People in general are quick to get their political jabs in but it is far less on Illinois than it is on the Bears.
There is simply no need for this to be moving this fast the Bears are just forcing it by strong arming the state. They would be welcome at Soldier Field for as long as they want to be and the franchise is *immensely* profitable so it's not like they're losing money.
But if they want to force this along I say let them go. As a big fan of the city of Chicago who enjoys walking the beautiful museum campus and being on Iakefront I can find other things to do on Sundays.
While I think that the Bears are not without blame here, but to say that this process is moving too fast is ridiculous.
It's also fact that the Chicago Park District has been screwing them over for YEARS through the Bears own terrible business dealings. Do you know that the Bears hardly get $0.70 on the $1.00 of their ticket sales? They get no concessions revenue. The CPD, City of Chicago and Cook County have taken advantage for years. The Bears wanted their own stadium to do with what they wish. They were stuck in a stadium with the lowest capacity in the league and not getting full value for their ticket.
This process started three years ago. Springfield kicked the can down the road. It was never a priority . It went public in saying that the Bears weren't a priority to be discussed, that's when they got Indiana involved. If I'm the Bears, that would have pissed me off. When Indiana got involved, they got a deal together and on the table in three months. Magically, Springfield got their asses moving and had the PILOT bill drafted, just for the state Senate to squash it, then the Senate pivoted to a privately built, publicly owned solution and the House didn't even get a vote off.
Chicago politics got in the way. Pritzger is a party first guy and even he went after Brandon Johnson, as it was the Chicago Senate Democrats (led by Johnson) that squashed the PILOT bill, claiming the Bears still wanted to build in Chicago. That specific caucus were the missing votes.
I'd agree with you a little more if the State went on record saying, hey....we just need some time to digest this bill and we'll call a special session for a vote. Nope. There was no plans for discussion until fall session.
The Bears caused their own problems by purchasing that land threw years ago, prior to any negotiations with the state. They screwed themselves in negotiations. Everyone figured they were bluffing because of how much they bought the land for. They'd never pivot, right?
Well.....they weren't bluffing. They're paying millions per month on vacant land. The Bears are a multi billion dollar franchise, but the McCaskey's aren't multi billionaires. They aren't Jerry Jones or a conglomerate. They don't have the cash on hand to do what needs to be done and the needed help.
The Bears are big business and billion dollar companies have run from the state because of their business dealings:
- Citadel: The financial giant relocated its headquarters to Miami, Florida, shifting both corporate and personal operations.
- Boeing: The aerospace giant moved its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia.
- Caterpillar: The heavy machinery company shifted its headquarters from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield to Irving, Texas.
- Tyson Foods: Closed its downtown Chicago office (along with other regional hubs) and consolidated its corporate employees at its Arkansas headquarters.
- TTX Company: The railcar leasing company moved its headquarters from Chicago's West Loop to North Carolina.
- Morton Salt: Relocated its headquarters out of the Chicago area to Overland Park, Kansas.
- PEAK6 Investments: Moved its global headquarters out of Chicago to Austin, Texas.
- Beam Suntory: The spirits company relocated its corporate headquarters to New York City.
- SC Johnson: Shifted approximately 170 roles from downtown Chicago back to its Racine, Wisconsin headquarters.
The Bears, though also at fault and have always been as business savvy as a rock.....never had a dance partner here. Chicago played Chicago politics, wanted no part of them being in Arlington Heights, undercut the Governor's efforts and turned their backs at the North, Northwest and West Suburbs.....who own 65% of the season tickets.
Indiana was the right move. They get deals put together and the Bears no longer have to play the political games that comes with Illinois, most notably Chicago.
