Soldier Field exterior in Chicago with American flags flying above the stadium facade
Getty
Soldier Field in Chicago has been the Bears’ home since 1971, but the team’s latest statement raised new questions about its future in the city.
The Chicago Bears issued a statement Thursday that pointed toward a seismic shift in the future of the original NFL franchise, but coming one day after the Illinois Legislature finally showed “positive momentum” in its attempt to prevent the team from moving out of state, the statement drew a strong reaction from Gov. JB Pritzker.
The Bears’ statement came in response to legislation to build the Bears a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, passed through that state’s House Ways and Means Committee earlier Thursday. The Bears’ current home of Soldier Field in Chicago remains the oldest active stadium in the NFL, opening in 1924. The Bears did not move in until 1971, however, but have played there ever since.
The Monsters of the Midway have now played longer in the same stadium, 55 years, than any other NFL team except the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have played continuously at Lambeau Field since its opening in 1957, 69 years.
But the Bears’ stay at Soldier Field and, for that matter, in Chicago may soon come to an end. In their statement Thursday, the Bears said, “we are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”
The Illinois Legislature’s effort has been focused on building a new stadium for the Bears in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb about 27 miles from Chicago, roughly the same distance away as Hammond, Indiana.
Governor ‘Dismayed’ by Bears Statement
According to a report by WMAQ-TV in Chicago, the Illinois General Assembly’s Revenue and Finance Committee was set to hold a hearing Thursday on how to keep the Bears from leaving the state. The Bears requested that the committee cancel that meeting shortly before the team’s statement was made public.
The Illinois governor was not happy with the Bears’ decision.
“I’m surprised, dismayed, very disappointed in what I saw in a statement,” Pritzker said, as quoted by WMAQ. “It’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the state of Illinois. We’re waiting to hear what the Bears would like to do next.”
‘Most Meaningful Step’ For Bears
The Indiana state House Speaker Todd Huston had previously said that he would not allow legislation on the Bears’ Hammond stadium to advance unless the team made a commitment to move there should the legislation pass, according to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Huston now appears to believe he has that commitment.
“I think we found a great partner in the Chicago Bears,” Huston said Thursday, as quoted by the Sun-Times. “Today is a historic day, one we look forward to building upon.”
While the Bears in their statement stopped short of making the full commitment that Huston said he wanted, the statement said that passage of the legislation in the Indiana Legislature would constitute, “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”