A 24–0 Warning Shot Across State Lines
News came out yesterday that the Chicago Bears are officially considering a move to Hammond Indiana when ESPN reported that the Indiana State Legislature unanimously passed an amendment to Indiana State Bill 27. As a result, today’s Binary Response is about the horrible politics taking place in Illinois around this situation. Please visit Binary News where regular opinion pieces cover business, politics, sports, technology, and more.
It is very clear that the Chicago Bears have agreed to do the early homework on a possible move, not to actually abandon Chicago and head for Hammond tomorrow. But the way Illinois’ government has misplayed this, it would be hard to blame the Bears if they eventually decide the grass — and the tax code — really is greener on the Indiana side of the border.
Indiana just fired off a full-court press while Illinois is still shuffling papers in committee. Lawmakers on the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee pushed through an amendment to Senate Bill 27 by a 24‑0 vote, laying the legal and financial groundwork for a brand‑new domed stadium in Hammond. That amendment would create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with real power. Bonds would be issued for acquired land and construction for a Bears home near Wolf Lake would be financed. That’s not a press release, it’s a plan.
The Bears’ statement calls this the most meaningful step so far in their stadium planning and talks about finishing site-specific due diligence to pursue a world-class stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. They’re talking about a premier venue positioned for all of Chicagoland, not some small-market exile, and it sits roughly 25 minutes south of Soldier Field along I‑90. Translation: this is still a Chicago-area team in everything but the tax bill, and Indiana is smart enough to sell it exactly that way.
Contrast that with what’s happened in Illinois, where state leadership somehow managed to turn a golden opportunity in Arlington Heights into a slow-motion political self-own. The Bears already bought a 326‑acre property there and publicly said they were ready to drop $2 billion of their own money into building a new stadium. What they asked from Springfield was the ability to negotiate property tax payments with local governments instead of paying the full freight, plus about $850 million in public funding for essential local infrastructure — roads, sewers, commuter rail — around that site. That’s the kind of infrastructure partnership dozens of NFL cities work out. In Illinois, it turned into another excuse to grandstand about corporate giveaways while doing nothing meaningful to actually keep the team in the state.
Illinois even had a House panel scheduled to finally hold a hearing on the Bears’ legislation. Then, on the very morning it was supposed to happen, the committee canceled the meeting. A spokesperson for Governor J.B. Pritzker insists Illinois was ready to move this bill forward and that Bears leadership asked for a pause after a three‑hour meeting to tweak the language. But that same spokesperson admitted they were surprised to wake up and see the Bears publicly praising Indiana and saying nothing about Illinois — a perfect snapshot of a government more worried about optics than outcomes.
While Springfield is busy being surprised, Indiana Governor Mike Braun is out on X making it crystal clear his state is open for business. He’s bragging about Indiana’s pro‑growth environment, talking up a promising site near Wolf Lake, and touting a broad framework to seal the deal — all contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly. Braun is selling a state that “moves at the speed of business” thanks to quick coordination between agencies and local governments, promising a huge win for all Hoosiers and a public‑private partnership that builds a world‑class stadium while still being a win for taxpayers. While Illinois politicians posture, Indiana is pitching.
This is what bad governance looks like in real time. Illinois officials had a willing partner trying to build on land already purchased in Arlington Heights, with the team ready to invest heavily in its own future. Instead of treating the Bears like an anchor institution worth competing for, the state basically told them to wait their turn and be grateful for the endless process. Indiana, on the other hand, did the unthinkable in Illinois politics moving quickly, speaking clearly, and backed its words with actual legislation.
No one is arguing taxpayers should just hand a blank check to an NFL owner. But Illinois didn’t even get to the hard part of the negotiation. There were ways to structure a deal that protected public money while still recognizing that a modern NFL stadium is an economic and cultural engine. Instead, state leaders hid behind talking points, canceled a key hearing, and assumed the Bears had nowhere else to go — an arrogant bet that blew up the moment Indiana’s 24‑0 vote hit the board.
And let’s not forget, the Bears are still under lease at Soldier Field through 2033, a stadium they don’t even own. That long lease could have been a planning advantage for Illinois, giving everyone time to hammer out a serious Arlington Heights deal that modernized infrastructure and locked in the team for decades. Instead, Illinois has managed to turn that runway into an excuse to drag its feet, while Indiana uses the same timeline to say, We’ll be ready whenever you are.
Don’t forget that nothing is final yet and no shovels are in the ground. The Bears are in classic due diligence mode, testing options, measuring political will, and letting both sides show their true colors. But the scoreboard in the political arena isn’t close: Indiana has a unanimously advanced amendment, a proposed stadium authority, and a governor proudly selling the partnership; Illinois has a canceled hearing, a defensive press statement, and a fan base left to hope that red tape somehow turns into results.
Here’s the thing folks: If the Bears ultimately stay in Illinois, it won’t be because state government executed some brilliant, decisive strategy. It will be because the franchise decides, on its own, that Hammond and the Wolf Lake plan don’t quite line up with its long‑term vision. Right now, Illinois isn’t driving this conversation; it’s just hanging on, reacting, and pretending it still holds all the cards while another state is busy rewriting the deck.
With that... That’s the bigger political warning shot. A state that loves to talk about being a global destination just watched a neighbor step right into its backyard with a serious offer for one of its most iconic institutions. Nothing is done yet, but Illinois officials are acting like they can’t imagine the Bears actually crossing the line — even as Indiana builds a legal and financial bridge to make that choice easier every day. They keep ignoring reality and now the preliminary conversations might turn into something permanent, with a domed stadium just across the border serving as a monument to how badly one state’s leadership misread the moment.
If you do not work with them, you may not want to root for them either!