Can Congress keep US sports teams from leaving their cities?

With the NFL’s Chicago Bears weighing a once-unthinkable move to Indiana, a new federal bill aims to give cities the right to keep their teams

WWE star CM Punk called it “straight greed”. Illinois governor JB Pritzker called it a “slap in the face”. An overwhelming majority of fans say they will hold a grudge.

This cacophony of disgust has been prompted by the real possibility that the Chicago Bears could relocate to Hammond, Indiana. The Bears’ owners bought a site in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for a new stadium, but negotiations over property taxes have stalled construction. Meanwhile, Indiana has thrown its hat into the ring, passing a state bill on 26 February authorizing funding in Hammond. Chicago’s current home, Soldier Field, is a rental, open-air venue with the smallest seating capacity in the NFL. Still, it is not only in Illinois; it is in Chicago proper along Lake Michigan. Arlington Heights, while about 25 miles north of the city, is at least within state lines.