Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is campaigning to bring the Chicago Bears out of Illinois and into his state.
WLS reports the governor raised the potential of luring the NFL team during his State of the State address on Wednesday, positioning Indiana as a perfect home for the Bears. The team has run into obstacles and delays in their effort to create a new domed stadium, and Braun insisted his state welcomed having that type of a venue.
“With our strong business environment, it’s not surprising that another organization has noticed that Indiana is open for business, the Chicago Bears,” Braun said. “We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier State so they can really see what a great place is to have a business. We’ll work hard to do it. Let’s get it across the finish line.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reviewed sites for a new stadium in both northern Indiana and in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. The Illinois state government and the team have been at odds regarding public funding for a new stadium.
“We’re going to make sure that we do the best that we can for the Bears, but most of all that we’re not wasting taxpayer money,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. “Some of the infrastructure needs that the Bears are identifying as their needs are actually needs of the area around Arlington Heights. So, I think that gives me some optimism that really there is a package that could be put together that would help with infrastructure.”
However, Pritzker is demanding that the team pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in remaining debt from the 2003 renovation of their longtime home at Soldier Field before public funding can be considered on a new stadium.
Mark Goebel / Wikimedia Commons
