Bear Digest

Bears' threat to move is right idea but it's in the wrong direction

Analysis: The Bears needed to start playing hardball and get leverage against Illinois' short-sighted politicians but the state they're threatening to move to is the wrong one.
Gene Chamberlain|
Vacant Arlington Park racetrack sits waiting for the Bears' construction project but Gov. J.B. Pritzker is preventing it and now the Bears are going to look in another state or states.
Vacant Arlington Park racetrack sits waiting for the Bears' construction project but Gov. J.B. Pritzker is preventing it and now the Bears are going to look in another state or states. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

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Chicago Bears

Kevin Warren's letter to fans about the team's willingness to look into other options for a new stadium besides Arlington Heights after being stonewalled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proof once again how this franchise has never grasped the concept of public relations.

Apparently, it doesn't matter if the team president is Kevin Warren or Ted Phillips. The franchise responsible for PR nightmares like the mishandled hiring of Dave McGinnis as coach has outdone itself.

No one with any sense of timing does this type of thing at this point. You do it when the team has actually accomplished something and the momentum train is rolling toward the postseason with everything in your favor. Their 10-4 record without a postseason berth clinched yet is absolutely not a moment of truth.

The Bears could very easily go into this game, lose to Green Bay Saturday  night, lose to the Lions and 49ers and then miss the playoffs entirely.  Then, good luck with generating any enthusiasm for their cause. The field product is tied directly to the idea of a stadium.

None of this means the Bears are wrong.

Actually, they're right. And they've needed to explore out-of-state options for quite some time. They needed a better sense of timing is all.

This announcement isn't something leaked. Make no mistake, it's a flat-out threat put out by the organization for all to see and not some bit of information mentioned on the sly to one reporter.

The Bears have been trying to get approval from the state in the form of a bill that allows property tax certainty and they've already negotiated with the local taxing districts for this. They want the infrastructure paid for, which is customary for stadium construction or for any number of big construction projects.

The Bears have tried to play the political game in Springfield to get this one thing approved so the areas around the former Arlington Park Race Track can move forward but they've run into a true political heavyweight in Pritzker and he is flat out blocking their way.

"We listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership," Warren said in his open letter on the stadium. "Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.

"This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future."

Let's be clear. It is about leverage and it should be.

This is something the Bears should have done long ago and it was urged here, though not in Indiana.

The better place would be to pursue land just across the Wisconsin border in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. It's just a stone's throw from Halas Hall and would also be a way to cut into the Packer fan base at the state line.

Hopefully they'll consider something in that direction. Indiana is too far for existing season ticket holders to travel. Season ticket holders are mostly northwest and north suburban people.

Either way, both ideas are only as leverage, contrary to what Warren's letter says.

The Bears have long needed to apply pressure on Pritzker and the state to get this done for Arlington Heights. A stupid demand made by Pritzker that the Bears pay for the remaining debt on this version of Soldier Field is ridiculous because the Bears already paid off their agreed-upon amount, as did the NFL. It's only the amount of bond mismanaged by the City of Chicago that's left.

They should have simply been smarter with the way they handled that. They weren't. End of story.

George McCaskey is finally playing hardball with seamy types in Springfield and Chicago who only seem to understand this type of cut-throat negotiating. Good for him.

The only problem with what the Bears did was make a public announcement now because they'll have a lot of egg on their face if the team completely collapses this season. This is actually a massive PR gaffe.

Lose a few and miss the playoffs and there could be plenty of people in Chicago whose response will be, "You're not the pride and joy of Illinois" anymore, like their team fight song says.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.