Indiana lawmakers just fired the opening shot in what could become the biggest sports coup in Midwest history. On Thursday, they slipped game-changing language into Senate Bill 27 that would create a powerful new stadium authority, explicitly designed to finance and build a new home for the Chicago Bears in Northwest Indiana.
The move comes one day after Governor Mike Braun used his State of the State address to publicly court the team. “We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier State,” Braun declared Tuesday night. “Let’s get it across the finish line.”
Lawmakers Fast-Track Stadium Authority for NFL Franchise
Senate Bill 27 started as a simple placeholder. By Thursday afternoon, it had teeth.
The amended version, carried by Sen. Ryan Mishler (R-Mishawaka) and Sen. Chris Garten (R-Charlestown), creates the Northwest Indiana Major Venue Authority. This new body would have sweeping powers: buy land, issue bonds, finance construction, and sign long-term leases with professional sports teams, specifically including NFL franchises.
This is Indiana’s clearest signal yet: the Bears are officially in play.
Mishler, who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, told the Indiana Business Journal the bill “sets a framework as we continue discussions throughout the rest of the legislative session on the possibility of bringing the Bears to Northwest Indiana.”
The Bears declined to comment, but their silence speaks volumes. Team president Kevin Warren has repeatedly said the franchise is exploring “all options” after years of frustration in Illinois.
Why the Bears Are Seriously Looking South
The relationship between the Bears and the state of Illinois has been toxic for years.
The team spent $300 million buying the Arlington Park racetrack site in 2022, planning a $5 billion stadium-and-entertainment district. But property tax battles with local school districts exploded into open warfare. The Bears claimed they were being asked to pay $7 million a year per acre, an assessment they called “untenable.”
By late 2025, Warren openly admitted the Arlington Heights project was on life support. At the same time, sources confirmed Bears executives quietly toured potential stadium sites along the South Shore rail line in Gary and Lake County.
Indiana sees blood in the water.
Governor Braun Makes It Personal
Mike Braun didn’t just mention the Bears in passing. He made them a centerpiece of his economic vision.
During Tuesday’s address, the new governor singled out the team by name, something no Indiana governor has ever done for a franchise based in another state.
Braun’s team has been working behind the scenes for months. Sources tell me northwest Indiana business leaders have already held multiple meetings with Bears brass, showcasing sites within 45 minutes of downtown Chicago via the expanded South Shore Line.
The message is simple: same fan base, better business climate, lower taxes, and a government that actually wants you.
What Northwest Indiana Stands to Gain (and Risk)
A Bears relocation would be the largest economic development project in Indiana history.
One study commissioned by the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority estimates a new stadium could generate $150 million annually in direct spending and create 4,000 permanent jobs.
The region already has the bones: the South Shore Line is undergoing a $650 million double-tracking project that will cut commute times to Chicago dramatically. Gary/Chicago International Airport sits minutes away. Interstate access is excellent.
But critics warn Indiana taxpayers could be on the hook for hundreds of millions in public subsidies, exactly what the Bears have demanded everywhere they’ve looked.
Illinois lawmakers are already panicking. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the Indiana push “borderline theft” in a radio interview Thursday morning. Some Illinois legislators are now floating emergency tax breaks to keep the team.
A Heartbreak Scenario for Chicago Fans
Let’s be real. This hurts.
The Bears have played in Chicago since 1921. Soldier Field, for all its flaws, is sacred ground. Generations of families have frozen their tails off on those bleachers, screaming for Ditka, Payton, Urlacher, and now Caleb Williams.
If the Bears leave, they wouldn’t just be moving 40 miles. They’d be ripping the soul out of Chicago sports.
Yet fans are exhausted too. They’ve watched the McCaskey family fumble stadium negotiations for decades. Many are starting to ask the unthinkable: maybe Indiana actually wants this team more than Illinois does.
The clock is ticking. The NFL wants the Bears’ stadium situation resolved before the 2028 Super Bowl host vote, Chicago is reportedly still in contention, but only with a new lakefront dome plan the team has already rejected.
Indiana just made its move. Bold. Public. Unapologetic.
The ball is now in the Bears’ court.
What do you think, Chicago? Would you keep rooting for the team if they became the Indiana Bears? Or is this the ultimate betrayal? Drop your thoughts below, and if you’re fired up, take it to X with #BearsToIndiana or #KeepTheBears.
