I remember the last time the Chicago Bears said they were considering a stadium in Northwest Indiana.
I was just out of college and working in the Illinois bureau of The Times of Northwest Indiana. Everyone was singing “Gary Indiana” from “The Music Man.” Thirty years later, I sometimes still hum it I heard it so much.
On Dec. 17, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren once again offered hope that the Bears might consider moving to the Region. He sent a letter to fans expressing his thanks for supporting the team in good and down times. He also shared his frustration with Illinois officials over a possible move to Arlington Heights. The team bought property there in 2021.
“Over the past several years, we have worked in good faith with Illinois leaders and made clear our commitment and readiness to invest more than $2 billion by the Chicago Bears, one of the largest private investments in state and NFL history,” he wrote in the letter.
Next came the hope.
“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 year the team has won five of six home games, despite the cold temperatures that arrived just after Thanksgiving. That gives team management some leverage to build a new stadium. Warren said the team also is ready to invest that $2 billion in the project.
Unlike the 1995 renovation of Soldier Field, Warren said a new stadium in Arlington Park would not use state money from taxpayers. The request does ask for improvements to roads, utilities and the site. They also asked for “reasonable property tax certainty to secure financing.”
But Illinois leadership, Warren noted, has told him that the project isn't on their priority list next year. Indiana's governor, however, said he is more than ready to talk.
“The Chicago Bears recognize Indiana’s pro-business climate, and I am ready to work with them to build a new stadium in Northwest Indiana,” Braun said in a statement. “This move would deliver a major economic boost, create jobs and bring another premier NFL franchise to the Hoosier State. Let’s get it done.”
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton is already working on a “comprehensive proposal.”
“The Bears organization has acknowledged what we in greater Gary have long understood: our Region is no longer divided by an invidisble state line — we are an integral part of the Chicago metroplitan fabric,” Melton said in a statement posted on Facebook.
So, Northwest Indiana, once again, is being taunted with the prospect of the “Gary Bears” or “Hammond Bears” or whatever that town might be. With all the infrastructure improvements here, the possibility seems more plausible than it did in 1995.
Organizations like the Northwest Indiana Forum have made arts and entertainment a central tenant in 2025 of its economic revitalization strategies, leaving room for support of a project of this scale. Plus the double-track project would make it much easier for Chicago Bears fans to make the trip to a stadium here.
Northwest Indiana is ripe for this type of development. In Kerry Sapet's story in our June-July issue, she writes: “The Region is embracing a new identity — one that intertwines economic development with arts, culture and community engagement. This transformation is not accidental. It’s the result of deliberate efforts to cultivate vibrant, people-centered communities.”
We know the Region is on the cusp of greatness. It's encouraging that the Bears just might see that too.
Once again, I am singing the tune “Gary Indiana.”
