The Chicago Bears have been locked in a standstill on their push for a new stadium for months. Their strongest attempt came in the spring when it looked like they might get their desired bill through the Illinois House and Senate. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find enough votes in the latter to cross the finish line. Then, when a retool bill was proposed, it ran out of time before the House could review it. Since then, the team has publicly claimed it’s focusing on Indiana as their destination.
In reality, everything has pointed to them preparing for another try in Illinois’ fall legislative session.
To that end, they’ve shaken up their negotiation team. Team president Kevin Warren is out. Longtime part-owner Pat Ryan, fresh off getting a brand new stadium for Northwestern, is in. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joined him to meet with Governor J.B. Pritzker and other prominent members of the state leadership. This adjustment has apparently led to some serious progress in discussions. Pritzker even stated in a recent interview that things are going so well that he expects real action on the issue when the legislature returns in a couple of weeks.
It even sounds like the Chicago Bears have an actual plan.
Danny Ecker of Crain’s Chicago Business reported in a recent article that the team is planning a proposal to steer away from direct private ownership. The idea is a bit complex, but a worthwhile compromise for all parties. The Bears would finance the construction of the stadium themselves. However, official ownership would go to Arlington Heights. The township would then lease the stadium to the team. This would allow the Bears to avoid paying property taxes altogether, which was the central issue from the beginning. The team stays in Illinois and also makes it easier to use public bonding, hotel taxes, or specialized sports authority mechanisms to fund surrounding infrastructure improvements.
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“The approach – which cleared the Illinois Senate in May but never reached the House – has emerged as a focus of recent discussions among the Bears and state officials, sources familiar with the talks tell Crain’s…
…Sources close to the matter say the contours of the Senate bill are likely more palatable to members of the Chicago delegation in the Illinois House, who have bristled at the prospect of property tax breaks that help the Bears leave the city. As passed by the Senate in May, the legislation would allow all municipalities in Cook County with a population over 70,000 to create a new stadium authority with the power to issue bonds, make loans, take ownership of a stadium and enter into a long-term lease with a professional sports team. That means Chicago could create one, too, whether to pursue the Bears directly or help other pro sports franchises.”
The idea here is to ensure the city and state can still collect tax dollars. That is a big sticking point for government officials at both levels. Making it publicly owned allows them to benefit from other events, such as concerts and shows. However, unlike at Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears would have far more say over how the stadium is developed, since they’ll be the ones funding it.
Much of this comes down to control.
How committed are the Bears to maintaining total control of the entire project? If that is their goal, then these talks with Illinois feel pointless. The state will never give them the tax breaks and infrastructure support they’re looking for. They don’t have enough allies in the state government to do it. This public ownership model is a compromise. It is essentially similar to the Soldier Field setup, but one where the team maintains final say on the stadium itself, giving the surrounding townships access to the surrounding property.
Neither side gets everything they want, but both get enough to make plenty of money in the deal. That is often how business agreements are conducted. The endgame is achieved. Illinois keeps its beloved football team in-state, and the Bears get a state-of-the-art stadium that opens new pathways to additional revenue. Now we wait to see if Ryan can get this over the line.
