The Chicago Bears have endured 5 years of contentious negotiations with the state of Illinois regarding a new stadium. Everything seems so easy when they bid on the Arlington Heights property. All they needed was some help with property taxes and infrastructure. Simple, right? They quickly learned that nothing is simple where Illinois politics are involved. Team president Kevin Warren was woefully unprepared for the challenge, demonstrating a clear inability to forge alliances and negotiate effectively. After failing once again to make any progress this year, the Bears’ ownership finally benched him. Part-owner Pat Ryan appears to have taken over talks, and Governor JB Pritzker is among those thrilled with the change.
He informed reporters in a recent discussion that progress over the past few weeks has been by far the most positive seen in a long time. He believes the two sides are “closer now than we have been before.” However, the real intrigue came right after that. Pritzker stated that the way talks were going, Arlington Heights wouldn’t be the only option on the table for the Bears. The city of Chicago would have a chance to make its own offer, potentially keeping the team in the city.
JB Pritzker appears to be pushing the idea of public ownership.
A few months ago, the Illinois Senate’s initial plan was to rework a bill that would allow municipalities within Cook County to form stadium authorities. They would then assume public ownership of the stadium the Bears build and lease it to them. The only requirement was that municipalities had at least 70,000 citizens. That leaves the Bears with five potential choices: Arlington Heights, Cicero, Schaumburg, Evanston, and Chicago. Cicero and Schaumburg haven’t once expressed interest in the idea since the saga began. Evanston already houses Northwestern’s new stadium. That pretty much leaves a two-city standoff between Arlington and Chicago.
From what JB Pritzker says, it sounds like the city is fully prepared to make a push to keep the Bears. That is something its mayor, Brandon Johnson, has voiced for years. It comes down to one thing: can the city find a property that would entice the franchise to stick around? Right now, Arlington has the advantage. The Bears already own the property and have negotiated property tax deals with the local townships. All they need is the legislation. Chicago faces the added challenge of finding a location and navigating a complex political environment populated by activist groups.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Only one location may have a chance.
For quite some time, the city has pushed the Bears to give serious consideration to the Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville. The problem is the area is very narrow and would require massive infrastructure investments to make it viable. The Bears had initially wanted the Museum campus along the lakefront, but that ran into significant opposition from activist groups like Friends of the Park. In truth, the only location that might have a legitimate chance of putting Chicago in the running is the South Works near South 85th Street and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
The site is massive at 440 acres. It’s been vacant since 1992. Many people have been trying to get it repurposed for decades. A new football stadium acting as the hub of a massive new entertainment district might offer more appeal than any idea before it. It’s only 10 miles south of Soldier Field and keeps the Bears on the lakefront.
