The Chicago Bears have taken their most significant step yet toward leaving their longtime home, as the team's board of directors voted to advance a new stadium development in Hammond, Indiana. This decision comes just days after the Illinois spring legislative session ended without a deal to keep the franchise in the state.
Board Vote Marks Turning Point
The Bears' board of directors voted on Thursday to push forward with the Hammond project, though the exact site is still to be confirmed. It marks the first time the board has voted on any stadium site in a process that has stretched over nearly five years.
Illinois Last-Ditch Effort Fails
A last-ditch bill was introduced in the Illinois Senate at 11 p.m. local time on Sunday in a final attempt to retain the team. However, by Monday morning, lawmakers had adjourned without voting on the measure.
“Illinois has had three and a half years to deal with this and then they missed their own deadline,” Hammond mayor Tom McDermott said. “I think Illinois is out of the picture.”
Bears Never Asked for Public Money
The Bears never requested public funding for the stadium itself. Instead, they sought infrastructure commitments for roads and utilities. The team spent years waiting for a state government that repeatedly told them to come back later.
When the Bears purchased 326 acres at the old Arlington Park racetrack site in Arlington Heights for $US197 million ($AUD 279 million) in 2023, a new stadium felt within reach. But the project stalled, negotiations went nowhere, and the franchise was eventually told directly that Illinois would not make it a priority in 2026.
Indiana Moves Quickly
Indiana took a different approach. The state established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority earlier this year to finance, construct, and lease a new facility, with Hammond as the primary site. The Bears have committed $US2 billion ($AUD 2.84 billion) of their own money toward construction, with the land to be publicly owned.
Chairman George McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren framed the move as a regional opportunity.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across the neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” they said in a statement.
Fan Reaction Mixed
Bears fans may find that framing difficult to accept. Hammond sits across a state line, roughly 15 miles from Soldier Field, where the franchise has played since 1971. The Bears have never owned their own stadium in over a century of existence. That could be about to change — and Chicago might not be part of it.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
