An Illinois State Rep Revealed Why Chicago Bears Will Leave For Indiana — And He’s 1000% Right

Many in the Illinois state government have acted unbothered by the Chicago Bears’ threat to leave for three years. They don’t believe the McCaskey family has any desire to do something like that. This Indiana threat is a bluff. No way they leave Chicago after a century of living there. Well, momentum is clearly building towards that exact scenario. Indiana is putting all the financial incentives in place to make it happen, while Illinois keeps twiddling its thumbs, believing everything will be fine.

At least one of their number isn’t ignorant of the truth, though. Mark Batinick was a recent member of the state House of Representatives as recently as 2023. He’s experienced the standoff between the government and the Bears first-hand. While others deny the team will leave, he conducted an in-depth study of the situation and believes not only that the team will depart, but that it’s inevitable. He wrote a paper detailing why that is. All of it centers on property taxes.

The Bears own the former racetrack property in Arlington Heights, a site long viewed as ideal for a
stadium and surrounding mixed-use development. Yet under Cook County’s 2 Tier commercial
property tax system, the project faces an insurmountable obstacle.

Commercial property in Arlington Heights is taxed at an effective rate of roughly 7%. Applied to a
stadium and entertainment district conservatively valued at $3 billion, that rate would produce an
annual property tax bill of approximately $210 million.

No NFL team — and no private developer — can sustain that level of taxation. Not in Chicago. Not
anywhere.

The Chicago Bears won’t stick around to be openly gouged.

Right now, Illinois is presenting them with two options. Either stay at Soldier Field, the most outdated stadium in the NFL, or build a new home in Arlington Heights under the most egregious property tax system in the country. The McCaskeys understandably hate both options. Even so, they’ve tried to work with the state on a solution, including paying for the entire stadium project themselves. All they asked for was help with infrastructure and property taxes. They’ve been met with disinterested silence.

In retrospect, nobody should be surprised they’re moving into the arms of Indiana so quickly. That state has far more generous property tax incentives and has already introduced a bill to help fund the project. If the Chicago Bears decide to move there, they would merely have to pay off the debt on the property. Once done, they would own it entirely. Yes, the team would love to stay in Chicago, but based on the treatment they’ve received, it feels like they aren’t wanted.