Colts may be uncomfortably close to an NFC team very soon, and it’s due to something entirely out of their control
Indiana has a chance to join a small list of states that are home to two or more NFL teams.
To many, the state of Indiana will always be considered a basketball state. The love for basketball runs deep in the hoosier state, and it wasn’t until Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts that football was able to even be in the same stratosphere with most Indiana sports fans.
The love for the Colts, paired with the last two years of success from Indiana University’s football program, is evident across the entire state (besides West Lafayette, of course). Has Indiana’s love for football grown big enough to support two professional teams? We just might get the chance to find out with the news that the Chicago Bears are considering northwest Indiana, among other options, as they seek a location for their new stadium.
The Chicago Bears are considering a move to northwest Indiana
The Bears offical X account shared a statement from their president and CEO, Kevin Warren, regarding the team’s ongoing project to build a new stadium. The site that the Bears have been focusing on is in Arlington Heights, Illinois. According to Warren, however, there have been some complications that have led the team to begin exploring other possible locations for their new stadium, shockingly including outside Illinois altogether, in northwest Indiana.
“Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana. This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights.
Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.” – Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren
Since this statement from Warren, Indiana Governor Mike Braun has also shared a statement, making it clear that he wants to help make this happen and bring a second NFL team to Indiana. If this were to happen, Indiana would become the seventh state to have at least two NFL teams. Joining a list with California, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Ultimately, I think it is a long shot that the Bears leave Illinois. Still, it is notable that they are considering northwest Indiana, and the state obviously has an interest in making it happen.
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