Can Congress keep US sports teams from leaving their cities?
With the NFL’s Chicago Bears weighing a once-unthinkable move to Indiana, a new federal bill aims to give cities the right to keep their teams
Soldier Field has been the home of the Chicago Bears since 1971. Photograph: Quinn Harris/Getty Images WWE star CM Punk called it “straight greed”. Illinois governor JB Pritzker called it a “slap in the face”.
An overwhelming majority of fans say they will hold a grudge. This cacophony of disgust has been prompted by the real possibility that the Chicago Bears could relocate to Hammond, Indiana . The Bears’ owners bought a site in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for a new stadium, but negotiations over property taxes have stalled construction.
Meanwhile, Indiana has thrown its hat into the ring, passing a state bill on 26 February authorizing funding in Hammond. Chicago’s current home, Soldier Field, is a rental, open-air venue with the smallest seating capacity in the NFL. Still, it is not only in Illinois; it is in Chicago proper along Lake Michigan.
Arlington Heights, while about 25 miles north of the city, is at least within state lines. Related: The Indiana Bears? Why an interstate move for a cherished NFL team may work out If US senators Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar have their way, the Bears’ ownership – or any major professional sports ownership group considering relocation – may think twice.
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