Eye On Illinois: When crunching stadium numbers, look past initial construction costs

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask for a straw.

That preschool classic, from writer Laura Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond, was first published in 1985, a few months before the Chicago Bears won their only Super Bowl. Since then there have been 17 other “If You …” stories, translated into 13 languages. The football team has been less successful.

After Wednesday, Numeroff and Bond should consider an updated title, “If you give Virginia McCaskey a stadium subsidy …”

By now you’ve probably encountered praise and protestation over the Lake Forest team’s rollout of plans for a new stadium near the current eyesore. The artistic renderings are indeed impressive, but digital images are a dime a dozen compared to cost estimates for this endeavor: the Bears promise to spend $2 billion for a project they peg at $3.2 billion while factoring the cost of infrastructure drives it up to $4.7 billion.

Regular readers know “skeptical” isn’t a strong enough descriptor for my feelings on the Bears’ agenda since they first began sniffing around the old horse racing track in Arlington Heights almost three years ago. As such, I’ve enjoyed seeing all the pushback – from local fans to national reporters – questioning nearly every claim from team and city officials at Wednesday’s presser.

I’m especially delighted to hear politicians like Gov. JB Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon falling far short of even cautious optimism, because although I’d prefer not to see any taxpayers fleeced, I’m more concerned about Springfield than City Hall.

So there are plenty of people poking holes in the presentation, and a few who used Thursday’s draft as a pivot back to the team’s on-field future, perhaps fulfilling the team’s expectations when it scheduled a stadium rollout on the eve of selecting a franchise quarterback with the first overall pick.

Which brings us back to the mouse whose cookie turned into a napkin, nail scissors, art supplies… It’s important to remember that even if $4.7 billion fell out of the Goodyear Blimp and Chicago had a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium by 2028 with the 2030 Super Bowl booked, the asking will have only just begun.

Stadium complexes are an arms race. The Buffalo Bills will open a new place in 2026. Nashville is trying to gouge Tennesseans to replace the Titans’ facility. Kansas City voters loudly rejected plans, but Chiefs owners aren’t done. That the Bears want to keep leasing a publicly owned venue only underscores the ongoing expenses required to keep up with those Joneses.

The Bears’ plan isn’t a solution, just a milestone in the ever-deepening reach into public pockets.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.