The possibility of the Chicago Bears moving across the state line no longer appears to be just a bargaining chip.
After years of pursuing a new stadium in Illinois, the Bears announced earlier this month their intention to relocate to Hammond after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve legislation that would help finance a new stadium.
The project took another step forward this week when the Bears confirmed they conducted soil testing at the proposed Wolf Lake site as part of the team’s evaluation process.
“This activity is part of the normal site evaluation process as we continue to advance our stadium development project in Hammond,” the team said in a statement. “We have an excellent option already in place and continue to assess additional parcels of land in the Wolf Lake region to ensure we place the stadium and mixed-use district in the very best location to serve all of Chicagoland.”
As momentum around the proposal grows, reactions remain mixed among fans, Northwest Indiana residents and those who view the Bears as inseparable from Chicago itself.
Location isn’t the biggest concern for many fans
Bob Laystrom has watched the Bears for decades. His family’s four season tickets date back to the early 1950s and after nearly 70 years, they now sit in the front row behind the Bears’ bench. Although Laystrom lives in Brownsburg after spending years in Illinois, he still attends several games each season.
To him, the proposed move is driven by one thing.
“It’s about money, right? It’s about what kind of a deal they can get,” Laystrom said. “If that means it’s in Hammond, that’s where they’re going to go.”
Laystrom doesn’t believe relocating roughly 25 minutes from Soldier Field would significantly affect the Bears’ fan base.
“The biggest number of people that are Bears fans don’t go to the games, they watch by TV, and they could really care less whether it’s in Arlington Heights or Hammond or downtown Chicago.”
He said the bigger challenge would come with a new stadium itself.
Laystrom expects personal seat licenses, which fans are often required to purchase before buying season tickets in a new venue, to cost substantially more than they did when Soldier Field reopened in 2003.
“You’re gonna have a whole bunch of people going to have to make an economic decision whether they want to continue,” he said.
Laystrom emphasized that concern isn’t unique to Hammond. It would likely exist no matter where the Bears ultimately build.
Tony Bireley, an Indianapolis resident who grew up rooting for Chicago teams through family ties, said the biggest loss wouldn’t be the stadium itself but the experience surrounding game day.
“When I make the trip up there for games, I generally want to be in the Chicago area to do Chicago stuff,” Bireley said. “The only real downside I have for it is that.”
Still, Bireley doubts a move would permanently change fan loyalty.
“I think once they get over the hump … what are they going to do?” he said. “Become a Packers fan? They’re not going to do that.”
Hammond residents see opportunity — and uncertainty
For Hammond native Tom Beilock, the proposal has sparked both excitement and skepticism throughout Northwest Indiana.
“I’d say it’s probably 50-50,” said Beilock, a member of the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame steering committee.
“There are some who are maybe a little bit more progressive and open-minded and optimistic about the idea of professional sports returning to Northwest Indiana,” he said. “We want that economic spur, we want that development.”
Others, he said, worry about increased taxes and whether the benefits would outweigh the costs.
The Bears wouldn’t be the first professional football team to call Hammond home. The city was home to the Hammond Pros, one of the NFL’s original franchises that played from 1920 to 1926.
Given the proposed site’s proximity to Illinois, Beilock believes many fans would eventually adjust.
“You could hit a golf ball from where the stadium would be to Illinois. That’s how close it is.”
While some Chicago fans may initially struggle with seeing the Bears leave the city’s skyline, he believes the reaction would fade over time.
“I think initially there may be a shock to the system,” Beilock said. “But for the most part I don’t think it would really matter all that much to the fans.”
Others say the Bears belong in Chicago
For Chicago sports historian Jack Silverstein, however, the conversation goes far beyond convenience or driving distance.
“The thing about a city as it’s related to sports is that it is a major part of your identity as a citizen of that area,” said Silverstein, author of Why We Root: Mad Obsessions of a Chicago Sports Fan.
Chicago has not lost one of its major professional sports franchises since the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960, making the possibility of the Bears relocating unlike anything most Chicago sports fans have experienced.
Silverstein believes moving the franchise out of Illinois would sever a relationship that has existed for more than a century.
“The connection between Chicago and the Bears, or between Illinois and the Bears, is very important and very serious,” he said. “It’s not just … a business relationship.”
If the move ultimately happens?
“I would be devastated. I would be heartbroken,” he said.
Silverstein believes many Bears fans would feel the same way.
“Chicago specifically, and Illinois more broadly, built the identity of the Bears, and hence the value of the organization,” he said. “The Bears, as a result, belong here.”
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Would Bears fans follow the team to Hammond? Here’s what they told us
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