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The Chicago Bears on Thursday announced that their new stadium planning and expectations, which the team had been balancing between options in Arlington Heights, Illinois and Hammond Indiana, will now have a “sole focus” on the site in the state next door.
The club is definitely leaving Chicago, which it has called home since 1921.
And it is almost definitely leaving Illinois, too.
CHICAGO BEARS TAKE MAJOR STEP TOWARD LEAVING CITY AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY AS FRANCHISE MAKES INDIANA PLANS
“…Even though we’ve had occasional meetings with the state of Illinois, our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed use development in Hammond, Indiana,” Bears CEO Kevin Warren told reporters on Thursday.
So, the Indiana Bears?
The Hammond Bears?
Nope.
“We will be the Chicago Bears, whether we’re in Arlington or whether we’re in Hammond,” Bears Chairman George McCaskey said. “And as Kevin said, our focus on Hammond, that’s where we’re advancing our efforts, and that’s where the bulk of our time, attention, and resources are being devoted.”
McCaskey said he understands there is anxiety from Bears fans that the club is likely leaving the state.
“We understand that that’s out there,” he said. “And it needs to be dealt with. We are doing surveying, research, data collection, to address those issues. And as I said months ago, this is going to require an adjustment.
“But it required an adjustment when we went from Wrigley [Field] to Soldier [Field]. It required an adjustment when we went from, Soldier to Champaign temporarily. And it required an adjustment when we came back to the quote unquote new Soldier Field.
“That’s how it works over the course of 100-years-plus of franchise stewardship.”
For months there has been hope among some fans and others in Illinois that some sort of Hail Mary proposal or scheme could somehow keep the Bears from bolting. That would require work with the mostly Democrat politicians in Illinois from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to legislators and McCaskey made it clear those discussions with Illinois politicians haven’t been fruitful.
“Minimal,” McCaskey said describing the communication. “We were waiting to see whether there would be some substantive action taken. We thought we had presented a pretty compelling case that a stadium in Arlington would be beneficial not only for the village of Arlington Heights, but for the community, and for the entire state.
“Really a tremendous driver of economic activity, job creation, tax revenue, sales revenue, and ultimately that argument was unsuccessful.”
CHICAGO POLITICIANS ARE DOING WINDY CITY POLITICIAN THINGS TO TRY TO KEEP THE BEARS IN TOWN
The mostly Republican politicians in Indiana, meanwhile, have offered a stark contrast.
“The representatives from the state of Indiana, all the way from the governor’s office to representatives in Northwest Indiana, have been phenomenal partners,” Warren said. “They’ve been stellar to work with, very professional, diligent, with a can-do attitude.”
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