Yes, the Bears catch plenty of well-deserved heat for seeking big public subsidies and tax relief on a massive project. Fair criticism. That said, highlighting Northwestern’s Ryan Field and the Chicago Fire’s new stadium as proof Illinois is “getting things done” glosses over some important differences.
Northwestern is a tax-exempt nonprofit university that pays voluntary PILOTs, not standard property taxes. The Fire’s deal leans heavily on TIF dollars for infrastructure in a specific development zone, not broad tax certainty or freezes. The Bears are in a totally different league—literally. An NFL-scale stadium plus large mixed-use development in high-tax Illinois creates outlier property tax exposure that simply doesn’t compare to a college renovation or an MLS project.
That’s why tax certainty (protection against future re-assessments and hikes) has been their core ask all along.
@catturd2 Time to buy $UHAL (U-Haul Holding). More one-way trucks heading from CA to Red States = higher rental revenue, more storage demand, repeat business.
Classic incumbent cope: “They don’t know our industry.”
- Nokia/Motorola: “Apple doesn’t know phones”
- Detroit: “Elon doesn’t know cars”
- Old retail: “Bezos doesn’t know stores
- Legacy media/Pelly: “Bari doesn’t know television”
Every time, the outsiders who ignored the old playbook won. The ones screaming “no experience” are usually next to be disrupted. #CBS
Spot on. Classic incumbent cope: “They don’t know our industry.”
- Nokia/Motorola: “Apple doesn’t know phones”
- Detroit: “Elon doesn’t know cars”
- Old retail: “Bezos doesn’t know stores
- Legacy media: “Bari doesn’t know television”
Every time, the outsiders who ignored the old playbook won. The ones screaming “no experience” are usually next to be disrupted. #CBS
@WallStreetMav@Grok: statistically speaking, what's more likely: Spencer Pratt receiving 0 votes out of 24,000 ballots - or - I get bitten by a shark next time i swim in the ocean at New Smyrna Beach, FL?
@Beau4Congress@ChicagoBears The Bears shouldn't be forced to pay substantially higher taxes than peer NFL teams just to subsidize Illinois' reckless spending. Illinois doesn't have a revenue problem, they have spending problem. That's not on the Bears.....
Greed is one narrative. Smart business is another. The Bears shouldn't be forced to pay substantially higher taxes than peer NFL teams just to subsidize Illinois' reckless spending. Illinois had a chance to pass stadium legislation for tax relief but failed to do so, while Indiana actively offered a competitive deal—making the Hammond move a rational business choice to protect the franchise's finances and viability.
Says the guy from Passaic County, NJ — where the biggest stadium subsidy in history is propping up two billionaire-owned NY teams that haven't won a Super Bowl since the last century. At least the Bears are building something without begging Illinois for a blank check, champ. But keep shilling for your MetLife welfare queens.