Why the Bears and White Sox will need to start winning if they want public stadium funds

Two Chicago-area sports teams, the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox, are hoping to build new stadiums. The Bears are looking to construct a new $4.7 billion stadium just south of their current site at Soldier Field, and the White Sox are hoping to build a new stadium in the South Loop. As you might expect, both ownership groups are looking for public funding to finance those projects.

Now a state lawmaker is hoping to tie any potential funding to success on the field.

Illinois State Representative Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) introduced HB2969 in the Illinois General Assembly on Thursday. The short description listed for this bill?

“Da Bears Stadium Oversight Act.”

According to a synopsis of the proposed legislation, the bill would create the “Balanced Earnings And Record Standards (BEARS) and Stadium Oversight and Expectations Act.” This would require that any professional team achieve a winning percentage of .500% in three of the last five seasons to be eligible for any public financing.

Any team that has not been in existence for five years is exempt from the eligibility requirement, but should they seek public financing in the future they would need to “demonstrate competitive performance” by achieving a .500% winning percentage in at least two of their first five seasons.

The proposed legislation, the full text of which you can read here, also includes penalties for any misrepresentation during the review process. According to the proposed legislation “[a]ny team found to have intentionally misrepresented its performance record or eligibility criteria shall be subject to: (1) a fine of up to $500,000; and (2) a ban on applying for public financing for a period of 5 years.”

In a statement, Representative Morgan indicated the proposed legislation was aimed at preventing the wasteful spending of taxpayer funding.

“No one wants to see taxpayer dollars wasted by billionaire team owners that are not investing in their teams’ competitiveness,” Morgan said. “As families across Illinois are tightening their belts due to the rising cost of living, we must be careful with how we spend limited public dollars, especially when it comes to billion-dollar franchises. Illinois should be committed to ensuring that public investments are directed to Illinois residents, and then to teams that, at the very least, are performing at a competitive level.”

Should the proposed legislation become law, it could prove problematic for these two teams as they seek new stadiums. The White Sox are coming off two dismal seasons, but did finish above .500 in three-straight seasons, from 2020 through 2022. Still, another losing season in 2025 would see them become ineligible under this law as drafted.

As for the Bears, the last time they finished with a .500 record came five seasons ago, when they finished 8-8 in 2020.