Illinois. Same will happen again.

  2. The Bears own the land in Arlington Heights and its value is directly tied to the Bears new stadium being built there, with the expectation others will also build near the new stadium to take advantage of the economic boom. Many professional sports stadiums are an anchor to other financial investments in the real estate surrounding the stadium (the area around Lambeau field is a great example). Also, using the distance from Soldier Field compared to Arlington Heights as justification for a NW Indiana location completely ignores the demographics of the season ticket holders. I would have to believe a majority of the season ticket holders of the Bears are located either in the northern or western suburbs of Chicago, making a commute to NW Indiana for a game much further or more inconvenient using public transportation. The are not enough residents in NW Indiana to replace the season ticket holders the Bears will lose if they make the move to NW Indiana.

    1. NFL teams got through playing games during COVID without ticket revenue just fine. If the state of Indiana is willing to make a terrible financial decsion and give the Bears billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and property tax abatements, the Bears are going to take it. It’s not the problem of the Bears that the majority of jobs this will bring are seasonal and low-paying and stadiums don’t lead to economic development worthy of the money they’re given.

      This is all about intra-state competition at this point and the state of Indiana is suffering from enough “little brother” envy to make a bad decision.

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In