The Chicago Bears have narrowed their stadium options to two locations. Neither is Chicago.
Chicago still isn’t giving up on disrupting the duo of finalists: Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana.
Via Jeremy Gorner of the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Senator Bill Cunningham said the effort to build the stadium in Arlington Heights has experienced new resistance from some legislators who believe the team is open to staying in Chicago.
The Bears denied that contention in a statement released on Wednesday night.
“The team has been clear with the city of Chicago and state leaders there are only two viable stadium locations under consideration, Arlington Heights and Hammond, and a decision is expected between the two later this spring or early summer,” the team said.
Cunningham contends otherwise.
“But by virtue of the fact that the Bears did outreach to the city as [of] late April, that has given credence to the mayor’s claim that a lakefront site is still viable,” Cunningham said. “That has helped him to convince Chicago legislators to move slowly, to give the city a chance to better develop a new lakefront plan and to not support the Arlington Heights site.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently have been squabbling about the possibility of the Bears remaining in Chicago.
The stakes are high. Illinois faces a May 31 deadline to get something done. If they don’t, Indiana could end up getting the Bears. If Indiana is a real option and not simply a leverage play to get a new stadium in Illinois — in Arlington Heights or Chicago.
