Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has major qualms with the Chicago Bears’ new stadium proposal
On Wednesday afternoon the Chicago Bears pitched a proposal for a new stadium on the lakefront. The proposal included redeveloping the museum campus and improving infrastructure.
One detail of this plan caught the eye of the Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker and gave him major doubts about the project. His doubts led him to question if the project should get priority focus from the state government. This project falls into his lap as the construction requires tax payer money. In response to the proposal, the Governor said that other things deserve the state’s attention over a new football field.
Governor Pritzker reacts to Chicago Bears stadium plan
Before the Bears proposal was finished Governor Pritzker responded to the leaked details of the plan. The video can be seen in the embedded tweet below.
Remember, this video is from before the Bears released all the details. But the fact that the Governor doubled down shows the new information did not sway him in favor of the Chicago Bears.
.@GovPritzker, responding to @JeremyGorner’s question about the Bears’ plans to ask for about $2.3B in public financing for a new lakefront stadium: “I remain skeptical about this proposal… I'm not sure that this is among the highest priorities for taxpayers.” #twill pic.twitter.com/ubrZQnnrvC
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) April 24, 2024
After learning all the details of the proposal, Governor Pritzker doubled down on his concerns.
“Well, I’m highly skeptical of proposal that’s been made and I believe strongly that this is not a high priority for legislators and certainly not for me…”
Why does the stadium require any taxpayer money?
The McCaskey family relies on the Bears as their source of income. That is why the family wants some form of taxpayer money to get this stadium plan done. It’s an insurance policy for them as the project will no doubt be over budget, they always are. Outside of the Chicago bears, the McCaskey’s have zero major business holdings. If the Bears don’t turn a profit, they don’t.
The amount of taxpayer money they are asking for is small, around twenty eight percent of the total project cost. The McCaskey’s want the tax money to help them limit the weight of this project.
The McCaskey’s in all likelihood could foot the whole bill themselves. They appear to not want to do that, which has been a trend for them. This is a big reason why the Bears are still playing in an outdated Soldier Field.
Public funds are public funds, and they could be put to use on things like health care, education and transportation services. Which are things Governor Pritzker references in the video above.
Keeping the Chicago Bears in Chicago and allowing them to thrive is surely on the Governor’s radar. As he said, he was a business man first, so he understands the business side of this project.
Governor Pritzker was then asked what it would take to get the Bears over the finish line. Meaning what would earn the Bears a green light form the state government.
Pritzker, asked what it would take to get the Bears over the finish line: “…one lesson that can be learned just from the last few years is… taxpayers putting money forward for stadium deals: not particularly popular around the country,” cites referendum results in Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/pEX5yttDA7
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) April 24, 2024
America is tired of publicly funded stadiums
Simply put, there is no appetite for publicly funded stadiums in any facet in America. Look to Kansas City, Missouri and the declined new stadium tax. The Chiefs will not be getting any public funding for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. And there will absolutely be no public funding for a brand new stadium for the Chiefs.
If the Bears want to build a new stadium in Illinois, they will need to eliminate the requirement of tax dollars. The state is not in a position to donate a percentage of it’s funds to a football stadium. Unless the construction is privately financed, the Chicago Bears will not have a stadium any time soon.
And they likely won’t be relocating either. An article from Slate.com talks about the Kansas City Chiefs threatening relocation unless a new stadium is built. The article explains the stadium financing extortion scheme that is always front and center in American sports.
This is the situation the Bears are in. The owners are hoping to strong arm Illinois voters into agreeing to pay for a stadium. The Chicago Bears have no better options outside of Chicago, so they will just have to wait. Soldier Field will have to do for a while longer if this new plan falls through.
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