The NFL's Chicago Bears have their work cut out for them as the team seeks to push through approval for a proposed lakefront stadium that Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker's office has said is a "non-starter for the state."
“We had a productive conversation with the Governor’s office,” the Bears said in a statement provided to NBC Chicago after team leaders met with two aides from Pritzker's office. “We share a commitment to protecting the taxpayers of Illinois and look forward to further discussions.”
According to NBC, key to Pritzker's rejection of the project is an interest to protect Illinois taxpayers from carrying the financial burden of building the stadium.
The Chicago Bears just dropped their first concept designs for a new stadium on the lakefront. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4cuYeq8dF6
— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) April 24, 2024
"In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois,” Secretary Alex Gough said in a statement to NBC Chicago. “The Governor’s office remains open to conversations with the Bears, lawmakers, and other stakeholders with the understanding that responsible fiscal stewardship of tax-payer dollars remains the foremost priority.”
A report from the Chicago Sun-Times this week suggests the Bears' estimate of $4.7 billion to build the team's proposed new lakefront stadium doesn't tell the true story of how much Illinois taxpayers will actually be on the hook for should the project move forward.
Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, told the Sun-Times that Illinois taxpayers would actually end up paying $5.9 billion to help the Bears build and finance the stadium, while retiring existing debt used to renovate Soldier Field and the White Sox's Guaranteed Rate Field.
