The Bears are an NFL franchise that have played in the state of Illinois since the team’s founding in 1920.
CHICAGO — A proposal to provide NFL teams with financial incentives to build new home stadiums in Illinois has stalled in the state Legislature as the Chicago Bears seek to build a stadium in northwest Indiana.
The Bears’ board of directors voted Thursday to move forward with a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. The team has been conducting due diligence on a parcel of land near Wolf Lake but said Friday it had not yet selected an exact site.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to Chicago’s South Side through the Loop and into the neighborhoods and suburbs extending north of the city,” the Bears said in a statement written by chairman George McCaskey and team president Kevin Warren. “It will unite the Chicago region and provide new opportunities for its residents and businesses.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun welcomed the team’s announcement. a committee of the indiana house of representatives passed a bill In February, the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority was created to finance, build and lease the stadium.
“We look forward to building partnerships as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Braun said in a statement. “An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will bring unprecedented economic growth to the entire region.”
The Bears are an NFL franchise that have played in Illinois since the team was founded in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. They moved to Chicago in 1921 and made Wrigley Field their home before starting play at Soldier Field in September 1971.
The Bears’ lease runs through 2033, but they can pay a fee to break out of the lease earlier. Soldier Field is located approximately 40 miles south of the team’s headquarters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois, while Hammond is approximately 20 miles south of the team’s Lakeside Stadium.
Matt Hill, a spokesman for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said the governor “remains open to smart solutions that protect taxpayers.”
“For more than 100 years, the Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois, but over the past six years, and especially in recent months, their stadium position has changed,” Hill said in a statement. “This has hindered their progress. Today appears to be another example of Illinois leaders working in good faith with the Bears.”
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