Boilernation

Haha! Agree. Brutal. Just brutal.

Agreed. Luther and Colston are the future. I heard Booker has looked very good so far in camp. Same for Jaylon Johnson.

I have no problem admitting Indiana is going to give them a sweetheart deal if they build in Hammond. But, I still believe it will be Arlington Heights. I get that the infrastructure costs are steep, but what is the tradeoff? Just leave a massive piece of real estate in a prime area sitting empty and not pumping out any sales taxes and very minimal real estate taxes? If the Bears do build elsewhewre and sell the property, whoever buys it is going to also ask for some sort of infrastructure put in, whether it be turned into residential or commercial property.

I doubt that's the case in Indiana, but it's always been about Illinois covering infrastructure costs for roads/sewers as well as property tax certainty. The Bears have always maintained they would pay 100% of the stadium construction in Arlington Heights. Here's a link where it was mentioned in the Arlington Heights section of the article. https://www.fox32chicago.com/sports/chicago-bears-stadium-whats-next-hammond-arlington-heights-chicago

Meh, I stopped reading when the author claimed the Bears are trying to get Illinois to build them a stadium. If you can't get that little piece of information correct, how can I trust the rest of your claims?

Jordan Lynch would be a good coach for Purdue to build a relationship with. He is stockpiling D1 talent on Chicago's South Side.

Ok. Fair enough. Hypothetically, lets say the Bears end up building a stadium in Arlington Heights and pay to upgrade all of the roadways around the stadium. Would you be OK with them charging a toll to all drivers who use those roads?

Huh? They are going to privately fund 100% of the cost of the new stadium if they build in Arlington Heights. They just don't want to get raped on property tax and want the state to pay for the infrastructure around the Arlington Heights property. Someone is going to have to pay for it if the Bears sell the property and it's developed into something else. Typically, businesses do not pay for infrastructure upgrades. Would you be pissed if Indiana agreed to pay for major infrastructure upgrades around Frankfort if that meant a major manufacturer was going bring jobs to your town? One thing that article pointed out that has been rumored on Chicago sports radio is that politicians who respresent neighborhoods within the city aren't playing ball down in Springfield, which is complete BS. The Bears shouldn't be strongarmed into paying rent on a stadium they don't own that is also one of, if not the the worst stadium in the NFL. The city/state made a colossal mistake when they decided to renovate Soldier Field as opposed to just building a new stadium. They essentially put lipstick on a pig that has lead to this fiasco. And are those bitter politicians from Chicago going to fight the Friends of The Park who have vowed to prevent a new stadium getting built on the lakefront? They successfully kept George Lucas from building his museum on the lakefront and he had to shift to LA.

Of course not. And I'm not a big fan of difinitive statements as well. Just looking at it objectively, they have a prime piece of property in Arlington Height they own and would like to devlop. I doubt they filed a trademark on the term "Bearadise" just to build a football stadium. They want to own a football stadium and a surrounding entertainment district. And every statement they put out about the idea of moving to Indiana never lists a specific location or timeline for construction. IMO, They'll continue to flirt with Indiana to get Springfield to change some property tax laws that would currently massively over tax the Bears and commit to building up infrastructure around the stadium. The Bears have already said they'll pay for the construction of the stadium in Arlington Heights.

Neuqua Valley is in Naperville as well. They played Chatard at LN in 2016.

Moot point. They'll be building in Arlington Heights. Nonetheless, personally, if I still lived in Porter County, I would be willing to pay a "luxury" tax at restaraunts or hotels to have the Bears play in Hammond. The Toll Road tax will come from more than Indiana residents. The admissions tax will come from those who actually attend the games.

Agreed. Pate is a very intelligent guy. I enjoy his podcasts. That's how I understood it as well. Betting on the game should be the one area EVERYONE agrees has consequences.

Muda, are you a pro union guy? I'm sure the local ironworkers union out of Hammond or Portage is loving this deal if it happens, which is interesting because that union is proud Democrats. I think the toxic waste is just rumors and the main issue will just be how much of Wolf Lake and the surrounding areas will need to be filled in. Sadly, I have a feeling Lost Marsh Golf Course would be used.

Bears still haven't fully committed. I'll believe it when a site is officially picked and construction is announced. But, I'm still betting on Illinois to completely screw this up because of politics. They've given away Milliions in tax payers funds for other reasons recently. Not giving the Bears a fair property tax rate as well as infrastructure upgrades around the property is not about them sticking it to the Billiionaires. It's political turmoil from within, imo. I'm thinking it's 80/20 at this point in favor of Indiana with the Bears ownership practically begging Illinois to cave. They once again crafted a public statement in favor of Indiana without actually committing on going to Indiana.

Is this just a last ditch effort by the Bears to get Illinois to committ to property tax certainty and infrastructure improvements? Conflicting info here, but Cronin is a legit journalist and is well informed when it comes to the Bears.