New Neighborhood Coalition Opposes New Bears Stadium
Don’t subsidize another “playground for the rich”
From the Chicago Tribune:
A coalition of public groups joined forces Wednesday to oppose a new Chicago Bears stadium on the lakefront, saying the billions of dollars at stake would be better used for things like affordable housing, health care, and improved neighborhood parks. Friends of the Parks, which opposes private development of the lakefront, led the effort to organize about 20 community leaders and more than a dozen groups, including the Bronzeville Historical Society, Chicago Bird Alliance, and the Sierra Club. “While we would love the Chicago Bears to stay in the city, we object to the site they have selected and the ultimate cost to the city’s residents,” Friends of the Parks interim Executive Director Gin Kilgore said. “Ensuring Chicago’s lakefront remains forever open, clear and free is not the responsibility of one group, but the work of many.
I was asked to be part of the event announcing a new Chicago Lakefront Coalition. That’s me in the blue shirt holding papers, to the right. Here is what I said:
My name is Tom Tresser of the TIF Illumination Project, and I am a civic educator and public defender.
So, let’s get this out of the way – spending public money on sports stadiums produces NO public benefit for the public. This stark fact has been demonstrated over and over again via academic studies and on-the-ground reporting over the decades.
My research reveals that taxpayers have paid out nearly $30 billion in subsidies for stadiums since 1990. The economic research is unequivocal – these subsides are a boondoggle for taxpayers.
So, who DOES benefit from public subsidies for private sports stadiums? Local billionaires, that’s who. In Chicago, we have not one, not two, but three billionaire families angling for public dollars for up to THREE stadiums. The total amount of our money on the table is in the ballpark of $6 billion. Hey, it’s not like professional sports need any help from the taxpayers. In 2023 Major League Baseball pulled in $11.6 billion and the National Football League tackled $19 billion in revenues! The Bears is valued at $6.4 BILLIION! The Chicago Cubs is worth $4.2 BILLION.
The three sports owning families - the McCaskeys, the Reinsdorfs and the Ricketts have a combined worth of over $8 billion!
So, I am calling for a mass movement - “Stop the Billionaires Stealing Our Stuff!” or SBSS. People from all over the city – as witnessed by the organizations represented here this morning are saying “NO!” to any proposed public subsidy for private stadiums. You can join the movement by signing our petition – just scan the QR code on the podium!
You can also call your Alderman, the Mayor, your State Representative, your State Senator, and the Governor. Tell them you have had it with massive subsidies of public dollars and public land to billionaires. No public giveaways to greedy billionaires!
Cheryl Johnson, executive director of People for Community Recovery, said the money could be better used for things like replacing lead service pipes and air pollution monitoring, saying, “These resources can be beneficial to all of us…We need these funds to go somewhere else. I just can’t imagine coming all the way from Altgeld Gardens, public housing, been there all my life, just to see that the rich wants to increase their playground at the expense of the people who are suffering.”
The founding members of the Coalition are: Advocates for Morgan Shoal, Better Streets Chicago, Bronzeville Historical Society, Chicago Bike Grid Now, Chicago Bird Alliance, Edgewater Beach Neighborhood Association, Jackson Park Watch, Kelly Park Advisory Council, Landmarks Illinois, One Community Near South, People’s Council of SouthEast Chicago, People for Community Recovery, Preservation Chicago, the Sierra Club, and the TIF Illumination Project.
Sign the Friends of the Parks petition. Sign my petition.
Here is some of the coverage: