Chicago Bears fans are still worried about what is going to happen with the new stadium and where it is going to be built.
After failing to get the votes in on the Bears' $5 billion new stadium bill, the franchise has shifted their focus to the possibility of building the stadium in Hammond, Indiana, rather than Arlington Heights, Illinois. A reader asked Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer about what he thinks the percentage is on the Bears actually moving to Hammond.
"BRUCE, I’d say 45%? It still feels to me like the Bears are trying to get Illinois to budge and, for obvious reasons, still want to build on the $200 million piece of land they bought in Arlington Heights. But what was a bluff can become real, and it feels like that’s what’s happening, sort of in slow motion, here."
Many still think the Bears could end up staying in Illinois with new stadium
At this point, the ball is in Illinois' court on how they want to handle the new stadium and get the bill passed. The state would have to call a special session during the summer since they don't get back together until November, so something has to be done quickly.
The Bears have made it clear they want a decision by late spring to early summer, so time is not on Illinois' side. Either the state or the Bears themselves have to make a move, but all indications from Hammond, Indiana, are that this is pretty much a done deal.
This has unfortunately gotten ugly in the worst way possible, as both the Bears and Illinois are not looking good in the situation. The Bears look greedy while Illinois is dragging their feet every step of the way. It appears on the outside that neither side is really doing enough work to make this happen if they were serious about it.
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It's a shame that the Bears and Illinois doesn't realize that they are only hurting the taxpayers in the state more than anything as they play this power struggle game with each other. No matter what happens, this is not going to end very well for either side and the residents of Illinois just ends up as the biggest losers of this whole situation.
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