CHICAGO – OCTOBER 23: Panoramic view of Chicago skyline and new Soldier Field stadium … [+]
While the Bears' most viable stadium option may ultimately be outside Chicago, they continue to actively pursue a dream home along the Lake Michigan shore.
Illinois did not consider public funding for the proposal during its spring legislative session, and the team is hoping for about $2.4 billion in public funding for the $4.7 billion project, including infrastructure upgrades, but Bears president Kevin Warren still believes it can get community support.
Warren touted the potential value of a downtown domed stadium while speaking to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce this week, where she cited “the power of the NFL” to promote the city through television.
“When our games are broadcast on national television, the whole world is watching Chicago,” Warren told the business leaders. “They're watching our talent. They're watching our businesses. They're watching how we work together. They're deciding, they're determining this is a place to travel, a place to relocate their business, a place to work, a place to relocate.”
Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin, a supporter of the Bears' plan to seek $2.3 billion in funding, including a $300 million grant from the NFL, downplayed Congress' lack of interest in the team, saying the recently recessed legislative session was more about the Bears “introducing the concept” of the proposal than seeking actual action on funding.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has called public funding for a stadium a “waste” for the state, did not mention it in his State of the Union address, nor did Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has called for the team to stay in Chicago rather than relocate to a facility he owns in the village of Arlington Heights.
“There's still a lot of discussion left and we're willing to work collaboratively with the city and state government,” Lavin told reporters afterward. “I think the education process still needs to continue to help people understand what this investment means and what the return on investment is for our economy and for the average Chicagoan.”
Warren is trying to use the Bears' bolstered roster with the addition of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to create the impression that Chicago would be wrong to let the team build a stadium elsewhere.
“We are in a special moment with the Chicago Bears, not only building a great football team and organization, but also building a world-class stadium that will empower everyone in this room,” Warren said in her keynote address.
Warren declined to comment when asked by reporters later whether she thought teams and their supporters needed to increase their personal contributions — an issue that doesn't look like it's going to be resolved anytime soon.
