So Republicans always have to find a way to blame Democrats for anything, even football.

[Chasstev365]

Spotted on X

"Chicago Bears managed to stay in Chicago despite the 1929 Great Depression, WWII, and the 2008 financial crisis, but they couldn't survive two incompetent Democratic leaders in Illinois and now they are moving next door to the Republican run red state of Indiana!"

The Chicago Bears have been shaking down the taxpayers of Illinois for a new stadium, blackmailing them with the threat of moving to Hammond, Indiana. The state of Indiana has offered to build the stadium for them at no cost. But oh no; it's got to be the Democrats fault. If the state of Illinois did give the Bears what they wanted, the same Republicans would be lecturing us about wasting taxpayer money!

I say good for Governor JB Pritzker for not caving to greedy billionaire sports owners! Go to Indiana and build your stadium on a toxic dump! I just might have find a new NFL team to root for!

[J_William_Ryan]

1. Republicans have always been ridiculous children.

Taxpayers paying for sports venues is classic Republican grift.

[Chasstev365]

2. A great retort to the X post

"Let's see. The Great Depression and 2008 Financial Crisis were caused by Republicans and if Republicans had been in power in 1940-1941, they would still be signing Deutschland über alles" all of Europe!

[mountain grammy]

3. Nothing is sacred..

selfish to say, but glad I'm old. Indiana Idiots, II!

[Morbius]

4. Illinois taxpayers are still paying for...

...renovations to Soldier Field, somewhere between $467 - $534 million. Also, taxpayers shelled out to build the new Comiskey Park, today called Guaranteed Rate Field, opened in 1991. Some $50 million is still owed (35 years later!); this has been paid down with hotel taxes.

Illinois taxpayers have very little stomach for more taxes to support stadiums. With good reason.

However, this is only part of the reason the Bears appear to be moving to Indiana. The Bears own property in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They bought it about three years ago. They didn't confirm beforehand that they would get some kind of property tax certainty, and were stunned to find out the proposed property tax would be hundreds of millions per year. Illinois lawmakers have been trying to pass a law ensuring a property tax break, and Chicago members of the Illinois legislature - at the alleged instruction of Chicago's mayor, Brandon Johnson - have sabotaged that bill to try and force the Bears to stay within the city of Chicago.

So thanks to the mayor of Chicago, the state of Illinois is probably going to lose the Bears. The team was not looking for public funding of anything beyond infrastructure improvements to Arlington Heights (which are necessary and pretty doggone hefty at roughly a billion dollars). They were insisting on confirming they wouldn't be paying over $50 million every year in property taxes. The McCaskey family, owners of the Bears, don't have any other businesses. The team is worth over six billion but they don't make a tenth of that every season. I think fans should understand the Bears aren't the bad guys here.

Now, the state of Indiana has plans for massive tax increases to pay for a stadium, at a location which also needs about a billion in infrastructure. The Bears wouldn't be smart businesspeople if they didn't listen. I think Indiana taxpayers will rue the day it happens.

[Chasstev365]

5. This was good!

My theory is that the McKaskey family want taxpayers to build them a free stadium to increase the value of the team, and once it's done they will put the Bears up for sale.

[Morbius]

6. That won't happen.

The McCaskey family would have to be crazy to sell the team. NFL teams are appreciating in value every year. The Bears are supposedly worth some $6 billion now; in five years that's likely to be $8 billion, perhaps $9 billion. This is a goose laying golden eggs. The McCaskey family will keep this team as long as they can. They are filthy rich now and keeping the team will only make them more filthy.

[Chasstev365]

7. You may be right. However

The McKaskey sons are not so much fans as businessmen and I think the old lady Virginia McKaskey is the only reason they've held on to the team as long as they have.