Bears Stadium news

[Banedon]

Nothing got done.

[WrigleyField 22]

22 minutes ago, Banedon said:

Nothing got done.

Most likely for the best.  But a fun display of government disfunction at end.

(they eventually filed amendment to fix it)

 

[Brian707]

So when do you think the next possible time a stadium deal gets done?

Is this Illinois calling the Bears bluff on Indiana? It will probably be another 6 months for them to pass a bill now. They must not think Bears are serious moving to a toxic waste site

Edited Monday at 11:33 AM by Brian707

[WrigleyField 22]

3 hours ago, Brian707 said:

So when do you think the next possible time a stadium deal gets done?

Is this Illinois calling the Bears bluff on Indiana? It will probably be another 6 months for them to pass a bill now. They must not think Bears are serious moving to a toxic waste site

I mean they could call a special session at any time.

At this point is really comes down to how viable Hammond is (soil testing but also traffic study and site plan + infrastructure needs that wouldn't be in the NWI stadium authority).

 

I've never thought Hammond was a bluff only, but legit interest does not equal a done deal. Bears would have had nothing to lose in past few months leaking any level of detail.  That they haven't means either those details aren't ready or that they didn't feel the need to put pressure on Illinois.  

 

An early summer deadline wouldn't be Warren's first missed deadline in this whole process if it comes and goes with no decision....

 

Edited Monday at 02:45 PM by WrigleyField 22

[Old Style]

Caleb Williams will retire before a new stadium opens at this rate. 

[Tryptamine]

I was vehemently against them going to Indiana, but if Illinois politicians are this inept, then horsefeathers it, I don't blame them if they move out of state.

[Cubfanintheknow]

The last thing Illinois legislators... especially downstate legislators... want to do is to explain to their constituents why it's giving the Bears money. And make no mistake about this... the Bears (and the NFL in general) are looking for government handouts at every turn despite being a multi-billion dollar business. 

The Bears actually did very little with downstate legislators to "grease the skids" on a deal. Very little lobbying on their part. Kevin Warren simply believed being "The Bears" and having a deal in place with Indiana was more than enough to get what he wanted from the state. He was very wrong. 

I want the Bears to stay in Illinois. The Bears want to stay in Illinois and play in a new stadium. Ultimately, they will. They're just not getting everything they want.

[WrigleyField 22]

1 hour ago, Tryptamine said:

I was vehemently against them going to Indiana, but if Illinois politicians are this inept, then horsefeathers it, I don't blame them if they move out of state.

In this case if their ineptness kept them from a bad financial deal... I'll take it.  Bears really haven't produced a real shred of evidence that a good deal even existed for IL. And while I can't say what was Bears and what was Prtizker or House, that PILOT bill was a mess in a way that even normal bad stadium deals rarely are.

 

Also my impression is that in this entire 4+ year saga some people are interpreting "no's" as IL pols dragging their feet or whatever. But longest time was still spent on a SF plan with one fairly powerless backer. Before shifting back to AH and a terrible PILOT bill.

[jersey cubs fan]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088323/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

 

 

Edited Monday at 05:54 PM by jersey cubs fan

[Banedon]

[Wilson A2000]

25 minutes ago, Banedon said:

Kevin Warren convinced the McCaskeys to spend on Ben Johnson. But everything else he’s done with the Bears has been terrible and he needs to be fired.

[mul21]

34 minutes ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Kevin Warren convinced the McCaskeys to spend on Ben Johnson. But everything else he’s done with the Bears has been terrible and he needs to be fired.

Yeah, outside of that one huge thing, his tenure has been an unmitigated disaster, both in PR and actions.  He comes off as a self-important douche and the sooner they send him packing the better.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Bears fans waiting on a new stadium:

[Wilson A2000]

2 hours ago, mul21 said:

Yeah, outside of that one huge thing, his tenure has been an unmitigated disaster, both in PR and actions.  He comes off as a self-important douche and the sooner they send him packing the better.

If you come across as self-important, at least get things done. He can’t. If the Bears can’t afford a stadium, sell the team to someone who can. No reason for the Bears to be getting out of paying property taxes in a state that kills its residents on property taxes. 

[BigbadB]

12 hours ago, Wilson A2000 said:

If you come across as self-important, at least get things done. He can’t. If the Bears can’t afford a stadium, sell the team to someone who can. No reason for the Bears to be getting out of paying property taxes in a state that kills its residents on property taxes. 

It's not about being able to afford it. It's about getting as many handouts as possible so that they can keep their own money in their own pockets. This is not a new thing. Every sports team owner wants everything just handed to them. Indiana was only ever brought into the discussion to get politicians nervous. That doesn't mean they wouldn't move to Indiana (see San Diego Chargers) if the politicians refuse to cave.

[Wilson A2000]

15 hours ago, BigbadB said:

It's not about being able to afford it. It's about getting as many handouts as possible so that they can keep their own money in their own pockets. This is not a new thing. Every sports team owner wants everything just handed to them. Indiana was only ever brought into the discussion to get politicians nervous. That doesn't mean they wouldn't move to Indiana (see San Diego Chargers) if the politicians refuse to cave.

There's talk that lenders won't approve the Bears loans to finance the stadium until they get guarantees on their property tax bill

[WrigleyField 22]

42 minutes ago, Wilson A2000 said:

There's talk that lenders won't approve the Bears loans to finance the stadium until they get guarantees on their property tax bills, 

Man then they really should have done a better job negotiating this whole process.

[CubinNY]

This entire process has been so indicative of the inequality of our society. The Bears and the NFL can pay for the stadium with cash if they want. It's not a one-time payment. Building costs are incremental with the work completed. Or the Bears could get a loan from the NFL and finance it. They don't even need to go outside of the league. Instead, they want the people to pay for it. It's all horsefeathers. 

[mul21]

5 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

This entire process has been so indicative of the inequality of our society. The Bears and the NFL can pay for the stadium with cash if they want. It's not a one-time payment. Building costs are incremental with the work completed. Or the Bears could get a loan from the NFL and finance it. They don't even need to go outside of the league. Instead, they want the people to pay for it. It's all horsefeathers. 

I'm not sure that's really true.  The NFL will only back so much stadium debt based on their own rules and the McCaskey's aren't rich like other owners who've bought teams in the last 20 years.  I'm in total agreement with you that they need to figure it out on their own and not bilk the taxpayers though.

[CubinNY]

14 minutes ago, mul21 said:

I'm not sure that's really true.  The NFL will only back so much stadium debt based on their own rules and the McCaskey's aren't rich like other owners who've bought teams in the last 20 years.  I'm in total agreement with you that they need to figure it out on their own and not bilk the taxpayers though.

There are no rules except for the ones they make; they can do whatever they want. They are all just greedy bastards. The league could have a revolving stadium expense fund and require teams to repay their loans over 10 years or whatever. 

[Outshined_One]

Last night at the game, I was sitting next to a group of guys who grew up in Chicago together, but later moved to Indiana.  They talked about the usual Indiana transplant garbage (George Floyd, *those* neighborhoods, taxes) when the topic of the stadium came up.

I sometimes convince myself that the people who call into sports radio are doing a bit.  But no, these were Meatball Incarnates and very much were the sorts of people who'd yell at Dan Bernstein.  George McCaskey is a great guy, he comes to all the tail gates!  The City did the Bears dirty, and now Illinois is screwing everything up for Indiana's benefit!  Indiana's a great place to live, and Hammond's a *perfect* place for a Bears game!!!  We're all part of a yacht club and the new stadium will be like the place the Giants play in San Francisco!!

I asked them what their plans were when Indiana and Lake County would need to raise their taxes to cover the costs of the new stadium.  They were not happy with that question.

[WrigleyField 22]

23 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

There are no rules except for the ones they make; they can do whatever they want. They are all just greedy bastards. The league could have a revolving stadium expense fund and require teams to repay their loans over 10 years or whatever. 

But then the average owner would be worth only $3B instead of $5B wah

[jumbo]

1 hour ago, Outshined_One said:

They talked about the usual Indiana transplant garbage (George Floyd, *those* neighborhoods, taxes) when the topic of the stadium came up.

 

Sorry, what does this mean? What is the usual comment on George Floyd? 

[gflore34]

10 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Sorry, what does this mean? What is the usual comment on George Floyd? 

Could it be Three Floyds?  Although, I don't know how you get George Floyd from Three Floyds.

[Tryptamine]

15 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Sorry, what does this mean? What is the usual comment on George Floyd? 

Career criminal, shouldn't have resisted, was high, etc. etc. The usual horsefeathers that people say to diminish that the cops killed him.