A Permanent Place for the Chicago Bears

The move to Indiana, or the potential move, would leave a bad taste in the mouths of Chicago Bears fans forever, should it happen. The Chicago Bears, the NFL’s founding franchise, have been a huge fixture in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois for many years. To see them pack up and move elsewhere would be a slap in the face to Illinois residents, whether or not they are Bears fans.

What’s at Stake?

Millions of dollars, fans, and revenue that could be very beneficial to the Chicagoland area. When the Bears play, the hotels fill up, restaurants become crowded, and people buy stuff. Not to mention the ticket and merchandise sales the Bears put forth. The whole area makes a lot of money. Just think of the taxes that get pumped into the state and local coffers each time there is a Bears game.

Missing out on that tax money will hurt the Chicago area. Why they didn’t fight hard enough to keep the Bears in the city we may never know, but Chicago stands to lose a lot in this affair. Now, maybe, there wasn’t a lot of room to put a new stadium in Chicago proper, but there were a couple of places the team could have taken advantage of in the area and added a new stadium. Perhaps they might even have been able to renovate Soldier Field, again, put a dome on it, and call it home for another 50 years.

What’s at stake? History, economies, and the tax money that is produced by the Bears and all the surrounding events. In addition, all the money that will be generated by building the stadium and all other ancillary things that go with it will be gone. If a move to Indiana happens, it will be a reset for the entire organization. If they moved to Arlington Heights, their preferred place, it wouldn’t be as bad.

Why Not Soldier Field?

Soldier Field is the most iconic stadium in the National Football League. There has been so much history made there with the Bears, even though they have only played there since 1971. The stadium itself has been there since 1924. It’s old, but it’s iconic, stable and would be an excellent place to keep playing football. Don’t put a dome on it; do some more renovation and let the Bears have it.

What better place to play than at Soldier Field? Modernize it and make it a bit better, and people will continue to come from all around to see a game.

But don’t put a dome on top of that majestic piece of art. Football in Chicago is meant to be played outdoors in the cold, snow, and wind. It’s like having another player on the field for the Bears. You must leave well enough alone. But it’s highly unlikely that the Bears will stay at Soldier Field. They will be much more attracted to a more robust stadium with many amenities and, of course, a roof for those cold winter games. But Bears football wouldn’t be the same played under a dome.

It must be played outside.

The Final Take

The Bears still haven’t settled on a location, despite announcing they were looking at Indiana. No ground has been broken. Shovels haven’t hit the dirt at all, and it doesn’t appear that they will for a while. A site hasn’t been chosen, and all that’s been issued is a threat to move to Indiana. The state of Illinois is moving more slowly than a glacier when it comes to keeping the Bears. The city of Chicago is doing just about nothing while Indiana has done what it takes to get the Bears there.

Now it’s up to the Bears to decide what they want to do.

Will they stay in the place they have called home for over one hundred years? Or will they move just outside the city to keep the tradition as close to the Windy City as possible? The worst-case scenario? They will move out of Illinois altogether and head across the border to Indiana. This will prove that the state of Illinois doesn’t care about one of the oldest and biggest tax-producing organizations in its history.

A move to Indiana would leave many scratching their heads for a long time.