The Chicago Bears have been trying to make headway in their push for a downtown stadium for over a year now. Team president Kevin Warren has remained steadfast that this is his goal. He believes progress is being made. It is only a matter of reaching common ground with the state government over public funding. Thus far, Governor J.B. Pritzker has stonewalled their efforts at every turn. However, it was hoped the passing of election season would make people more open to negotiations.
Based on recent updates, it doesn't seem as if the state is taking them seriously. In fact, one of their members had no qualms about trolling the Bears. Bob Morgan, an Illinois state representative, introduced a bill called the BEARS Act. According to Shia Kapos of Politico, this would tie any idea of public funding for a sports team to their performance in games. Undoubtedly, that is a direct shot at the Bears' struggles over the past several years.
Insulting the Chicago Bears shouldn't be done lightly.
Former mayor Lori Lightfoot chose to do that once it became clear the team intended to start the process of finding a new stadium. She told them to focus more on beating the Packers. By the time she realized they were serious, it was too late. She came off looking weak in her inability to handle the situation, eventually resulting in her getting voted out of office. The thing is, the Chicago Bears are always a public draw. Fans attend their games and spend lots of money even when the team is struggling. Dismissing them in such a rude fashion might be funny now, but it's had a way of coming back around to bite people in the end. If the Bears end up improving this coming season, these shots taken at them won't be viewed in such a positive light for long.
