If you build it, will they come?
Some Iowa State Senators presented a bill this week, it would expand the state’s main economic growth attraction program, creating financial incentives that could lure an NFL team looking to build a stadium in the Hawkeye State.
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Their target? THE Chicago Bear.
“After years of Bear “With fans seeking refuge across the Mississippi River from the incompetence, corruption and punitive tax and regulatory climate of the state of Illinois, it is time for the team to join its fans on the west side of the river,” Republican Rep. Scott Webster, one of the legislation’s sponsors, said in a statement.
“Iowa can offer the Bears everything they need to build the world-class facilities, fiscal security and public infrastructure they need in a state run by common-sense conservatives.”
The recruiting debate didn’t stop there.
“While Illinois and Indiana argue over this issue, we are ready to get off the sidelines and get in the game,” Kerry Gruenhagen, another senator sponsoring the bill, said in a statement. “Bringing an NFL team to Iowa would bring jobs, tourism and fans to our state and give us the opportunity to showcase what Iowa truly has to offer. Iowans have been dedicated to our college sports teams and we are ready to attract a professional team to our great state.”
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While Iowa was the scene of “Field of Dreams” it is not home to any major professional sports franchises.
One of NFLAn original franchise, born in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, the Bears have been looking for a new stadium for years. Tenants of historic Soldier Field, the league’s smallest venue by capacity (61,500) in downtown Chicago since 1971, the Bears had planned to move to suburban Arlington Heights, where they own a 326-acre tract of land that was once the site of Arlington International Race Course.
But team president Kevin Warren wrote in a letter to season ticket holders by December, the inability to secure assistance from the state of Illinois to offset infrastructure costs associated with the proposed project had led the team to consider alternatives. The team has committed to financing the construction of a new stadium itself.
“We did not ask for taxpayer dollars to build Arlington Park Stadium. We only asked for a commitment to critical local infrastructure (roads, utilities, and site improvements), which is more than typical for projects of this size,” Warren wrote. “Additionally, we were looking for reasonable property tax certainty to obtain financing. We have listened to state leaders and relied on their guidance and advice, but our efforts have not resulted in any legislative partnership.
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“State leaders told us directly that our project would not be a priority in 2026.”
Warren specifically cited Northwest Indiana as a potential location to build a new stadium.
However, Illinois officials continue to work to find a solution that would keep the Bears, a beloved team on the rise after winning the NFC North for the first time since 2018, in the Chicagoland area, where they have played since 1921.
“There’s a lot of discussion, a lot of conversations going on with the Bears and, frankly, progress has been made. So I’m happy about that,” Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.
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“But I’m going to let the Bears talk about what they want to do and how they want to get there. And I’m obviously involved in the negotiations, as is my entire team, as well as members of the Legislature.”
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: From the Chicago Bears to Iowa? Hawkeye State Senators Try to Lure NFL Team
