INDIANAPOLIS — The Chicago Bears moved one step closer to potentially relocating to Indiana on Thursday as a House committee unanimously passed legislation creating the framework to finance a new NFL stadium in Hammond.
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Senate Bill 27, amended in the House Ways and Means Committee and passed 24-0, now heads to the House floor. The legislation would establish the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to acquire land and finance construction near Wolf Lake in Hammond.
Sports experts say the Bears are playing a leverage game, but Indiana's aggressive courtship could make a relocation a reality.
"Indiana says we're prepared for economic development, we want a resurgence of that in Northwestern Indiana, so we're gonna vote fast, we'll get it done. You guys dillydally as long as you want, but we're already courting the Bears," Milton O. Thompson said.
Thompson, a sports attorney in Indianapolis, believes the Bears are definitely using Indiana as leverage in negotiations with Illinois, but numerous factors could lead to an actual move.
"We're not quite like Motor Speedway where they're waving the checkered flag, but I'd say they've started the race," Thompson said. "If you have a race that's got a checkered flag at the end over there, and that means a big purse, that means that folks are going to put on their racing shoes, and that's exactly what the Indiana state legislature and the state of Indiana saying, 'Chicago Bears, we're your finish line.'"
Thompson pointed to precedent for NFL teams relocating across state lines.
"Someone asked me, 'Would they really, truly get up and leave and go to Indiana?' And I said, 'Well, you know, where do the Jets play?" Thompson said.
John Boyd, a national site selection consultant and principal with the Boyd Company, says this would be an enormous economic development win for Indiana.
"We're talking, potentially a billion-dollar annually economic impact, thousands of jobs, and year-round jobs; they call sports the holy grail of economic development," Boyd said. "That's because these are generational projects. You're talking about a 35 to 40-year commitment of a year-round anchor here."
Boyd says Hammond has the infrastructure foundation needed for such a massive project.
"They have the land, they have upwards of 300 acres. They have the proximity to downtown Chicago, proximity to the airports and other types of public transportation infrastructure," Boyd said. "There will be more infrastructure investments coming should the Bears choose to do this facility in Northwest Indiana."
Indiana also brings a more business-friendly environment compared to Arlington Heights, according to Boyd.
"Lower property taxes, lower personal income taxes and lower corporate taxes, not just for the Bears, but for other types of commercial tenants that will be drawn to this new sports complex," Boyd said.
Boyd says the Bears have an aggressive timeline for their new stadium plans. They want to begin playing in a new facility in 2029 and aim to host a Super Bowl in 2031. The team envisions a new amenity-rich domed stadium that meets modern NFL and fan expectations.
"That's what the NFL wants. That's what corporate America wants in terms of buying club seating and luxury boxes. It's what fans expect today, a more amenity-rich experience going to home games," Boyd said.
While this isn't a done deal, both experts agree that Thursday's legislative move signals a major step forward.
"If you're hungry enough, you'll search hard to find food, and I think the Bears are hungry enough for a new stadium," Thompson said. "And it's not working at Soldier Field, they're not getting the land sort of abatement opportunities that they have in the suburbs of Chicago, and there's plenty of land that they have in Indiana, and they're saying we can build our own enterprise with $2 billion, and businesses will follow us. So, never say never, but it's not a done deal."
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