The Feb. 19 announcement of a shared commitment to build a stadium between the Chicago Bears and the state of Indiana likely does not move the needle much at the Colts’ facility on the west side of Indianapolis.
The state’s resident NFL franchise has held the same public position since news first broke on Dec. 17 that the Bears were willing to explore the possibility of building a stadium in northwest Indiana: The Colts wish the Bears all the best.
The Colts reiterated that sentiment when asked for comment from IndyStar on Thursday morning: “We wish the Bears all the best on their stadium initiative.”
The NFL did not immediately respond when IndyStar reached out for comment on Thursday’s announcement by House Speaker Todd Huston in the house Ways and Means committee.
The Colts’ position has been simple; they wish the Bears the best in the franchise’s pursuit of a new stadium, whether that stadium is built on the Illinois or Indiana side of the border.
The proposed stadium site near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond is already Bears territory.
Under NFL rules, the Bears hold marketing rights in the area because it is within a 75-mile radius of downtown Chicago, chief operating officer Pete Ward told IndyStar’s Gregg Doyel in January, a right that applies to every NFL team.
The Colts do not purchase advertisements in the area, do not hold events in the area and do not send team marketing representatives to the area.
Doyel in January: Colts aren’t threatened by Chicago Bears move (and why it’s not happening)
If there are other potential ramifications of a Bears move for the Colts, the Indianapolis franchise has not revealed any of those concerns yet.
“We wish the Bears all the best,” Ward told Doyel in January. “If they were talking about relocating deeper into the state, we might feel differently – but they’re clearly talking about the Chicago suburbs. It’s come up before, the possibility of the Bears moving to Northwest Indiana, so this is not unprecedented. We wish them luck.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Chicago Bears moving to Indiana doesn’t impact the Colts
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
