The Chicago Bears border battle is getting some attention from an unlikely person: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Illinois faces mounting pressure to keep one of the nation’s oldest football franchises, while Indiana tries to lure them to Hammond. It’s dragged on so long that now, Congress is running interference.
“The idea that … they could blackmail one community against another for more tax breaks or more public subsidies is not acceptable,” Sanders said.
Sanders, a University of Chicago graduate, and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar from Texas unveiled the Home Team Act, which would mandate team owners give a year’s notice before relocating a team to a new metropolitan area or across state lines. That would allow local communities the chance to buy the team at fair market value, following a model the Packers developed more than 100 years ago.
“It’s possible to have much better deals if you aren’t negotiating with a gun to your head, like we’re seeing right now in Illinois,” Casar said.
“Chicago and municipalities all over this country are struggling right now to educate their kids, to pave their streets. And the idea that you have billionaire owners running very profitable operations say, ‘If you don’t give us even more, we’re going to leave,'” Sanders added.
Their plan would allow the Bears to move to Arlington Heights but not to Hammond, although they have another city in mind.
“Yes, this is a ‘Keep The Bears in Chicago’ bill,” Casar said.
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joked Friday that he was unaware his colleague Sanders was a Bears fan. His goal is also to keep the team in Chicago and if not in Chicago, then in Illinois.
“The loyal fans who sit up there in freezing weather cheering on the Bears — think about them. Get this done quickly. Make sure we have the best facilities to keep the Bears in Illinois and do it right away,” Durbin said.
So, where do negotiations stand? The Bears want Springfield to pass legislation guaranteeing property tax certainty before they could move to Arlington Heights, but the Illinois House adjourned Friday without a vote on the bill. The General Assembly won’t return until April 7.
However, state Rep. Kam Buckner told NBC 5, “we have made considerable progress. The lack of a vote today shouldn’t signal any issues.”
Sanders also wants Congress to take a closer look at what teams are charging fans.
“It’s not a radical statement to say that if you’re a working class family, you might want to take your kids to see a ball game without having to mortgage your home,” Sanders said.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García is co-sponsoring the House bill with Casar.
García told NBC 5 in a statement, “As a lifelong Bears fan, I want the team to stay in Illinois so I can take my grandchildren to games. Football brings communities together, and brings economic opportunities as well, and those opportunities should not be just for the billionaire owners. Sports are a tradition that should not be held hostage by billionaires when they demand government handouts or threaten to relocate. The Home Team Act would allow communities to take over their home teams to rein in taxpayer-funded stadium subsidies. The American people are facing historic challenges, and the government should serve their needs first.”
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