NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears stadium plan proposal is taking a back seat for the time being.
Reporting from the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Patella and Jeremy Garner has the Illinois legislature kicking the can down the road on the Bears stadium project. The duo reports that the legislature isn’t taking up the Bears’ request for public funding of their new stadium project before the spring session closes on Friday. In other words, the attempt to pull taxpayer dollars to help bankroll the team’s stadium proposal until the fall. That gives us a whole summer to chew on things (for better or worse).
What’s up with the Chicago Bears stadium project?
It was already going to be an uphill battle for the Bears to get approval for public funds for this project. That the project is getting tabled until the Illinois state legislature reconvenes for fall session only adds to the degree of difficulty that comes with this particular challenge. And it’s not as if things are sounding encouraging.
This section from a story by 670 The Score’s Chris Emma paints a cold picture (bold emphasis mine):
As of Friday morning, the plan faced a bleak outlook as it has struggled to gain traction in both the state house and senate, a source familiar with the process said. The Bears have pitched the project with a $4.7-billion price tag, though reports have suggested it would be more. Part of the proceedings in the state legislature involves laying out the precise cost of the project. Illinois taxpayers are being asked to come up with around half of the $4.7 billion that the Bears have cited as the price tag.
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There is nothing like the a tepid reception from state politicians in the house and senate while your franchise is trying to get some cash to help pay for a nearly $5 billion stadium bill.
Has anyone thought about what the Bears would do if the franchise does *NOT* get the cash it is asking for from the city and state? Would the team go back to Arlington Heights? It’s not as if the door was ever slammed fully closed on that possibility. What about a Bears-White Sox tandem stadium project? Weirder things have happened. And those two teaming up could aid in alleviating each’s concerns about funding. Maybe the McCaskey family can find some cash in between couch cushions. I found 27 cents while cleaning the other day. Don’t laugh! Every penny counts.
The Bears trying to piece together a stadium project was always going to be interesting to follow. But asking for public assistance in funding adds a wrinkle to things. Times have changed, as has public opinion regarding tax dollars going to help build stadium projects. Using public money for private investments is something voters have cooled on in recent years. And while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson champions the stadium plan because it shows “real and substantial” investment from the team (who have pledged $2 billion for the project), it simply hasn’t resonated with policy makers who can help make the team’s stadium dreams a reality.
At the start of May, the Bears stadium proposal was deemed a “non-starter” by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s camp. That the team is essentially in the same spot now as it was then is unsettling. This isn’t to say that I expected Gov. Pritzker to change his tune. However, no movement in your favor nearly one month later makes me feel like that doesn’t bode well for the Bears. Maybe it is a good thing that this is getting tabled until the fall after all.
