* Sun-Times…
A source close to the Bears said the General Assembly is “clearly calling the Bears’ bluff” and daring them to move to Indiana. […]
“The fact that they’ve been trying to get a stadium for three years, they pass a bill in the House, we wait weeks and weeks and weeks for the Senate to tell us what they think they’re going to do and then, the Senate files a bill at 11 o’clock at night? It wasn’t serious. They’re checking a box.”
* Tribune…
The [1988] Sox vote was met with great urgency as a governor, legislative leaders and a Chicago mayor all united to save the team. But the Bears appeared largely to be a political afterthought, with the House and Senate failing to agree on vastly different stadium plans. Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged he had not even read the Senate’s last-ditch proposal, and said he doubts that the Hammond offer could ever come to fruition due to environmental site concerns. […]
Senate President Don Harmon, of Oak Park, told reporters that “the question I don’t think is ‘How this came together last night?’ but that we did anything at all” about the Bears.
“There was an enormous undercurrent in our caucus to not do anything,” he said. “People are worried about neighbors being thrown off of food stamps, people not being able to keep up with inflation because their wages aren’t coming up, losing their healthcare because the hospitals and healthcare providers that serve them are being undercut by Washington. There was no appetite at all to provide public dollars to a $10 billion sports franchise.” […]
But even Welch admitted later that “as the (Bears) conversations have continued, as legislation passed the House, as legislation passed the Senate (Monday morning), more and more it comes up at the kitchen table. People are saying, ‘Hey, Speaker Welch, don’t let the Bears leave, but don’t give them any money.’”
Senate President Harmon and Senate sponsor Bill Cunningham also used that line about “don’t let the Bears leave, but don’t give them any money” this week.
Thoughts?
- Sue - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:22 am:
The Bears ability to sell the team which allows members of the family to monetize their ownership interests is contingent on resolution of the stadium- the Bears’ ownership is not bluffing- unless Illinois can convince the Family a stadium deal is possible the team will announce no later then September that they will relocate to Hammond
- levivoted4judy - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:24 am:
I’ve been hearing the environmental argument a lot the last 48 hours so I went on-line and checked out the site - Wolf Lake Memorial Park. It already has a pavillion, you can swim, kayak and golf there and it must have already passed the high environmental standards that parks require. So unless, that is not the site, that argument is pretty weak. The property tax burden would fall on the impacted local IL communities, I guess mostly Arlington Hts. It’s also standard for government to pay for public infrastructure improvements and in Arlington Hts., some were going to happen anyway. I think IL could have played its hand better, much better.
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:37 am:
That source with the Bears represents an attitude that’s been indicative of their entire lobbying strategy. They think that they’re the Sox in 1988 and that there will be grave political repercussions for Illinois legislators if they leave for Indiana. What they don’t realize, is that many legislators think they would be booted from office if they bailed out the Bears at the expense of social service programs or education tax dollars in their own district.
- Distant Viewer - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:38 am:
I’m not sure if it is a bluff or not. But, Senator Harmon is right. No one I know wants public dollars being used to help out billionaire team owners.
- SIUDawg - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:38 am:
Well….bye.
- AlabamaShake - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:38 am:
**the Bears’ ownership is not bluffing**
Ah, I’m sure that Sue has an inside source in the Bears organization.
- Sue - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:42 am:
Alabama-actually I do
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:45 am:
===environmental argument===
The better environmental concern may be that Wolf Lake is an important wetland and nature preserve that should not be disrupted by development. Not the condescending “it’s a dump” argument City Hall is fond of.
I have hiked there before. It’s pretty nice.
- DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:48 am:
The Bears made a ton of mistakes in this but the biggest, costliest, dumbest mistake was employing Kevin Warren
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:48 am:
The fizzle out on the Bears bill was intentional?
Okay.
What’s next? Mayor Johnson is given credit for this bold move?
- New Day - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:51 am:
Respectfully, Levi, the Hammond site environmental issues are all too real.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/19/chicago-bears-stadium-slag-heap-hammond/?share=cau0scocwmsacscaduhi
- DS - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:57 am:
I’ve yet to hear it articulated why the Arlington Heights Bears and the costs incurred to make that happen would be better for City of Chicago residents than the Hammond Hams. Not sure why anybody is surprised that Chicago reps balked. It was all downside.
- Skeptic - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:59 am:
One difference between the Sox situation and the Bears (aside from a billion dollars or so) is the Sox were threatening to move to a completely different market and not just across a dotted line on the map.
- New Day - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:00 pm:
“The Bears made a ton of mistakes in this but the biggest, costliest, dumbest mistake was employing Kevin Warren”
AMEN
- Homebody - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:02 pm:
Pro sports teams are emotional terrorists who want to hold your feelings hostage to get payouts. Does any other for profit industry work this way when it comes to government largess?
- wut - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:06 pm:
This ain’t 1988 and the political climate could not be more different. Corporations and rich people shoudl read the room. And some reporters acting like the state should bend over backwards to hand out money to billionaires like they did in 1988 should probably do the same