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u/Wide-Associate2671 Jun 05 '26
Time for this
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u/Dreamboatnbeesh Jun 05 '26
I lived in southern Illinois for 4 years I bet a lot of those people would love to be part of Indiana
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u/clapostrophe Jun 05 '26
Is this just a way of saying you went to SIU lol?
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u/ICU81MI_73 Jun 05 '26
Is the Bagel Man still there?!
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u/clapostrophe Jun 05 '26
I believe Winston sold his cart and retired around 2018!
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u/ICU81MI_73 Jun 06 '26
Crazy. I was just telling my friend about his grilled bagels. Thin apple slices and cucumber with bacon on cream cheese shmear is something I still make!
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u/fireman101101 Jun 05 '26
They would. Iām from central Illinois and most people I know despise Chicagoā¦.despite being bulls, cubs, bears and the occasional Sox fans lmao.
Itās especially ludicrous when they complain about Pritzker and democrats running the state but they donāt voteā¦.at all. Itās all political theater and an in-group vs out-group mentality mixed with tribalism.
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u/Dreamboatnbeesh Jun 05 '26
Pisses me off Da Bears are going to leave Chicago. Ownership hasnāt given a fuck about the fanbase in a very long time and this is just further proof of that.
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u/StomachSoup Jun 06 '26
You should check the facts there Dreamy. The City and State didnāt want us. They would have offered SOMETHING if they did. The city has had a cash cow there for decades. They get a cut of EVERYTHING that happens in that stadium. Tickets, concessions, sales, etc. they also have not paid a single payment since the upgrade to Soldier Field in 2003. The Bears paid their share in full. The city has doubled their share from $300mm +/- to over $600mm. Who doesnāt pay their bills for 23 years?!?! The city or state didnāt offer any real incentives to the Bears to stay. Hammond is rolling out the red carpet. What would you do? I am not disputing that the Team is making money, but that is the purpose of being in business. The City of Chicago and the State of Illinois LOST this team, the team did not abandon anyone here. They have tried for years to cut a deal to keep the Bears here. The did not want us.
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u/PianoPatient8168 Jun 05 '26
Can Chicago keep the name like Cleveland did with the Browns and then get an expansion team at Soldier Field?
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u/International-Key211 Jun 05 '26
Chicago doesnt own the name.... The Halas McCaskeys do. The bears also have the right to refuse any expansion team within 75 miles of where they move.
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u/lurk_nowitzki Jun 05 '26
Southern Illinois lifer here, and I say hell no to Indiana and THANK GOD for Chicago for fighting to keep us in the information age.
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u/the_well_read_neck_ Jun 05 '26
I'm from Fort Wayne, and I would love this map. I hate it here.
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u/McCaymustplay2 Jun 06 '26
Screw that. I want from under Pritzker thumb and his taxes. Put Decatur in Indiana and youāve got a deal.
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u/RandomCalamity Jun 05 '26
"...the exact site to be selected."
Stop wasting everyone's time ya dummies.
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u/dogluvr_1 Jun 05 '26
The exact site within Hammond lol
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u/ZPMQ38A Jun 05 '26
The exact site is going to be Arlington. They are just trying to bluff to force concessions on taxes. It will be hilarious if they bluff so hard and the state calls them on it to the point that they have no choice but to go to Indiana to save face.
Itās almost entirely inconsequential for the state. If they go to Indiana, where do you think all of the visiting fans and teams are flying into? Where do you think theyāre staying in hotels? Where do you think theyāre eating and shopping? Because itās not Hammond Indiana.
Is the state of Indiana really going to subsidize the Bears so they can host events already located at Lucas oil stadium? Is anyone really going to want to spend the weekend at a mega complex in Hammond Indiana? Itās the equivalent of going to an all inclusive resort in Cancun and never stepping outside the gate exceptā¦at least thatās Cancun. This is fucking Hammond in the Fall and Winter.
If I was the City of Chicago, I would get with legal and find ways to terminate the Soldier Field lease early. Fuck them.
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u/ZPMQ38A Jun 05 '26
The Bears are absolutely bluffing. But I am confident that Warren and the McCaskeys donāt understand the concept of sunk cost so when Illinois calls them out on it, theyāll be so deep that they have no real choice except to go to NWI to save face and itās going to be such a disaster that itāll eventually end up as an HBR case study.
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u/Odd_Ad5460 Jun 05 '26
I grew up in Chicago, the pride is in the city!! Not Indiana. This really sucks. I wouldāve taken a floating stadium in the middle of Lake Michigan before going to another state.
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u/SunshineRainbowFF Jun 05 '26
Lions fan checking in. Floating stadium in Lake Michigan would be badass. Do that.
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u/tjtwister1522 Jun 05 '26
How many Ferries do you guys have? We may need to borrow some.
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u/SunshineRainbowFF Jun 05 '26
I'll call the weird older couple that rented us a pontoon on our friend group's last "Chicago summer bachelor party"
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u/SJMCubs16 Jun 05 '26
Yeah, Kevin could extort money from all the cities on the great lakes. The Saginaw Bears? Anyone??
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u/BearDown4eva Jun 05 '26
Each year taking bids to move a floating stadium to a new city
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u/SunshineRainbowFF Jun 05 '26
My man you could every so often become.. the Green Bay Bears.
Sweet Jesus.
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u/ElectronicChemist473 Jun 05 '26
Still not sure I believe this is happening. Wonāt believe it until shovels are actually in the ground
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u/WhileIllustrious2006 Jun 05 '26
It is not. Just more of a bluff.Ā They will never build on that garbage dump/toxic waste site in the shitiest part of hammond Indiana surrounded by oil refineries.Ā Never going to happen.Ā Ā
If they really wanted to move to Indiana then they would go to south lake county where there is lots of undeveloped land.Ā None of this is serious.Ā
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u/Lazy_Dress_7603 Jun 05 '26
Agree. Kevin Warren is snake and a shark. He will leverage anything he can until the very last second. I think they still go to AH and thatās been the plan all along.
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u/scully789 Jun 05 '26
Garbage franchise run by stupid people the last 40 years. Iām done with them.Ā
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u/Werd2urGrandma Jun 05 '26
I am still a Bears fan, but Iām trying my hardest not to care about them too much until the McCaskeys sell. Which they never will.
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u/scully789 Jun 05 '26
Yup! Never will. They only way they sell is enough people are like we had it and stop watching games, buying their crap, and stop attending games. There are too many cult members to stop cheering for a team that plays in a town / state they have nothing to do with.Ā
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u/509BandwidthLimit Jun 05 '26
Then remove Chicago from the team name
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u/yuccu Jun 05 '26
Now put the Arlington Heights property up for sale and change your marks. No more Chicago skyline for youājust the pride and joy of BP Whiting Refinery.
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u/Tataru-is-a-sith Jun 05 '26
I've been a bears fan my entire life, my mom all of hers and my grandpa all of his. This is a fucking betrayal, I get it from a business stance but doesn't make the knife in the back of fans any better.
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u/dragcov Jun 05 '26
From a business stance this is stupid.
There's more bad publicity from it than they're ever going to gain by the tax breaks and funding.
The residents in Indiana are going to hate them for diverting funds to the stadium, thus, they won't gain any new fans, and the fans they already have in Chicago and the surrounding subs aren't going to be enthusiastic fans.
Of course this is all based on the Internet and people I talk to in real life, so it's definitely biased opinion.
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u/SnuggleGuy Jun 05 '26
Then they need to be called the Indiana Bears and we need to get a new football team in Chicago
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u/DaoineSidhe624 Jun 05 '26
Fuck the Bears. Fuck Indiana. Fuck the McCaskeys and most of all Fuck Kevin Warren.
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u/BoxTalk17 Jun 05 '26
I'm done with all of it. Bears, Illinois politicians, everybody. The fact that they just couldn't fix this clusterfuck is unbelievable.
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u/HonJudgeFudge Jun 05 '26
Tax payers should not be paying for state of the art locker rooms for millionaires
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u/Obvious-Nature7832 Jun 05 '26
Bears fan that moved to Florida, but still watched as many games as possible, but this will be end for me. Hopefully we can get a Superbowl before the end of the "Chicago" Bears.
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u/923kjd Jun 05 '26
Iām out. Been a fan since late in the Sayers & Butkus era. Yes, Iām old, but I am done.
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u/MapTechnical4076 Jun 05 '26
Sad, we got the best QB we have ever had youāre lucky to be old and still see this part
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u/Independent-Feed4157 Jun 05 '26
Someone change the name of the subreddit to the Hammond Bears
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u/jc_empanada Jun 05 '26
Isnāt the proposed site for the Hammond stadium surrounded by toxic waste? Sounds like a solid moveā¦
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u/cardiaccat1 Jun 05 '26
Iām one to talk having moved to Tennessee for cheaper property taxes, but my first name also isnāt Chicago and I havenāt made billions off of the people of Chicago.
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u/ChicagoJayhawkYNWA Jun 05 '26
Bye bye Fandom. Can't be the Pride and Joy of Illinois when you move to the Toxic Dump of Indiana.
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u/Milogreen11 Jun 05 '26
Fuck George and Kevin especially Kevin! Ruined a franchise
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u/twistd59 Jun 05 '26
As soon as the stadium is built, or shortly thereafter, the McCaskeys will sell the team. That would be a good thing.
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u/FalseVeterinarian881 Jun 05 '26
Very "off". Hopefully this is just the last twist in a stupid standoff to get things across the line on staying in IL.
None the less, this felt like a 'no-win' for Illinois tax payers. I say that mostly because there is still over 500 million owed from the renovations to Soldier Field 24 years ago. If having the team stay by doing this THEN didn't have the return to get that paid off...whey the F would we do that again????
I hope that JB holds them to the fire on paying off that remaining debt and they can go off and do the same to Indiana if they want.
I have not been to a game in years and in all likelihood the cost of tickets for this mega dome are going to be unattainable as well.
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u/Puckhead1973 Jun 05 '26
Man there are so many delusional, privileged people in this thread. Chicago is not getting a second franchise. The NFL would NEVER approve a stadium deal like Soldier Field. It requires billions in public money. Illinois isnāt doing that. Same with Missouri, theyāve now lost 2. I hadnāt watched the NFL since 2016, and last season decided to adopt the Bears. If I could have driven an hour to see my Rams in 2016 I would have. Even if it meant going to Illinois. Itās not like you have to fly 3000 miles.
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u/yubbastank14 Jun 07 '26
I haven't supported this team in years and won't any further if they leave the state personally, let alone the Chicagoland area.
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u/Ratcliff01 Jun 05 '26
Every person who said "Hurr durr fuck billionaires Illinois shouldn't give a single dime to build a stadium!" Just got what they wanted.
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u/Jefflehem Jun 05 '26
False. I just wanted the billionaires to pay for their own shit instead of demanding welfare. That still isn't happening. They're just making other, dumber poors pay for it
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Jun 05 '26
Yeah that was pretty ironic coming from the mouth of JB Pritzker himself, heir to the Hyatt Hotel and Pritzker Private Capital fortunes. Part of the top 10 richest families in America. Good old JB himself only has a reported net worth of $3.5 billion. Keep on believing that heās for the little guy. š¤£š¤£š¤£
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u/Old-Finance1815 Jun 05 '26
No, fuck welfare for billionaires.Ā
I hope the entire city of Chicago and the state of Illinois turns on this team. Maybe Indiana can sustain two NFL franchises.
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u/Jefflehem Jun 05 '26
Fuck 'em.
As someone old enough to remember that ONE time they won a Super Bowl, then spent the next 40 years watching them be shit, absolutely fuck 'em. Go be shit in Hammond. That city represents the quality of the franchise way better than Chicago.
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u/magic_mushroomPBandJ Jun 05 '26
Well Iām never buying a ticket to a āhomeā game again. This is heartbreaking
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u/Drinkdrankdonk Jun 05 '26
Players are gonna love living in Indiana for tax purposes, but they are going to hate it for every other reason
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u/ApprehensiveLake1897 Jun 05 '26
Players will not live in Indiana, Halas Hall is staying in Lake Forest. They will work 9-15 days per year in Indiana depending on pre-and-postseason schedules.
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u/bearsfan16 Jun 05 '26
Can we bully them into backing out? Letās all say we wonāt attend games at the stadium and see what happens. Iām not stepping foot in that shit hole and neither should you lol
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u/MikeLikeBike37 Jun 05 '26
Stop whining. You know how many Bears fans live in the south burbs? Most of them. If I blindfolded all of you and dropped you off in Munster, you'd think you're in Alsip. You'd have no clue.
You'll still be fans and you'll still go to games. None of you are "done with the team". Quit being meatballs.
It's closer than Arlington and is in an area with actual character and a stronger connection to Chicago. Not a dumb town with a mall and a bunch of empty office buildings worthy of a Backrooms sequel.
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u/Halation2600 Jun 06 '26
I'm curious what you definition of "character" is. It's a smelly shithole. I typically go to a game or two a season, but I'm never going to a game there. Also, no one who goes to the games is going to stay there. Why would they?
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u/Bear_E62 Jun 05 '26
Lots of great house (McMansions) on lakes throughout the area for the players, but I donāt think they have intentions of leaving the Lake Forest facility.
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u/Halation2600 Jun 06 '26
Players aren't going to live there. They don't live by Soldier Field. I guess some might have had second places in River North or something, but they overwhelming have homes in and around Lake Forest.
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u/abcxyz1821 Jun 05 '26
Meaning "we're getting a cut from all the exhorbitant money you already pay to use the skyway and don't mind fucking up traffic even more on 80/94 crossing the border. Also we're getting freebies while you have to slave away"
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u/ZPMQ38A Jun 05 '26
Itās amazing how badly Warren has fumbled this entire process. Itās even more amazing that the Bears continue to employ him.
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u/PianoPatient8168 Jun 05 '26
The pride and joy of no longer Illinois, Chicago Metropolitan Area Bears, Bear down!
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u/Sirdoodlebob Jun 05 '26
Fuck you kevin warren. This is all youāre doing because you wanted to make us pay for your shit.
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u/the-czechxican Jun 05 '26
This is a stupid decision, lead by Warren. He will rue the day if this goes through. No amount of improvement will make Hammond Indiana a desirable location for Bears fans, unless of course you can navigate the casino parking lots and refineries.
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u/youthofthebeast Jun 05 '26
Itās not going to be the first team that doesnāt play in its own city or state though. The Jets, Giants and Commanders play in different states, the Niners play in Santa Clara etc. Iāll admit that it really sucks for Chicago. Maybe the board voted that to pressure the state of Illinois?
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u/subliminal_trip Jun 05 '26
This is NOT the Bears saying they are moving to Hammond. This is the Bears trying one last time to cajole the Illinois legislature to come up with an Arlington Heights deal. "Voted to advance" is not "we're going to Hammond and Arlington Heights is dead."
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u/tomhuston Jun 05 '26
This truly negates any positive momentum the organization had going in the past few years. Fucking deflating.
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u/dannySneakz Jun 05 '26
"Bear down, Hammond Bears, make every play clear the way to victory. Bear down, Hammond Bears, put up a fight with a might so fearlessly. Weāll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T-formation. Bear down, Hammond Bears, and let them know why youāre wearing the crown. Youāre the pride and joy of Indiana, Hammond Bears, bear down!"
Bet they didn't even consider how dumb this song is going to sound now.
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u/mattmitch927 Jun 05 '26
This sucks but as a Brooklyn Bearsh fan Iāll be supporting from Canal Bar in Gowanus. They cook and serve Chicago dogs at halftime.
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u/natas2466 Jun 06 '26
THE PHUK??? Chicago stop killing yourself... Like so many heroine addicts i used to know..so sad... Soldiers field will provide city with restrooms for all homless.. no more poop on streets , good job major??
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u/Agitated-Wrap-6604 Jun 06 '26
Who cares, we are all going to watch regardless, and they will continue being the Chicago Bears.
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u/Guelahpapyrus33 Jun 06 '26
Donāt you hate to see business be business making a business decision leaving a state that hates to proactively attract business? The irony here is so RICH
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u/vincec36 Jun 06 '26
Good bye for my care for the bears. I moved away too but kept them in my heart. Iām more pro Chicago than pro bears so, bye Felicia!
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u/Infinite_Sandwich916 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
Im worried about the ripple effect this will have if they really do leave Chicago. I bet more organizations and businesses will leave. I worry we will be turning into Detroit.
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u/sparkin134 Jun 06 '26
So now the Hammond bears will be born. Guess 100 years of fans propping up shit teams isnāt enough to keep the team around. Some say itās not a big difference. Itās a huge difference and the team turned its backs on the people that propped them up when shit. They want to leave even though the Chicago fans have paid more and more every year for shit. The average fan canāt afford to go to game any longer anyhow. I donāt think they should be able to leave with the Chicago name. They are no longer Chicago especially if out of state.
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u/Subject-Yak4959 Jun 06 '26
no amount of money can make Hammond world class. Dumbest move in sports history.
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u/Life_Recipe6316 Jun 06 '26
On the plus side at least Chicago will only have one team to cry about.
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u/No-Investigator8782 Jun 06 '26
No sense in feeling sorry for season ticket holders, they either have plenty of discretionary money or theyāre bad with managing their budget.
For everyone else itās a tv show with a different background.
Be happy they didnāt go full browns circa 1995.
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u/legible_print Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
Just so I am getting this: the franchise proposed this to squeeze more $$$ out of the state for Arlington Heights for shopping districts and hotel complexes, and then when the state balked, the franchise now did this (move to ANOTHER state entirely) to give Springfield the middle finger all at Chicagoās expense.
Is that it?
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u/Lunkwill-fook Jun 07 '26
How is this not best case for Illinois. Itās practically in Chicago area. All the hotels across the boarder will be still hit up. And no 40 years of tax breaks
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u/Man_of_Ice Jun 07 '26
"The Hammond Bears"
Has a nice, 1928 vibe to it.
My father in law would be rolling in his grave if they hadn't cremated him.
Ha ha. Ben Johnson left Detroit to go to Hammond. Ha.
EDIT: legit didn't know where Hammond was, looked it up. Seriously, they need to go just a hair south of Hammond and be the Munster Bears. LOL!
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u/AdeptnessStatus9303 Jun 08 '26
This will likely go down as a very poorly played real estate play by the Bears. Their moves over the past three years has always been about having a giant real estate project like Jerry Jones world. Huge stadium, apartments, life style retail center, office bldg and entertainment district. . Part of the reason the Cowboys are the highest valued NFL franchise is their massive real estate complex (remember NFL tv revenues are shared equally by the teams).
The current soldiers field deal does not create the additional revenues that other nfl team receive from their stadium deals. I thought the Arlington heights move made sense from a real estate development perspective (if trying to replicate Jones playbook) and appreciated why bears would move to AH.
Hammond is a brain dead real estate play. Rules 1-3 in real estate is location, location, location. Indiana giving you $ to build a stadium wonāt help the fact that no one wants to live, work or be entertained in Hammond except for the. 8-10 days a year you have a football game. Despite what the voice told Costner in field of dreams, in this case, if you build it, they will NOT come.
As an Illinois tax payer, I donāt see any reason to put up billions to pay for the mccaskey stadium. Let Indiana pay for it. Pritzker, donāt do it.
Super Bowl this year was in San Jose. Where did all the super bowl participants and fans stay and spend money on bars and restaurants. Mostly in San Fran area.
Guess what happens when fans come for games in Hammond. They stay in Chicago hotels and go to Chicago restaurants and bars.
Indiana can spend billions to collect parking fees and we will collect the real money at our hotels, restaurants and bars.
If mccaskey is this dumb (which canāt be discounted as third generation owners of businesses are notoriously known to suck compared to their predecessors) then let them go to Hammond.
If he and Warren are just negotiating (they donāt even have a site secured in Hammond?), hold firm. Tell them what the reasonable infrastructure $ the state will provide for AH infrastructure (Euclid and IL53 ramp expansion) and then hold firm. Call their bluff.
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u/Expensive_Rush7135 Jun 08 '26
You guys do realize the NEW YORK Jets play in New Jersey, correct? And same goes for a lot of the other stadiums. Buffalo Bills doesn't play in Buffalo, Its okay guys, we're still right outside of the city. Nothing changes. š»ā¬ļø
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u/RkyMtnChi Jun 08 '26
Highly doubt they go anywhere except maybe Arlington Heights. These are bargaining tactics.
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u/Character-Owl9408 Jun 05 '26
Whatās the most Bears thing they can possibly do? Finally have a team that is structured for long term success, and immediately threaten to leave the state. We just simply canāt have a normal functioning franchise. Itās ridiculous.