* Rep. Kam Buckner appeared on Robin Johnson’s Quad Cities public radio show to talk about why it’s taking so long to get a Bears stadium deal…
I just remind people that this process, while it seems like it’s been forever, it’s been shy of four years. It’s been three and a half years since the Bears purchased Arlington Racetrack.
And just to put that into context, when you look at the deal that Kevin Warren made when he was at the Minnesota Vikings in the Twin Cities at U.S. Bank, that deal took about six years, and it included a bunch of fits and starts, location changes. At one point, they were going to go to a suburb of Minneapolis, you know, then they moved back into where… the Metrodome was. Then they moved back to another spot, which is downtown, where they are right now. They actually bought land in two different places before they moved forward.
If you look at the deal out in Las Vegas, which Allegiant Stadium is the crown jewel of the NFL’s real estate portfolio right now, that also took about six and a half years, and that was a a situation where everybody was on the same page, unlike how we started out here in Illinois. And even with that, it took six and a half years and a special session of the Nevada Legislature to get it done. So these things take some time.
And frankly, I’ll remind folks of this, Robin, it’s like if you’ve got children who always have lived with you. The moment they step out to be independent and to either buy a home or rent a home, they realize that lights cost money, and gas costs money, and you know, there’s a a learning curve that comes that goes with that. The Bears are a foundational NFL franchise, but they’ve never owned their own space. And so, what I would say is while some people have pushback on the team, and I’ve had some frustrations with them both publicly and privately with the way they’ve operated, this is a new space for them. They’ve never tried to build their own stadium. And so I think they’re learning as they go along as well.
* Also, Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) told me this…
Six days before the last day of the spring state legislative session, Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, gave me two big reasons why it was so difficult to push a Bears stadium bill across the finish line. Cunningham, as you know, is the chief sponsor of the Senate’s Bears bill.
1. Every stadium-related legislation passed in Illinois included the Chicago mayor and the Illinois governor pulling in the same direction. This time, that didn’t happen.
2. Moving a stadium location within a state pits Illinois municipalities against each other, and you don’t want to do that “particularly when the municipality on the losing side has way more members than any other municipality in the state.” Cunningham told reporters more recently that stadiums which have moved within the same state didn’t involve their state legislatures. Instead, local governments picked up the tab.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:05 am:
So, Kevin Warren’s reputation from his days in Minnesota have followed him to Illinois.
At this point if he told me grass was green I’d have to walk outside.
“that stadiums which have moved within the same state didn’t involve their state legislatures. Instead, local governments picked up the tab.”
Bears, point your noses East and hit the gas.
- Think Again - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:25 am:
= included the Chicago mayor and the Illinois governor pulling in the same direction… pits Illinois municipalities against each other=
Cunningham is right - in his statement - but the excuse-screams party turmoil rather than an issue with the details of the project per se. Read another way, the deal would have been good for the entire state; the local Arlington Heights folks and schools endorsed it; most Bears fans would have preferred AP, but a few local pols stopped it.
- Incandenza - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:26 am:
== that deal took about six years ==
== Instead, local governments picked up the tab. ==
Context is so very important to understand anything, and it’s so often missing from reporting on the stadium conversation. It’s great to have a legislators provide that context so we don’t overreact.
- Pistol Pete - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:31 am:
Senator Cunningham is mistaken, the issue at hand is PILOT legislation which affect local property taxes, so the local governments in Arlington Heights and Cook County would be “picking up the tab” if they could get this passed.
- Casper the Ghost Bus - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:39 am:
Pistol Pete, you’re missing the $800-some million dollar ask of the state to build infrastructure for the new stadium and related issues like asking Illinois taxpayers to build the Bears a parking garage but the Bears keep all the parking revenue.
- Juice - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:39 am:
Pistol Pete, its a very simple question.
Are the Bears asking for assistance from the State for their new stadium so they can move from Chicago to Arlington Heights?
- Demoralized - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:41 am:
==Senator Cunningham is mistaken==
Lol. Did you read and understand his statement at all? Because it doesn’t appear that you even tried to comprehend what he said. But, sure, I’ll take the word of you over his. Because clearly you know everything.
- Boone's is Back - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:47 am:
Round and round we go. Can’t wait to read the autopsy.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 10:58 am:
Was willing to help this team with tax dollars if they work with the state to get it done. But their insistence on Indiana is insulting on multiple levels.
Surely they can’t expect fan loyalty for this, showing no loyalty to their home city and state. There are dozens of other teams to follow. Hello Green Bay Packers, goodbye Indiana Bears. At least they win consistently.
- 4th and Never - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:08 am:
Also, Pete, deciding that PILOT in and of itself is a niche, parochial issue demonstrates the lack of situational awareness. Fine, other jurisdictions do it. It effectively lets a large institutional taxpayer to negotiate the terms of its taxation notwithstanding assessed value. That’s heady stuff for a state with a property tax problem. The first step in turning this legislative ship around is acknoledging this was never going to be easy.
- Steve - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:10 am:
The Bears are playing a dangerous game. Many fans are not going to Indiana to watch them play live. It’s too far for many.
- ChicagoVinny - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:11 am:
Did George show just a picture of one of the Hammond sites on Saturday’s broadcast, not a stadium rendering, or was I having a fever dream?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:12 am:
===It’s too far for many. ===
Maybe, but the SF Giants play like 45 miles away from SF. They still sell out.
- Juvenal - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:13 am:
@PistolPete -
1) The AH proposal does include hundreds of millions from the state coffers for infrastructure improvements.
2) The PILOT law, as you point out, would have millions of Chicagoans pay to move the Bears out of Chicago.
Aim first, shoot later.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:16 am:
===local governments in Arlington Heights and Cook County would be “picking up the tab”===
That capital money doesn’t come from trees.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:18 am:
===Hello Green Bay Packers===
If you think that way, you’re not in the target market to begin with.
Green Bay?
- Pistol Pete - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:18 am:
The Governor has said many times that the state would fund the infrastucture, just like they would do for ALL developments of this size in Illinois.
The holdup is the PILOT legislation.
It’s not “heady stuff” all privately owned sports stadiums in Illinois are taxed this way.
The Giants play in San Francisco, the 49ers play in Santa Clara, a very wealthy suburb of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley
- Casper the Ghost Bus - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:19 am:
Pistol Pete’s takes are so bad I have to believe he’s really Ben Devine.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:20 am:
===just like they would do for ALL developments of this size===
Yeah, no. Name one other private biz project which is receiving that much capital money.
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:47 am:
It effectively lets a large institutional taxpayer to negotiate the terms of its taxation notwithstanding assessed value.
So..always wondered…..What happens when there is an impasse between said entity (Bears) and the local Governments on the assessed value number after the PILOT is in place….?
- 4th and Never - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:50 am:
“It’s not “heady stuff” all privately owned sports stadiums in Illinois are taxed this way.”
I must have missed the big Cubs PILOT bill in the early 2010s when Ricketts (to his credit) started renovating Wrigley *and* buying up the property around it.
- Roadrager - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:55 am:
==the excuse-screams party turmoil rather than an issue with the details of the project per se==
This is not remotely “party turmoil.” It is definitely much more a case of Brandon Johnson being on the job for more than three years and never displaying more than a passing interest in learning how to do it, much less learning how things work in Springfield.
- JS Mill - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:08 pm:
=The Bears are a foundational NFL franchise, but they’ve never owned their own space.=
Good point, but there is no excusing their toddler like approach.
=Cunningham is right - in his statement - but the excuse-screams party turmoil rather than an issue with the details of the project per se.=
I think he said that point blank. The Chicago democrats are not very willing to give money to a team that is moving out of the city and I am not sure anyone in their situation would be any different. At the same time, the suburban legislators probably want the stadium. Not sure “turmoil” is the term I would use, but I think disagreement is only natural on this issue.
=the local Arlington Heights folks and schools endorsed it=
AH certainly did, the schools ultimately agreed to it, but it definitely wasn’t an endorsement.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:10 pm:
===the suburban legislators probably want the stadium===
Some suburban legislators in the general vicinity.
- Homebody - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:25 pm:
There are plenty of reasons to hate on the Ricketts family, but I can’t fault them for how they have developed around Wrigley. We’ll see how I feel about the new developments around the United Center.
Meanwhile the Bears and White Sox are jokes to me with how short sighted and greedy they have been over the years.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:31 pm:
I would suggest that the concerns about the fans of the Bears are about the last thing the owners of the Bears are worried about. It is a big television show and the teams make money no matter how many people actually show up to a game
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:39 pm:
“If you think that way, you’re not in the target market to begin with.”
Chicago TV news has a Bears fan reaction segment. The reporter told the anchor it couldn’t be broadcast based on what fans said, meaning they used choice language. If the Bears think Chicago fans and Chicagoans are not part of the target market, it really shows.
There is absolutely zero loyalty required for a billion dollar sports franchise who dumps its home for a state that doesn’t like Chicago anyway and runs negative campaigns against Illinois.
- Former State Worker - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 12:47 pm:
===Maybe, but the SF Giants play like 45 miles away from SF. They still sell out.===
They most certainly did not. The Giants play in San Francisco.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:01 pm:
I think Rich was meaning the 49ers, Former State Worker.
- Just a Random Guy - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
=Many fans are not going to Indiana to watch them play live. It’s too far for many.=
It’s really not that far at all. Not to mention traffic and parking should be much better. Also, according to the Sports Business Journal, NFL stadiums averaged 97.6% capacity utilization in 2025 during the regular season. You can bet all playoff games are at 100%. The Bears will be fine with attendance.
- DS - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
Idle thought: is there a grand bargain to create a new state levy for cps in exchange for Chicago Democrats to stand down on the Arlington Heights Bears?
- JS Mill - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:12 pm:
@DS- What levy would you want them to have? They already have the ability to levy for bonds etc. They have numerous special rules that the rest of the state does not have. Just curious.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:23 pm:
===I think Rich was meaning the 49ers===
Oops.
lol
We need an edit function
- Remember the Alamo II - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:40 pm:
=== Not to mention traffic and parking should be much better. ===
You have never been stuck in the 80/94 bottleneck have you?
- ZC - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:41 pm:
What I’ve wondered about is whether, economically, a lot of Chicago interests would prefer if the team went to Indiana than if the Bears went to Arlington Heights.
- Think Again - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:43 pm:
=It’s really not that far at all. Not to mention traffic and parking should be much better=
This is key- the average time to exit Soldier Field parking lot is 90 minutes. Fix that, and I’ll be glad to drive an extra 30 minutes to Hammond
- DS - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:44 pm:
I don’t have anything specific in mind, just speculating that is the kind of deal that might emerge from this. I suppose combining CTPF and TRS so the state picks up CPS’ current payment into the combined system would be a dead letter for the rest of the caucus.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:49 pm:
The Bears have an incredible deal from Indiana that hits all their financial goals. It is an undeniable fact. And the southside and southern suburbs likely have more Bears fans than Illinois’ Lake County per capita. Kind of tired of hearing how the south suburbs don’t matter… they will continue to sell out.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 1:50 pm:
===hits all their financial goals===
The physical location is awful and so far unproved as suitable.
- Save Ferris - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 2:18 pm:
”There are plenty of reasons to hate on the Ricketts family, but I can’t fault them for how they have developed around Wrigley.”
The Ricketts ABSOLUTELY asked for taxpayer money. Rahm told them what to go do with themselves. Some may recall Joe and Todd Ricketts plan to run anti-Obama ads in 2012 (Jeremiah Wright was the topic). Rahm has pretty good ties with Obama if I recall. Blasting his old boss and then asking for a handout was not well received.
The Ricketts redeveloped Wrigleyville with their own funds because they had no other choice do to their own shortsightedness.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/12/18/18314754/ricketts-family-so-angry-with-emanuel-over-wrigley-they-considered-moving-team
- Save Ferris - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 2:21 pm:
“The physical location is awful and so far unproved as suitable.”
Correct. And it doesn’t allow for the adjacent entertainment district which would generate year-round revenue. Further, as noted here, the 1% food and beverage tax proposed for the two Indiana counties has already cost one elected official who was pro-stadium his gig.
- TNR - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 2:49 pm:
== It’s really not that far at all. Not to mention traffic and parking should be much better. ==
The bulk of the season ticket base resides on an arc between Naperville and the North Shore, which is why the Bears have always thought an Arlington Heights location is appealing. Would a longer drive and a decade of losing football in Hammond result in fewer season ticket renewals and more no-shows on game day? Likely.
And while Soldier Field is legitimately criticized for its poor accessibility by car and transit, Hammond isn’t much better. The Indiana Tollway is the only way in and out ($30 Skyway fee on game day anyone?) and there are no train stations within walking distance.
- Just a guy - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 3:31 pm:
- Steve - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 11:10 am:
The Bears are playing a dangerous game. Many fans are not going to Indiana to watch them play live. It’s too far for many.
And yet after the Bears went 4-13, when they raised their season ticket prices by 11-13%, nobody batted an eye. It’s too far for some. It won’t be too far for the vast majority of season ticket holders. And it opens up more possibilities to fans in the south and southwest suburbs.
- Steve - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 3:32 pm:
-You have never been stuck in the 80/94 bottleneck have you?-
That’s some of what I was thinking when I made the comment earlier.
- Roadrager - Monday, Aug 17, 26 @ 5:37 pm:
==And the southside and southern suburbs likely have more Bears fans than Illinois’ Lake County per capita.==
==And it opens up more possibilities to fans in the south and southwest suburbs.==
I am going to ask both of you this, speaking as someone who was born and raised in the south suburbs and whose parents still live there, about five miles from the border:
Between a) southern Cook County, eastern Will County, and Lake County, Indiana or b) Lake County, IL, northern Cook, and DuPage, where do you think there is more disposable income for Bears season tickets and personal seat licenses?