A Three-Way Fumble

How City Hall, Springfield, and the front office lost the Chicago Bears

Image courtesy of YouTube

According to the Arizona Daily Star, the state of Illinois had the 15th-worst economy in 2026. The state frequently places last or near the bottom in the country for its total tax burden.

It also holds one of the most burdensome regulatory environments, which discourages business growth and entrepreneurship. But when you lose a historical football team, you know your state is placed in a category of its own.

But the reality of the Chicago Bears’ decision to advance stadium plans outside of the city limits — highlighted by the team board’s vote to move forward with a development in Hammond, Indiana– is that blame does not belong to just one side.

But who was responsible, and how did these three different entities fumble the Bears out of Illinois?

Image courtesy of YouTube

Chicago City Hall and Mayor Brandon Johnson

Many people point heavy blame at City Hall for failing to present a realistic, unified counter-strategy early enough to keep the franchise on the lakefront. The first big fumble was that negotiations between the city and the team stalled and caused political friction.

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson’s late-stage push to keep the team focused on a $900 million public-backed plan utilizing Illinois Sports Facilities Authority bond, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

With Chicago facing a massive structural deficit, the idea of tying up city or state resources for a billionaire-owned sports franchise faced significant resistance.

People, including upcoming mayoral challenger Susana Mendoza, labeled the loss a massive failure of leadership, debating that City Hall simply didn’t plan to keep the Bears from walking away.

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State Leadership and Governor J.B. Pritzker

While the city struggled to find its footing, the state legislature in Springfield, Illinois, effectively put up a defensive wall against public funding.

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, Governor J.B. Pritzker consistently maintained a strict ‘no public handout for billionaire owners’ stance.

He flat-out dismissed Chicago mayor Johnson’s bond proposal as a ‘non-starter’. During the spring legislative session, a bill designed to create a local stadium authority passed the Senate, but ultimately stalled when it reached the House.

According to WTTW News, Springfield leaders showed zero interest in expanding borrowing capacity or bailing out stadium debt, leaving the team with no viable path forward.

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The Chicago Bears’ Front Office

The Chicago Bears aren’t immune to blame. Many pointed out that the organization fundamentally miscalculated the political climate of Illinois, according to YouTube.

Insiders noted that the Bears’ executive team failed to effectively lobby rank-and-file lawmakers. Instead of building public sentiment and proving the statewide economic benefits of a mega project, the front office treated the tax break like leverage. This ultimately backfired.

After exploring Arlington Heights and facing property tax valuation hurdles there, the team felt boxed in by Illinois politics. When the state of Indiana swooped in with fewer regulatory hurdles and an aggressive push to lure the team to Hammond, Indiana, the Bears board took the path of least resistance, according to the Daily Herald.

Image courtesy of YouTube

Reflection

Ultimately, the breakdown happened because the Bears wanted financial certainty that the city could not give, let alone the entire state. Because of this, Illinois refused to subsidize, and the team’s leadership could not politically move forward, thus ending their relationship with the state.

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