The Bears are continuing to vet a potential Hammond, Ind., stadium project and are “expecting to make a decision soon -- even if it means bringing the Bears across state lines,” according to Andrew Beaton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren said, “Time is critical. The best fans in all the sports, not only the NFL, should have the best venue in the Chicagoland area.” Beaton wrote whether it is Hammond or Arlington Heights, Ill., what is “all but certain is that the Bears will be leaving the actual city of Chicago.” Beaton added Hammond is so close to Chicago that it is “already in the Bears’ home marketing area” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/27).
SEARCHING FOR SUBSIDIES: Under the header, “Da Bears Want Da Subsidies,” the WALL STREET JOURNAL Editorial Board wrote a 2022 review noted nearly all empirical studies find “little to no tangible impacts of sports teams and facilities on local economic activity.” The “short-term loser of this Bears stadium playoff might really be the long-term winner” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/27).
