Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Grote: Arlington Heights is taking Bears' threat of an Indiana stadium seriously

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Mark Grote shared what he learned in attending a Bears stadium rally in Arlington Heights recently.

Lela Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody, Rahimi Harris and Grody on 1043, The Score. Okay, so let's recap. Oh, this is Brody's Cage the Elephant. There's been a lot of news on this show today. And I don't necessarily know that we planned on all this news to happen, but it's happened. Cage the Elephant is part of Innings Fest. And if you have, if you're going this weekend to Tempe for Innings Fest, congratulations. You made an excellent decision.

Grady and I are jealous because the lineup looks amazing. Including Cage the Elephant. Yes, which is why this is playing. And Ryan Dempster added to that. And then we found out that Ryan Dempster sings, it's all coming back to me now, which was the song that I said made me feel something. When I heard Tom Ricketts say,

we need to win more World Series. Yes, you do. It's all coming back to me now. Then we just heard from Bruce Levine, who gave us some really important information as to, like, for example, how the Dodgers business model works. And then he also talked to Davis Martin and he's at Cubs camp right now regarding the news surrounding Tony Clark, the Players Association president having to resign.

And then on top of all of that, Mark Grady's like, oh, let me tell you about going to this rally in Arlington Heights. And then you drop some real news bombs here. So let's reset and reevaluate and explain the bear's likelihood of being in Indiana, what you heard, what the attitude is toward the Arlington Heights and surrounding areas leaders who are. would be affected by the Bear Stadium. And then also the important nugget of everybody seems to be acknowledging the obvious, which is they're behind schedule. Yeah. You know, in order of importance, how would you like people to go about this info?

Well, yeah, I went to the rally last Wednesday, as I explained a little bit earlier in Arlington Heights at the Double Tree Hotel. And then I'd spent some time afterwards there, and then I spent some time on the phone the next couple of days talking to all the different parties and was given information, some on the record, some off the record. So I guess I'm not exactly where. I guess I'll start with the Indiana portion of this. And that is the theme, again, at the meeting was if there were two things that they kind of admitted.

It was not a cocky rally. This was not people like chanting things and cheering and giving standing ovations every two minutes. It was very well done, very streamlined with multiple representatives from multiple towns in the Northwest suburb. admitting that they are way behind for all the reasons that they're way behind right now, and that is because the state basically early on said no to the bears. So they are acknowledging that they are way behind. They are acknowledging that this is Indiana versus Illinois. They are acknowledging that Indiana is absolutely serious about it.

What people should get out of their minds is the portage part of it. It's Hammond or bust when we talk about the bears, if they were to potentially move to Indiana, it would be Hammond in Northwest Indiana instead of farther downstate in Portage. According to your sources. According to my sources, yes, yes. That is probably a good idea to get your mind out of that.

One of the other important part to this is, or just conceptually, is speaking to one of the officials from one of those towns in the northwest suburbs, off the record, in a conversation. this person surmised that the Bears would, there's no way George McCasky could stomach the idea of moving to Indiana, could not, as it was put to me, could not handle that press conference. That they must win that we know the Bears have lost some press conferences in their time. Ownership has lost some press conferences. This person said there is no way they could handle losing this press conference.

But I also have come to understand that there's no way the bears would have ever, ever, ever, ever considered Indiana if they weren't serious about Indiana. So even if George was going through some personal emotions about, I can't move the bears to Indiana, he got over them. And the Indiana thing is real. People in Arlington Heights know it. And everybody else knows it too. Well, that's it for me is on one side of that report. You have the concept of, well, are the bears? is wasting everybody's time then, if that's the case.

You know, did Portage Park put together all of, or Portage put together all of this, you know, this media and this press conference and find somebody to finance the stadium? Like, they didn't do that work for nothing. For example, Austin Bonta, the mayor was on. You know, about Portage. Yeah, Portage. Like, they were on the phone with us last week. And additionally, Hammond, like, you don't put together site surveys and higher renderings and all

of that. that costs time and money. I can't see George McCaskey doing all of that for no reason. For allowing them to do all of that for no reason you're saying? That's a good point knowing George a little bit in terms of his ethics, which I believe are probably very strong. Yes. It's just my conjecture.

I understand what you're saying. You know, I do. I do. Because, yeah, why would you, if you were just, if you knew it's going to be Hammond, then why would you allow another town to go through with their whole proposal? and maybe that's the nasty side of it. If other places, other towns want to jump in and make a proposal to us, hey, that's your problem, right?

I mean, that's the heartless part of what collectively the Bears might be saying. Now, I said this last week. I will refrain that typically that is done first to then woo a team like the Bears to get the, like they'll say, oh, we have all this land. And there's been a lot of speculation from our listeners saying like, oh, well, this is the only place they could. fine land, Arlington Heights was the only place. No, that's the point, is all these other municipalities come forward and they say, we have this to offer you. And then there's a discussion about the taxes.

And that's also been, of course, the sticking point here. The state of Illinois understands that it has to come in and backstop whatever could happen with the local entities. That's how they see it working. Cam Buckner told us that as well. I'm just saying that that process is common. It exist, but what we haven't typically seen is if you know that already and you've already bought land somewhere, like I just, I wonder about making groups do that when you know that they're not a real, right. It's a little fishy. Contender. Yes, thank you. You're not a real contender and all. So I'm going to keep in mind too with Indiana, and this was pointed out publicly at the meeting, and it has to be taken seriously.

And that is the fact that, you know, some people know and maybe do not know that their Indiana State Senate passed a bill to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. The bill is pending before the House. That could happen any day. Like maybe today that will happen. And then it goes to the mayor of Indiana. He would sign it. But they adjourn Indiana has urgency.

The governor. Yeah, not the mayor. I've dealt with a bunch of mayors in Ireland tonight. You said something very important there. Notice that you said the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. So that's separate from the entity that's financing Lucas Oil Stadium, for example. So that's important to note here as well. Yeah.

And so at the end of this month, their legislative season is done at the end of this month. So they have an urgency to get this done. So that's another thing that was publicly pointed out that they're just behind and everything has moved so slowly and maybe understandably from the state's point of view because they don't want to raise your taxes, and that's what Illinois is looking out for. And it should be pointed out again that the legislators return for spring session today in Illinois. And from what I understand, there's going to be an 8 a.m. hearing before the House Revenue and Finance Committee this Thursday, state of the state, tomorrow with J.D. Pritzker. So there's a lot happening this week for Indiana and Illinois.

and again, they were not cocky in Arlington Heights. They are conceding and understanding that they're, not that they can't get it done, not that Illinois and Arlington Heights can't get it done. They have just conceded, and I just think I laid out all the reasons why and how, they're just well behind right now. Well, and it's not necessarily them as a municipality.

It's the whole process is behind. Oh, yeah. It very much takes two to tango in the lag here. Dan and I are considering changing the podcast names to shovels in the ground because, you know, the north has been taken. Shovels in the ground have not occurred yet, so that could be the name of the new podcast. Well, you know, when I was on my little enjoying everybody enjoying sidewalk yesterday, you know what I saw? A crane in the sky. Well, well, did it make you think of the bears?

It did, actually. Yeah? And then I giggled and people wanted to know I was laughing to myself. If only that crane could break ground right now at Arlington Heights. Well, somebody already broke ground, hence why you need the crane because it builds, you know, on top of the... Oh, so there was groundbreaking somewhere. Oh, are you reporting that the Bears broke ground at a stadium somewhere, I'm guessing in, I don't know, where? No, I don't think the crane over the high rise I saw in Lake Shore East is the Bears Stadium in Arlington Heights.

I'm pretty sure, but I'm with you. I think there's... One of the things I always look at coming home to the city is I always look for crane. in the air. Yeah, man. So we did see a crane in the air. And it wasn't Crane Kenny, although he has been known to go in the air. So we've got that going for us. I also want to point out this. I thought this was important. This was from the Chicago Tribunes report of the rally you went to. Yes. Rolling Meadows Mayor Laura Sanoika, and forgive me if I'm not saying that right. She was kind of a badass at that thing, but go on. Yeah, she said here she goes, the proposed Indiana

law would be a bad deal for workers. She said Indiana sales pitches that you can build a world-class stadium by shortchanging the worker to build it. Illinois doesn't work that way. We know our families deserve better than a race to the bottom. The key sticking point is they report in Illinois has been over how the state would legislatively or financially aid the bears in their desire to build a stadium. In particular, topics have evolved around assistance for infrastructure around Arlington Heights, property tax certainty for the team, which you don't have.

You don't have property tax certainty. Bears want it, though, don't they? You have one property tax, one bill and another of the next. and this year is a perfect example of that in Cook County. And payment of debt for the Soldier Field renovations done more than 20 years ago at the team's behest. So that is on the table in this, is that that was new to us initially. The mayor brought it up, Brandon Johnson, but that, yes, the $500 million or so that is still owed on those 2003 renovations is very much part of this discussion. No doubt about it.

It might be third on the list, but it is very much on the list. I think the good news is if you're just wanting peace and all of this and you're just, you're like, one of those people just come on, I just want the stadium that the infrastructure part does seem to have been loosely agreed upon in terms of, okay, everybody is agreeing that that could be something. It's what you just said. It's the negotiating with the local municipalities over the property taxes, which is a real thing. And that's the part where you could tell I have a, I'm a little bit, I would rather see it just personally. I'd rather see the bears stay in Illinois. But I do still want to know. know about all the things that you, me and Marshall have been talking about. And that is how it will affect people that live in the city that you and I live in and the state that you and I live in, in terms of your pocketbooks and your money and your accounts. Yeah. And to me, there's two ways to go about this. Number one, make people vote. Then your, then your opinion as a listener and as somebody who lives in Cook County or in the state of Illinois actually gets recorded. And then the other one is,

I don't like to socialize cost and privatize profit. That is where I stand on this. It has been proven to bid a bad deal. That doesn't mean you don't support with infrastructure because you benefit. But as far as giving everything away, there's a difference between $1 billion for infrastructure and $7 billion for an entire stadium project. Absolutely. And the bears are paying for the actual stadium, too, that always needs to be pointed out,

that they are putting to build-o of their own cash into this. That ain't all of it, that ain't close to all of it, but it is $2 billion. Yeah, and as long as you and I don't get property tax certainty. We don't. I don't feel confident in that for others either after they've bought their land. But bears. Bears. Bears.

All very important to know as far as the latest on this. So that is Mark Roddy's Bears Stadium hit. Thanks for indulging me. Yeah, I haven't had a Bears hit or a stadium hit or any kind of hit lately. Maybe after the show, though, man. All right. Hell yeah, Grady. I mean, with the twist and turns that this show has taken,

that I did not expect serious news after, say, our halftime segment, but, you know. A couple of them. We got range. Yeah, that's what we do. Oh, you think that this show is going to go off the tracks? I don't think so. Well, it will, but then it'll get back on other tracks. Okay, good.

Speaking of all of that, everybody's like, Lila, you're not from here. You don't know anything about Chicago. I've only lived here for 10 years. Don't even worry about it. We had a party for you. for a decade of Chicago sportsness. Well, you know what I could have used?

What? The Cubs primer to Alex Bregman. They did everything that you should do with somebody new to town. So we'll listen to it next. Yes.