# Should sports arenas be left to the private sector? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672 "2016-09-01T16:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/201 "2025-12-24T22:40:14Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I also can’t see Kansas wanting its flagship public university to play home games in Missouri Absent an urban campus like Pitt, college games in NFL stadiums are dumb. College gameday on campus is the greatest environment in sports. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/202 "2025-12-25T17:53:15Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Absent an urban campus like Pitt, college games in NFL stadiums are dumb. College gameday on campus is the greatest environment in sports. Northwestern University is rebuilding its own stadium in Evanston, even though the campus is less than 15 miles from Soldier Field in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/203 "2025-12-27T22:44:53Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > For some reason over here government have decided that taxpayer money is better spent on things like healthcare rather than lining the pockets of the billionaires that fund their elections. Mm, seems the U.S. model is being transplanted to the U K., and British taxpayers already subsidize sports teams. > **[Manchester United are importing a sinister US tactic: Public money for stadiums](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/aug/19/manchester-united-new-stadium-public-funding)** > > Similar grand promises made when building US sports arenas are now being used to justify a huge outlay in the UK, with little return to show for them > **[West Ham matches costing London taxpayers](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/08/07/west-ham-united-taxpayer/)** > > The city, which owns London Stadium through a subsidiary E20 Stadium LLP, lost $26.54M in the last financial year. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/204 "2026-02-20T05:38:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It’s extremely similar to the fact that the Chicago Bears, which have been dickering with the City of Chicago, the suburban city of Arlington Heights, IL, and the state of Illinois, over a new stadium for years, are now suddenly talking about moving over the border, to northwestern Indiana (which is still in the Chicago metro area). And now: > The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee passed a bill establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Ind. > > “The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the team said in a statement. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.” > **[Bears' potential move to Indiana takes step forward as effort to build...](https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bears-stadium-indiana-99caf1abbb8bdf2e74680d68e519c0c7)** > > The Chicago Bears’ potential move to Indiana took another step forward when a key committee approved a plan to create an agency that would help get a stadium built. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/205 "2026-02-20T05:43:01Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > And now: Reposting the below from my comment in the NFL Off-Season thread in The Game Room. Today is _not_ a good look for the Bears. > [@NFL 2026 Offseason Thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/41): > > A little more on the Bears’ stadium news: they had been in the midst of negotiations with Illinois over taxes and infrastructure, and had, in fact, had a long meeting with state officials just yesterday. It sounds like Indiana threw a bigger deal at the team, and the Bears then lied to Illinois legislators about why they wanted to delay further discussion on a piece of legislation, as well as telling Illinois, later today, that their announced “agreement” with Indiana was not as final as their statement this morning indicated. > > Really really classy. 😛 > > From an update to the above [WGN link](https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/indiana-lawmakers-to-meet-thursday-morning-to-review-proposal-for-bears-to-build-new-stadium-in-northwest-indiana/) I had shared earlier: > > > [@](#): > > > > Meanwhile, in Illinois, the state’s Revenue and Finance Committee had been scheduled to look at a bill Thursday that would freeze the Bears’ property tax assessment in Arlington Heights for up to 40 years and provide more than $850 million in infrastructure support. > > > > But that meeting was cancelled. > > > > At an unrelated event later Thursday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker addressed the latest developments coming out of Indiana, saying the news “was a surprise to us.” > > > > Pritzker said the committee meeting among Illinois lawmakers that was scheduled for Thursday came after “more than three hours of discussions with the Bears” on Wednesday, which the governor called “very positive.” But then he said the Bears cancelled the meeting. > > > > “(We) mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward (Thursday) morning,” Pritzker said. “But they asked us not to move forward with it this morning, because they said they wanted to tweak a couple of items in the bill, which were things we were working with them on. > > > > “… Now they’re saying to us that that statement (about Hammond) is not some confirmation that they’re moving to Indiana, but rather that Indiana had asked them to say that they’re going to move forward with the negotiations. But I have to say, it’s very disappointing to hear that they would put that statement out but not say anything about the advancement that’s been made in the State of Illinois. We’re waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/206 "2026-02-20T06:23:28Z")
Sounds like the Bears are trying to play IL against IN. See which one offers the best deal. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/207 "2026-02-20T06:28:18Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Sounds like the Bears are trying to play IL against IN. Oh, they absolutely are, much as they were trying to play Chicago off of Arlington Heights in 2024. It’s the apparent lying to both states now, clearly in the name of “dealmaking,” that is making the Bears look particularly bad, IMO. They lied to Illinois about why they didn’t want to have a meeting on the legislation today, and (maybe) lied to Indiana about how committed they are to the Hammond stadium. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/208 "2026-02-20T15:53:32Z")
Playing with Google Maps, the proposed location in Indiana is 14 miles (as the crow flies) from Soldier Field or about twenty miles by road. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/209 "2026-02-20T17:04:07Z")
[Field of Schemes](https://www.fieldofschemes.com/category/nfl/chicago-bears/) has, of course, been following this one… _The Indiana legislature’s [amended bill](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0027/SB0027.04.COMH.pdf) for a Chicago Bears stadium project is finally up, and we can start to get a slightly better sense of what it would entail in terms of public costs. Tax expenditures would include: a city of Hammond admissions tax, Lake County and Porter County food and beverage tax surcharges, a Hammond food and beverage tax surcharge, a Lake County hotel tax surcharge, what looks like [local income and sales taxes](https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-36-local-government/in-code-sect-36-7-31-6.html/) from a stadium district, and [state sales taxes](https://law.justia.com/codes/indiana/title-36/article-7/chapter-32/section-36-7-32-6/) from a stadium district. The stadium authority would also own the stadium and lease it to the Bears (terms very much TBD), so it would presumably be exempt from property taxes._ ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/210 "2026-02-21T00:12:11Z")
and now add Iowa into the mix ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/211 "2026-02-21T00:37:50Z")
How so? Posts like this are cryptic. I’ve seen absolutely no news to suggest that the Bears are looking at moving to Iowa. If you have a legitimate link, please share. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/212 "2026-02-21T01:39:56Z")
No. The Bears are not interested in moving to Iowa–but some stupid state of Iowa legislators think there is a possibility: > **[Why Iowa lawmakers are entering the fray to land the Chicago Bears: 'Why not...](https://www.fox32chicago.com/sports/why-iowa-lawmakers-entering-fray-land-chicago-bears-why-not-us)** > > The Bears are looking for a place to build a new home. This is where Iowa lawmakers saw an opportunity, and one state senator explained why they're entering the fray to land the Bears in the Hawkeye State. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/213 "2026-02-21T03:10:43Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > The Bears are not interested in moving to Iowa–but some stupid state of Iowa legislators think there is a possibility: Thank you – I’d not seen that story. I agree, this is just Iowa politicians trying to get some news headlines, or just being clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/214 "2026-02-21T03:22:06Z")
Googling, the Chicago metro area has a population of over nine million while Des Moines, Iowa is only about 700,000. So roughly a tenth the size. Not really able to offer the same level of support. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/215 "2026-02-21T03:37:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Playing with Google Maps, the proposed location in Indiana is 14 miles (as the crow flies) from Soldier Field or about twenty miles by road. That’s closer than Arlington Heights. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/216 "2026-02-21T05:01:10Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Googling, the Chicago metro area has a population of over nine million while Des Moines, Iowa is only about 700,000. So roughly a tenth the size. Not really able to offer the same level of support. FWIW, the Green Bay metro area (~335,000) is about half the size of the Des Moines metro. The Packers, of course, are essentially “Wisconsin’s Team,” and draw support from the bigger cities/metros of Milwaukee and Madison. However, the fact that there is an NFL team in a small city is an artifact of the league’s beginnings, the Packers being publicly-owned (with clauses that prevent someone from attempting to buy and move them), and the team being able to, for the last 60+ years, benefit from the NFL’s television contracts which divide TV revenue equally. A city the size of Green Bay (or even bigger) would never get a new/relocated NFL franchise today. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/217 "2026-02-26T17:53:51Z")
The major stadiums/stadia housing major-league teams in Montreal were all privately built. The Bell Centre (hockey, concerts, etc.) is privately owned by the Molson family - as is the minor league Centre Bell in nearby Laval. Saputo Stadium houses the MLS team - privately built/owned by the Saputo family. Percival Molson stadium houses the CFL team - built from a donation from Percival Molson, who died in WW1. It is owned by McGill University, but has had some publicly funded upgrades over the tears, On the other hand - the Olympic Stadium (“Big Owe”) which houses no team at the moment, was built with public money. Possibly the city gives them some tax breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/218 "2026-02-26T18:19:25Z")
It appears that a lot of idiots in Indiana think they can score political points by giving their tax dollars to the Bears, thus making a point about how Indiana’s policies are more “business-friendly” than Indiana. If a bunch of MAGAt fools want to bankrupt their school systems in order to subsidize my football team, I’m actually completely OK with that. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/219 "2026-02-26T19:30:12Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > If a bunch of MAGAt fools want to bankrupt their school systems in order to subsidize my football team, I’m actually completely OK with that. I don’t see anything in the Indiana plan for the Bears that would be subsidizing a new stadium with property taxes or general funds. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672/220 "2026-02-26T19:36:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I don’t see anything in the Indiana plan for the Bears that would be subsidizing a new stadium with property taxes or general funds. Here you go: Not property taxes on local residents, but several other taxes which will affect Indiana residents: > [@](#): > > Indiana’s amended [**Senate Bill 27**](https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/senate/27/details) is the basis of a potential stadium in Hammond with the Bears bringing $2 billion to the project while the rest would be publicly funded and paid for by a large tax capture in the area. > > Those taxes would include a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, a new 5% hotel tax in Lake County, a 12% ticket tax and the capture of new property taxes at the development that would all go into a fund to pay off bonds. > > Propheter told The Center Square that he estimates the cost to taxpayers would be at least $4 billion, pointing out that until a sports development district where the taxes will be captured is drawn, it’s uncertain how much will be pulled from the current tax base to fund the deal. > **[Large taxpayer costs coming to Indiana or Illinois for new Bears stadium](https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_04df66c9-a286-4e76-99c8-b8d7ac68f5e7.html)** > > (The Center Square) – Lawmakers in both Indiana and Illinois continue to jockey for position as the Chicago Bears request a large amount of taxpayer funds from each to build [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-sports-arenas-be-left-to-the-private-sector/764672.md?page=12)