Feb 27, 2026
3 min read
An exit from Soldier Field could move the Bears across state lines.But it could help revive a unique territory, and the team will still be in the orbit of many fans.
Do you think you have been left out of the housing market?The Chicago Bears have been renting since Warren J. Harding was president.
They began in the NFL as tenants of Wrigley Field, sharing a baseball sanctuary with the Cubs for 50 seasons before the league insisted that all teams play in stadiums with a capacity of at least 50,000, so in 1971 the Bears decamped to Soldier Field, where they have been ever since. Save for a one-year "trip" in 2002 to the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium during renovations, Soldier Field is football's first real estate: styleNeoclassical. Along the lake in the city With quick views of one of the most abundant horizons in America, but the rental conditions are crazy. The urban park area (which owns the stadium) is a slum district, and the Star-crossed Bears play in the league's oldest and smallest stadium while representing the third largest market - they have outgrown the facility.
So the bears are doing what anyone would do in this situation, exploring their options.Permanent house outside the city.On the way out.Indiana.
Last week, Indiana lawmakers unanimously approved an amendment that would clear the way for the Bears to leave Illinois and move across state lines to Hammond.The news came as a blow to the Green Bay Packers.An Axios fan poll found that 74% would be "angry" if the franchise skipped town.Fox Sports analyst Rachel Nichols urged the family that has owned the team since the ban to sell "if you don't have the resources to keep the Bears in Chicago."What if Hammond was the solution all along?
People hear "Indiana" and imagine Indianapolis or Bloomington - try downtown overlooking corn fields and soybean rows.But for many residents of Chicago's southern suburbs, Hammond is just a stopover, an escape from Illinois' high gas prices.It's a half-hour drive or train ride from Chicago, closer to San Francisco than the 49ers.And a shorter commute from Manhattan than the Giants and Jets, who, I hasten to point out, play in New Jersey.
Like the Big Apple, the Second City was once home to two NFL teams.But the Cardinals couldn't even make their borrowed facility at Comiskey Park work.Decades of chronically poor attendance led them to St. Louis in the 1960s before finally arriving at their current home in Arizona.If the Bills move to New Highmark Stadium next season, there still won't be a single team in the AFC East playing in the big cities they spawned.The Bears, who began life as a semi-pro group from the railroad town of Decatur in central Illinois: At least they're still trying to hang on to their metropolitan roots.
There are no major bridges or tunnels between Chicago and Hammond;Venture too far east on 142nd Street, and you might run into one.And if your car radio is tuned to Power 92, know this: That Chicago hip-hop institution has been broadcasting from Hammond studios for more than two decades.Bears.Hammond is much closer than Champaign, Illinois, and Chicago fans make the 140-mile trip when the Bears play the Fighting Illini at home while Soldier Field is being renovated.It's not like the team's 3-5 record makes the trip there worth it.
Hammond is no farther from Chicago than Arlington Heights, the northern suburb that until last week was the frontrunner to be the Bears' new home.Sci-fi versions envision a palatial indoor stadium that would serve as a pleasure center for year-round concerts and games — entertainment currently outside the Bears' boundaries, with the city park district controlling Soldier Field and the land beneath it.But the estimated $5 billion cost for the entire Arlington Heights project puts it in a league with Sophie Stadium in Inglewood, California, as the most expensive sports venue ever built.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke led SoFi's construction with Walmart money, but the McCaskeys, the family that inherited Papa Bear George Halas' team, while well-resourced, aren't wealthy by NFL standards.Most of their net worth is tied to the Bears, the rare NFL franchise still controlled by the descendants of its founder.The rent at Soldier Field doesn't leave much money for massive, era-defining projects.The Bears were only willing to pay about $2 billion of their own money for a stadium.Arlington Heights itself, and asked for government help to cover the rest.
Not surprisingly, their request sparked a backlash from local taxpayers and became a sticking point for Illinois lawmakers who wanted control of the mixed-use portion of the Arlington Heights project in exchange for funding.Ultimately, the deal is no better than the one they have at Soldier Field, where the city still owes hundreds of millions in repairs on top of the annual rent — a deal that only comes under the sale.City parking is a treasure trove of independent wealth in the United Arab Emirates on the epic charts.
Hammond, of course, promises greener grass.In Arlington Heights, the Bears' mixed-use development plans depend on private partners and public support to fund the remaining $3 billion. But last week's vote in the Indiana state House was an important first step toward creating a stadium authority with the authority to finance and build the team's dream home — one that the Bears would fully control for the same $2 billion.USD investments. If it appears that the tax burden has been transferred across the border, consider the consequences.
Northwest Indiana has been stuck in a perpetual slump since auto plants, steel mills and ironworks began closing shop in 1970 — the same year the Bears were forced to play at Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium while Wrigley was being renovated, adding new dignity to their seemingly eternal lease.his hometown and countless other musicians—became a postcard of industrial ruin.
Hammond Stadium doesn't just seem like a sweet proposition that could make the Bears more competitive on and off the field.It could help restore the Rust Belt's crown jewel and breathe new life into a South Chicago community buffeted by economic headwinds.At a time when professional sports teams are leaving the cities they claim to represent—the Golden State Warriors are leaving Oakland for San Francisco, and moving from Oakland to Sacramento and then Las Vegas, the Chiefs are planning to leave Arrowhead for flashier digs in Kansas City, Kansas—the Bears will actually deepen their community ties by leaving the state.
Where will Arlington Heights go?Bears fans are up about an hour's drive from Hammond. It depends on traffic and tolls will be charged through the northern suburbs. Illinois Governor J.B.Pritzker vows to weather the shock of the Bears' crystallized plans for Indiana and work with team president Kevin Warren to keep the franchise in the state. Although he has publicly criticized the team's praise for Indiana's legislative progress, those who have scoffed at the idea of the Bears' stadium becoming Indiana's third publicly funded major league facility.cover the cost of building stadiums in the United States and Canada from 1970 to 2020. It's worth noting that previous arrangements were designed to make money from the people who invested the most: the fans. Everyone comes to watch the games.If you're going to play sports, maybe pass the cost on to those who are most committed to the cause.
No, Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson and the boys won't have "Bear Weather" by their side on the climate-controlled, artificially-fenced field of dreams.But they'll still have free shots of the lake, the skyline and the giant bins and eager TV producers from the Wiener's Circle hotdog stand.They still have navy and burnt orange fans waiting years for season tickets and yes they're going to a gorgeous new stadium. "I still believe the best place for the Chicago Bears is in the city of Chicago," Mayor Brandon Johnson said after the news.They move
As long as they have the city on their backs and the Wishbone-C on their helmets, the Bears will remain Chicago's top team - no matter how loudly critics or fans protest otherwise.The Hoosier Summit would be just a matter of semantics—a place to truly call home.
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