The Wolf Lake Memorial Park in the 2300 block of Calumet Avenue is a potential site of the new Chicago Bears stadium. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times)

NFL: The Chicago Bears are leaving Chicago for Indiana

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Soldier Field, Chicago’s home of the NFL Bears for a half-century, soon will be a trivia question. A last-ditch $5 billion effort to keep the team in Chicago failed, ending their time in Chicago. The Chicago Bears ownership said in a statement, “The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. We are committed to completing the remaining site-specific due diligence necessary to support our vision of building a world-class stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler, and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe.”

“We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said, adding that he was “surprised” after the Bears’ shift to Indiana. Why are they moving out of Chicago? The Bears have never owned their home stadium (Wrigley Field or Soldier Field).

A new, privately developed stadium (with public infrastructure help) in Indiana allows them to control revenue streams, plus the team has long sought to leave their current, publicly owned stadium, which is considered outdated and too small compared to other NFL venues.

Some people in Chicago are fine with this move. Hammond, Indiana, which is located immediately adjacent to the Illinois state border, approximately 25-30 miles southeast of downtown Chicago. The drive typically takes about 30–40 minutes, depending on traffic.

As part of the Chicago metropolitan area, it is the only city in Indiana that directly borders Chicago. At the end, it’s all about two words: modernization and money. The Bears need a new, modern facility to generate more revenue. As they move to Hammond, Indiana, they will keep their name, the Chicago Bears.

This is common. The Washington Commanders play in Maryland; the NY Giants and NY Jets play in New Jersey; the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington; the LA Rams and LA Chargers play in Inglewood; and the San Francisco 49ers play in Santa Clara.

As a matter of fact, nearly half of the 32 NFL teams do not play in the city they represent. However, the NFL is smart enough to keep these teams within distance of their fan bases. An exception? The Raiders, who left Oakland for Las Vegas, and that is not a “Sunday drive” over 400 miles. Another team left Oakland for Las Vegas, but they have not arrived yet, and they are not in the NFL. ]

Quote: Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park! Football is played on a gridiron in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium. -George Carlin (Comedian)

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com