Naysayer: A Taxing Development For the Bears In Northwest Indiana

Fans of the Chicago Bears say a move isn’t about emotion, it’s about money.
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Illustration by Sarah Ellis

IF THE CHICAGO Bears relocate to Hammond, Indiana, will their long-standing “Monsters of the Midway” moniker be updated to “Hooligans of Hohman” (Hammond’s main street) or the “Region Roughnecks?”

This Bears move represents a major breakdown between the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. I feel it is a direct slap in the face to fans who, through thick and thin, supported and believed in this team when ownership consistently put an inferior product on the field.

The once proud and hard-nosed franchise that spawned notables such as Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, and many more, is now looking to throw all this history away.

The almighty dollar syndrome the Bears are caught in has come down to the owners and politicians bickering over the financial impasse of funding a new stadium.

Team relocation in the National Football League is not without precedent. In 1976, the New York Giants moved to Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Eight years later, in 1984, the New York Jets also relocated to Giants Stadium. In 2010, both teams moved to their current home of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And don’t get me started on the Raiders moving to and from Oakland twice, as well as Los Angeles, and finally, Las Vegas. 

To the average Bears fan, what does this move really mean? Polled for their reactions to the move were ardent, tried-and-true fans of 50-plus years.

The overwhelming response did not lament “Can you believe the Bears are leaving the Windy City?” In fact, all respondents had a laissez faire attitude. Answers were centered around taxes, politicians, and money.

Mike Carniello, a statistician from Chicago, puts it simply in an email, saying, “I am very indifferent. Who cares at this point? Just land somewhere and play the damn game.” Adding: “The answer to every question is this: money.”
 
David Dewar, Bears fan since 1962 and a retired professor of history from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, echoes the same sentiment only in more philosophical terms: “It’s a predictable feature of late-stage capitalism emphasizing greed over responsibility to the communities a business like the Bears serves.”
 

And yet money not brought to the table is one of the root issues, too.

Jill Panovic, a retired HR professional, says: “Chicago didn’t bring money or plans to the situation. There is no space for a new stadium in Chicago, and nothing would ever be approved on the lakefront like a teardown or rebuild of Soldier Field.”

“Chicago should have let the Bears go, but they just couldn’t do it,” says Panovic. “They thought their deep love and support of the team would somehow create money, space, and a plan. It didn’t do any of those things, and that’s what pushed the Bears to Hammond.”
 
Meanwhile, Hugh Totten, retired Chicago lawyer, believes this is much ado about nothing. “All the Bears have done is announce that the board of directors has approved a move to Indiana. That means nothing. It doesn’t mean the team is moving. Right now, the Bears are just doing what Jerry Reinsdorf did when he wanted a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox and then the Bulls: throw a hissy fit.”
 
Panovic feels tax issues are a key reason for the Bears to change locations. “The Bears miscalculated. The state of Illinois doesn’t have money, nor is there any appetite for tax breaks to help them. Arlington Heights could have worked, but the Bears and the NFL are simply asking the state of Illinois for too much.”
 

Bears owner George McCaskey and his family are not popular, even though Kevin Warren is now the face of the organization, Panovic notes. “Illinois taxes are some of the highest in the country. While the Bears are beloved, most citizens do not and cannot support additional taxes. The Illinois legislature knows this and is listening to its constituents. Good luck, Indiana—now you will be supporting two NFL teams!”

That sentiment is echoed by Totten. “Good luck with Governor Braun’s proposed hospitality tax as part of the plan to raise money for the new stadium.”

Greg Kline, a retired newspaper journalist living in West Lafayette, isn’t on board with any move to Indiana or new taxes. “As a longtime Bears fan and an Indiana taxpayer, I hate it. Studies consistently show that stadium projects don’t pay economically. And how can you be the ‘Monsters of the Midway’ if your home field is nowhere near the Midway?”
 
Despite the move, Dewer feels “fans will flock to the new stadium. In fact, they’ll garner more fans because the new stadium will hold more fans in a climate-controlled environment.”
 
The widespread indifference is echoed by Panovic, who admits: “I haven’t attended a Bears game in years, so watching a game on TV being played on their home field in Indiana won’t bother me at all. Will I buy a Hammond Bears hoodie? Probably not.”

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