At a recent MLB showdown between the White Sox and Cubs, fans of both teams united against a common enemy: the Packers. Chants of “Green Bay sucks” filled Rate Field on the South Side of Chicago, in a game that ended in a walk-off White Sox victory. It was a memorable moment for sports fans, but it appears Packers fans will get the last laugh. Last week, the Bears announced they will not be staying in the city of Chicago.“[We] have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” the team said in a statement.
That Chicago is losing its football team should not come as a huge surprise. In April, reports surfaced that the NFL’s Stadium Committee no longer considered Chicago “a viable option for the Chicago Bears’ next stadium.” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported that the committee had narrowed the field to two viable locations: Hammond, Indiana, and Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Betting markets suggest Indiana — which in February passed state Senate Bill 27, legislation aimed at financing a stadium in Hammond — has more than a puncher’s chance of landing the Bears. But whatever happens, one thing is clear: the franchise, which moved to Chicago in 1921 under legendary owner and coach George Halas, appears all but certain to leave the city.
