When your favorite team has been playing at the same location for more than 50 years, it’s hard not to get emotional at the idea of losing them to a neighboring territory. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the Chicago Bears’ fan base has been dealing with as the future of their beloved franchise continues to be used as a political pawn between the state governments of Indiana and Illinois.
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Indiana Governor Mike Braun recently signed a bill that invites the Bears across state lines with a tempting set of incentives, as well as the right to build a stadium in northwest Indiana. Illinois is currently racing to finalize its own proposition, but according to Cam Newton, fans really shouldn’t be bothered one way or the other.
“If you wanna change the location and still call them the Chicago Bears, they are still going to be the Chicago Bears,” the former MVP suggested during the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast. “This ain’t the only team that ain’t playing in the actual city that they claim them to be.”
To further highlight his point, Newton then proceeded to go down the list of each and every NFL team that isn’t located in the actual city that it claims to represent. “The New York Giants,” he started. “They play in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The New York Jets? Same situation.”
“The Dallas Cowboys? America’s team? They don’t play in Dallas. They play in Arlington. Washington Commanders? They don’t play in Washington. They play in Landover, Maryland.”
Suffice to say, what the Bears are considering is nothing outside of the ordinary. As far as their fans are concerned, well, if their local legislature ends up being the primary reason for them losing out on their favorite team, then there’s a good chance that you’ll see some seat changes during the next election cycle.
As with anything else in the world of politics, this comes down to tradeoffs more than anything else. According to USA Today, many of Chicago’s leaders have discussed the “willingness of the state to spend on infrastructure for a new Bears stadium, as opposed to spending it on infrastructure elsewhere in the city.”
In other words, the good people of Chicago might have to choose between fixing the crumbling infrastructure that surrounds them and saying goodbye to their beloved Bears. It may not seem like a fair choice, but when you consider the fact that their city has been mismanaged to the point where they now face a $1.15-billion gap in the budget, these are the kinds of consequences that you are bound to face.
Try not to take it too personally, Chicago, because at the end of the day, it’s just business.
