STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The Chicago Bears - da Bears - pro football team that helps to define their city are in negotiations to leave Chicago, maybe move to Indiana. Da Indiana Bears? It's inspired a lot of conversation among Bears fans, so we have called Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who's covering this story. Patrick, good morning.
PATRICK FINLEY: Hi, Steve. How are you?
INSKEEP: I'm doing OK. So we should be clear, I don't think anybody's talking about taking Chicago out of the name. It'd still be the Chicago Bears but somewhere out in the suburbs in Indiana. Why would the Chicago Bears want to leave Chicago?
FINLEY: Because they'd get a better deal from the state governing body there. The Bears are going to put $2 billion toward a stadium. But they need help with other stuff. And the state of Indiana right now has a better deal for them than the state of Illinois does.
INSKEEP: That's really interesting. And somebody was pointing out to me a thing that I hadn't realized. The Bears do not currently own the stadium they play in, in downtown Chicago, right?
FINLEY: The Bears have never owned the stadium they've played in. They are the founding team in the NFL. They were founded by George Halas. They played at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs play. The reason they're called the Bears is because they're a bigger, fiercer version of the Cubs.
INSKEEP: (Laughter) Go on.
FINLEY: Then they moved to Soldier Field in 1971, which is an old, you know, majestic stadium on the lakefront downtown. They remodeled it 20-some-odd years ago. But they've never owned it. It's actually owned by the parks department. And the parks department are the people who maintain the field, and they're the ones who make money when Beyoncé comes to town in the summer.
INSKEEP: Ah, so there is the opportunity, if you own the stadium, to make extra revenue. And the Bears would like to get that for themselves. Is that it?
FINLEY: Yes, particularly if you build a dome, because in Chicago at least, it's going to be cold about half the year. And you can still bring the NCAA tournament. You can bring maybe one Super Bowl. You can bring conventions. You can bring a lot of concerts, all that sort of stuff. And you keep every dollar you make.
INSKEEP: Can I just mention the Washington football team many years ago was in the District of Columbia, then moved out to the suburbs. And I think people felt after a while that was kind of a downer.
FINLEY: I've been to that stadium, and yes, it is very much a downer. Soldier Field is not quite that bad. But if you squint, it might be that bad 10 years from now.
INSKEEP: Oh, really? Soldier Field is not a great place to be? It seems like an amazing location.
FINLEY: It is the best location in the NFL. I've been to every stadium in the league. And you can't beat being on the lakefront there, right next to the Field Museum. But, you know, even 20 years after the renovation, it's just not up to modern NFL standards, particularly when it comes to luxury boxes, which is how a lot of these teams make a lot of money on game day.
INSKEEP: OK. I just want to note, just as New Yorkers sort of look down on New Jersey - and the New Jersey Giants is a little bit embarrassing for the New York Giants - I feel like Chicagoans do not have the highest opinion of my home state of Indiana. What are people saying about the possibility of the team moving across the state line?
FINLEY: You know, Chicago's a city of neighborhoods. And we're parochial about almost everything from the food we eat to the church we go to, to all of that. But I think everybody in Chicago can agree that they prefer Illinois to Indiana. That's the polite way I'll put it.
INSKEEP: Meaning that fans would like the team to stay where it is.
FINLEY: I think, ideally, fans and owners alike would like it to stay on the lakefront. But there's really been no traction to be able to keep it there.
INSKEEP: OK. Patrick Finley is a sports reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, and he joins us today from the state of Indiana. He's in Indianapolis covering an unrelated story. Patrick, thanks so much.
FINLEY: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF RADIOHEAD'S "HUNTING BEARS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
