Arts & Entertainment
As Illinois Lawmakers Meet With Bears Staff, Hammond Mayor Still Pushing Potential Indiana Stadium Site
The battle for the Bears may be headed to the fourth quarter.
As the team looks to move on from its home at Soldier Field, a suitor has emerged across the state line: Hammond, Indiana.
“Hammond is the site we are focused on,” a Bears spokesperson said last month after the Indiana Assembly created a stadium authority that could help finance construction.
This government authority would be empowered to buy land and finance the construction of a new NFL stadium, providing financial support to a prospective franchise.
Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers are trying to keep pace and are considering a so-called “mega project” bill that could help the Bears relocate to suburban Arlington Heights.
Team staff have reportedly been meeting regularly with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
“We want to get it done for the Bears,” Pritzker said of the Arlington Heights site.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the prospect of the Bears moving to his city.
On where negotiations stand:
“Indiana’s offer to the Bears is very generous. I think it’s given the Bears a lot to think about. Obviously, any decision made by the Bears to leave Illinois is a big decision, is a big deal to them, and I think they wanna proceed cautiously. But I think Indiana has a great offer on the table and I really like our chances.”
On whether the Hammond site would still be competitive should Illinois pass its “mega projects” legislation:
“I know we have a competitive offer … We have a superior business climate. With all due respect to Illinois, this is a 40-year deal we’re talking about. Even if Illinois can match where we are in year zero, which is where we are right now, in years one through 40, the Bears would be far better off doing business in Indiana as opposed to Illinois.”
On what a Hammond stadium would mean for Hammond taxpayers:
I think it really depends on the perspective you’re looking at. In downtown Chicago, you have a lot of the amenities that we strive for here in northwest Indiana. You have a lot of hotels, you have a theater district, a lot of great restaurants. So losing the Bears, would that take away from the quality of life of a Chicago resident? Yeah, I’m sure it would to a certain extent. But I can tell you here in northwest Indiana, we don’t have a lot of those quality of life things we just talked about. I think with the Bears relocating here, you would see an entire development similar to what we see in Chicago right here in Hammond. I think it would be a real positive for Hammond.
On the ongoing negotiations between Bears staff and Illinois lawmakers:
Obviously, we want this really bad, so I’m doing my best to try and ignore everything and try to just stay positive and think about all the advantages the Bears would have (here). We’ve spent a lot of time on this deal, and we want it to happen. Let’s be honest, I’m a Bears fan. Nobody wants to see them leave Chicago. But if the Bears are leaving Soldier Field, I think their wisest move is moving 20 miles away to Hammond, Indiana. I think that’s a lot better than Arlington Heights, personally. It’s a lot better business deal for the Bears.
On the proposed Wolf Lake development site in Hammond:
I know there’s massive amounts of infrastructure that need to be done. Last I heard, it’s well over $500 million of infrastructure that the state of Indiana is pledging to that area. It’s going to be about right around 300 acres, controllable by the Bears, and this new authority the state is setting up. It’s a beautiful part of our city. I host concerts there every summer ... this is an area that northwest Indiana and Chicago are already used to going to. This is the same general area the Bears are looking. They would be lucky to have that area. It would be gorgeous and beautiful. You can see the Chicago skyline over Wolf Lake.
On Bears fans who want the team to stay in Illinois:
I think if you’re on the South Side of Chicago or even in downtown, if the Bears moved to Hammond, they would be a lot closer to you than they would be in Arlington Heights. Regardless of if you’re gonna move the Bears north to Arlington Heights or to the south to Hammond, how are the majority of Bears fans gonna feel? I actually feel like the South Side of Chicago, Northwest Indiana, is much better ... I think this is a more blue-collar Bears type of atmosphere.”
