SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A turf war over a football team is brewing between two Midwestern states with a sometimes discordant history.
The storied Chicago Bears want to leave historic Soldier Field, where they have played for half a century. Indiana lawmakers are trying to lure them out of the Windy City with a plan finance and build a domed stadium in Hammond, Indiana, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from their current home on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The Illinois General Assembly has responded with legislation that would provide tax breaks for the so-called megaprojects of at least $100 million, a plan that would include the Bears’ proposal to build a complex in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, about the same distance from Soldier Field as Hammond.
Critics complain it’s a bad deal for Illinois, where property taxes are already among the highest in the nation — especially when taxpayers still owe hundreds of millions of dollars for a renovation of Soldier Field from two decades ago.
Here’s a look at what’s shaping up to be a showdown.
Why the big deal?
The Bears, one of only two remaining founding members of the NFL, are legends. Their nine championships, including a Super Bowl victory, are second only to the rival Green Bay Packers — though the past few decades have mostly brought pain. The franchise carries an $8.9 billion cap hit, among the most valuable of the NFL’s 32 teams, according to Forbes.
Born in the central Illinois town of Decatur in 1920, the Bears have called Chicago home for 105 years. Their loss to Hoosier State would be a sore thumb.
What’s wrong with Soldier Field?
With 61,500 seats, it is the NFL’s smallest. The Bears have always leased their facilities – the Cubs’ Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 and Soldier Field, maintained by the Chicago Park District, since then. Like most teams, they want to own a stadium, giving them control over operations, scheduling and revenue streams from ticket sales, concessions, parking, naming rights and more.
And the Soldier Field is in the open air. A closed facility would allow for other marquee sporting events: Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours or WrestleMania, for example.
Why the ambiguity between states?
Along with established cultural and economic differences between the states and an intense college basketball rivalry, the political rift between Democratic-dominated Chicago and conservative Indiana has widened. It was raised last year when Indiana approved a commission to study changing state borders to include several central Illinois counties whose voters have approved ballot measures calling for secession from Chicagoland.
Arlington Heights, back to Chicago, to Hammond
The Bears have previously threatened to leave Chicago. When they opened moving in 1975then-Mayor Richard J. Daley replied, “Like hell they will.”
But the City of Big Shoulders heaved an anxious sigh in 2023, when the Bears paid about $200 million for a 326-acre (132-hectare) former horse racing paddock in Arlington Heights. They have predicted one $5 billion, taxpayer-assisted development for a domed stadium and campus of housing, hotels, entertainment and retail space.
In 2024, Bears offered a $5 billion planpartially funded by taxpayers, for an indoor stadium adjacent to Soldier Field, which garnered little interest in the capital city of Springfield. Late last fall, the team returned to Indiana.
Where the propositions lie
Enticing Indiana creates the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, build and lease a domed stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Indiana Governor Mike Brown signed it into law on February 26. The Bears would agree to a 35-year lease. Borrowed state money would cover the as-yet-unknown cost of construction, paid for by increased local hospitality taxes.
In Illinois, most Democrats have advanced legislation in the House that would provide incentives for any so-called megaproject of at least $500 million — or less, up to $100 million, depending on the number of jobs created. Developers will pay a property tax freeze on the pre-construction value of the plot for up to 45 years. During that time, they would make annual payments in lieu of taxes negotiated with local governments. There would also be an exemption from sales taxes on construction materials for up to 15 years.
Critics allege weaknesses in the Illinois plan
Opponents say the Illinois legislation, with its decades-long property tax freeze, would simply mean higher taxes for homeowners and other businesses — paying in lieu of taxes would be a bonus.
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who supports the plan, countered last week that the proposal would encourage development on land that does not generate property taxes while providing increased revenue for local governments.
Meanwhile, a significant debt remains for the last accommodation. Taxpayers in 2001 spent $399 million to finance a $587 million renovation of Soldier Field. With interest, the remaining tab is $467 million, according to the state Commission on Government Accountability and Accountability.
The Bears’ $7 million annual lease runs through 2033. Breaking it would cost the Bears a $10.5 million penalty for each year remaining on the deal.
By JOHN O’CONNOR Associated Press
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