Like all Bears fans, I’m outraged and saddened that the Bears have chosen to abandon their fans and the state, after the Chicago area has supported them for over 100 years (most of which have been losing years). Though there is plenty of blame to go around, the majority of it lies with the Bears, which always take a great idea and find a way to screw it up.
Leave it to the Bears to take all the goodwill created by head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams and trash it over a new stadium.
The Bears bought the Arlington Heights site and announced they were breaking their lease at Soldier Field. Nobody forced them to do this. Almost immediately, majority owners the McCaskeys and team President and CEO Kevin Warren began looking for a deal. The state proposed megaprojects tax-incentive legislation. A great idea not just for the Bears but also for attracting other businesses. But if we’re to believe Bill Cunningham and other Chicago state legislators, when they were considering tax incentives, Warren was meeting with the city about building a stadium in Chicago. How foolish of the Bears.
To the Bears’ credit, the Arlington Heights location is ideal. It’s close to the airport (for out-of-town Bears fans), major expressways and Metra rail. A great place for the restaurants, bars and hotels the Bears want to build around the stadium for additional revenue and in close proximity to the majority of the Bears fanbase.
Hammond? Not so much. Sorry, but we’re not driving from the western and northern suburbs into the Loop, then through the South Side and across the border, so we can enjoy a night out among the steel mills, gun shops and tattoo parlors, only to reverse the trip at the end of the evening.
Again, a great idea screwed up by the Bears.
— Frank Kern, Chicago
Let Indiana live with decision
Regarding the editorial “Get used to ‘Bear Down, Hammond Bears’ as Illinois’ reputation gets tackled for a loss” (June 7): The Illinois legislature refusing to allow taxpayers to subsidize the billionaire McCaskeys is an “embarrassment”? Au contraire, mes freres.
The greedy owners of the local NFL franchise have played Illinois pols (hurting Illinois taxpayers in the process) for far too long. Indiana’s legislature and governor passed the legislation necessary to subsidize a Hammond stadium. This time, Gov. JB Pritzker and the legislature appear to have called the McCaskeys’ bluff. Good.
Let Indiana taxpayers subsidize a stadium built on a slag heap. They are the proverbial dog that caught the passing car — they now have to live with their impulsive decision. They will rue the day.
— Jay Gerak, Chicago
Editorial board should ask ‘why’
Why? That is one the question never raised in the editorial regarding the Bears’ threatened relocation to Hammond. Why should taxpayers have to subsidize an $8 billion franchise owned by billionaires? Why should Illinois taxpayers, in times when many residents can’t afford to meet their basic needs, help wealthy owners price them out of attending the very games their taxes have paid for?
Saying an NFL team is worth keeping, without providing any analysis, presumes a fact not available anywhere in public record: How do the Bears benefit the city?
— Maulik Sharma, Naperville
Seeking egregious exemption
I agree with every assertion the Tribune Editorial Board makes in its postmortem on the Bears debacle in the Illinois legislature (“Chicago tanks the Chicago Bears,” June 2), especially the one branding the Bears as liars.
But let’s be clear: The Bears always have had their much-coveted “property tax certainty,” though not quite the version they’d like. Just ask any Cook County homeowner. Everyone knows that property taxes are always certain to rise. The Bears wanted an egregious exemption from this ironclad law, and it just wasn’t going to happen.
— Jim Daly, Mount Prospect
What about the public good?
Go ahead, Indiana, make my day.
As described in the Tribune, Springfield ended its spring session scrambling to assemble $1 billion to $2 billion in subsidies for one of the wealthiest families in Illinois to build a football stadium. Meanwhile, three safety-net hospitals serving Chicago’s most vulnerable residents have collapsed under private equity mismanagement. Westlake is gone. Weiss Memorial closed last August. West Suburban shut its doors in March and remains mired in court battles over tens of millions in unpaid debt, misappropriated state loans and a billing system failure that wiped out $500 million in revenue.
We apparently cannot find public money to keep hospitals open to maintain the health of Chicagoans and suburban residents, but we can find it to subsidize “civic pride.”
Let the Bears play in Hammond. We can still pack Grant Park for a Super Bowl parade for the Bears, whatever side of the state line they play on. Spare us the tax bill for a vanity project.
Let’s find the political will to use public funds for the public good.
— Mohiuddin Ahmed, River Forest
It is possible to be successful
Much of the value of the Bears brand comes from having “Chicago” as part of their name. For decades, the Bears owners have complained about not getting enough from Chicago, yet the team is one of the highest valued franchises in the NFL.
If the Bears owners feel they are not getting enough, they should move elsewhere and leave the name “Chicago” for another team that is willing to give back to the city.
It is possible to run a successful sports franchise in Chicago. Just ask the Rickettses, Reinsdorfs, Wirtzes or Mansuetos. They can explain how to do it.
— Marilyn Kelly, Chicago
This is not my team anymore
I’ve been a Bears fan as long as I can remember, no doubt a result of being born and raised in Chicago. I’ve been looking forward to next season, spending more time than I should reading about players, coaches, strategies and what may happen. Hopefully, it will be even better than last season.
Then I heard the news that the Bears are likely moving to Hammond. While hardly unexpected, it was still a shock.
After a while, I surprised myself when I realized my enthusiasm for the Bears had waned. This was not my team anymore.
Perhaps the feeling will come back, but I doubt it will be the same. Maybe it’s just me, but if many other fans feel the same, then management will have damaged a once-great franchise.
But it doesn’t matter. I no longer care.
— George Ritzlin, Highland Park
Change to cream and crimson?
I wonder if anyone in Bears management has realized that they will have to rewrite a verse of the team fight song: “You’re the pride and joy of Illinois.”
Let’s not forget the team colors are the same as the University of Illinois. Are they changing to Indiana University colors?
— Frank Chambers Jr., Chicago
Suggestion for a new name
If the Bears move to Hammond, I believe they should also give up their right to use “Chicago” in their team name. Instead, they could become “the Hammond ‘Organ’ Grinders.”
Works on so many levels.
— Ronda Schiess, River Forest
Work schedule for lawmakers
The only thing more surprising than the Illinois General Assembly botching the Bears stadium deal was learning that lawmakers won’t convene again for five months.
If that’s all my tax dollars get in return, I think we need to demand a tougher work schedule.
— Steven Fortuna, Naperville
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