Sports

How do Bears fans feel about the team moving? Depends on who you ask

Published

1 day ago

August 16, 2026

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CHICAGO — Jim Hoff grew up on Ave. F in Chicago’s southeast side, not far from Wolf Lake across the state line.

Did he ever pause to think, “You know what, a Bears stadium would look really nice here?”

“We used to ride our bikes there,” he said with a smile. “Never would imagine there’d be a stadium.”

I don’t think he’s alone.

I talked to the 51-year-old Hoff, who was rocking a Chris Zorich jersey, and his teenage son, Jimmy, while in line for Chicago-style hot dogs in Soldier Field’s open-air atrium before the Bears’ lone home preseason game Saturday. Rain poured from the sky before the game, proof of concept for the team’s plans to build a domed stadium either in Hammond, Ind., or Arlington Heights, Ill.

Hoff lives in southwest suburban New Lenox these days. He’s not a season ticket holder, and for the few games he attends each year, he said he’s amenable to driving to either potential stadium location. Still, like many fans I talked to Saturday, and throughout this interminable stadium process, he’s skeptical of the Hammond plan.

“I’ve got to think cooler heads prevail and they find a way to stay somewhere in Illinois,” he said. “But I don’t know. You never know.”

Jim Hoff (right, with his son, Jimmy) finds it hard to imagine the Bears move to Hammond, Ind. (Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)

On Thursday, Bears chairman George McCaskey and president/CEO Kevin Warren made their annual training camp address to reporters, and every single question was about the stadium. I would call this years-long process a “debacle,” but Warren said it’s all been a “learning opportunity.” While the Bears’ product on the field is positive these days with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, the team’s off-field pursuits are a cause for conflict, confusion and consternation.

So before Saturday’s 34-10 preseason win over the Cleveland Browns, I walked around and talked to some fans about their feelings on their never-ending story.

Where should they go?

Top Plays from Browns @ Bears

“Keep it!” said Cheryl Plaxico, a Homewood native at the game with her teenage son, about Soldier Field. “We need to stay here!”

She goes to a couple of games a year and said if the Bears do have to move — and they don’t, really — she’d be fine with Hammond because it’s closer to her house.

“Hammond is still like Illinois,” she said.

Others disagree.

“Indiana’s a no,” said Joanna Garcia, who was sitting in the United Club with her husband, Steven. They live near Midway Airport, also not far from Hammond, but they were both adamantly opposed to the idea of the Chicago Bears playing in Indiana.

“I mean, at that point, you might as well just stay at Soldier Field,” Steven said. “Indiana sucks. We’re working in South Bend, and we pass by Hammond. There’s nothing there for us.”

Steven and Joanna Garcia do not like the idea of the Bears moving to Indiana, despite living fairly close to the state border. (Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)

“If they go to Indiana, I’m never seeing a Bears game again,” said Bryan Ramirez, a 28-year-old Berwyn cop, who was at the game with his friend and co-worker Alberto Hernandez. Both were wearing Caleb Williams jerseys.

Hernandez wouldn’t go that far.

“It’s good to know Roger Goodell’s on our side though,” he said of the report that the NFL commissioner was meeting with Illinois politicians this week. “He’s out here speaking to the statesmen for us. So hopefully he gets it done and leaves them here. Even Arlington wouldn’t be bad. I’d prefer Arlington over Indiana.”

“Arlington, I would go,” Ramirez said.

“I live in Riverside, and it’s probably closer to go to Hammond than Arlington Heights, but I don’t want to go there,” said Pat Kearney, a longtime season ticket holder who was wearing a Brian Piccolo jersey and a Zubaz-style hat.

Sometimes it’s simple. People have state pride. Kearney referenced the Bears’ fight song, which declares them the “pride and joy of Illinois.”

Most of the fans I talked to said they’re not too annoyed about the stadium chatter. Of course, I was speaking to fans who chose to go to a preseason game in the rain, so they might be more even-keeled than the ones who rage on Twitter/X every time this situation is broached. But those fans count too.

“We feel that anxiety, we feel that stress,” McCaskey said Thursday. “We talked about this in March. It’s going to require an adjustment. But when I’ve driven that route, other than a sign telling me so, I wouldn’t know that I’ve just crossed the state border. And as Kevin said, once people see the building, once they get in there, once they understand that our top priority from day one was a world-class stadium experience, we think we’ll make that adjustment. We think Bears fans are up for that.”

McCaskey, who I spotted taking pictures and talking to fans in the atrium, disputed that people would be upset about the team moving across state lines. I would say the same thing if I were trying to keep some leverage over Illinois politicians.

Bryan Ramirez and Alberto Hernandez both are against a move to Hammond, Ind. (Jon Greenberg / The Athletic)

Despite the bad weather and the obstacles getting in and out of Soldier Field, most fans I talked to would actually like the Bears to stay in Chicago, where they’ve played for more than a century at Wrigley Field and on the lakefront. Perhaps it wasn’t a representative sample, but I think many people are comfortable with the known. The Bears have always played in Chicago. There is also a vibrancy to playing in an open-air stadium in the city. A soulless suburban dome aimed at placating wealthy fans would lose some of that energy.

The ideal situation would have included the team, city and state not screwing up the renovation of the stadium just two decades ago. Soldier Field shouldn’t be so outdated. But that’s not reality, which fans seem to accept.

In the atrium, I talked to Arnie Holland, a luxury cabinet maker who lives in Wheaton. After more than 15 years on a waiting list and paying for a personal seat license, he finally got four season tickets this season. He turns 60 in September, so not a bad birthday present considering the expectations for this year’s team. He said the value of his tickets is tailgating and spending time with family and watching the team he loves, win or lose.

“I would love for them to stay in the city somehow, but I also understand maybe the money’s not there to support that,” he said. “I would like for them to stay in Illinois, but wherever they go, I go. So if they do go to Indiana, I’m going to go.”

The Bears will certainly lose season ticket holders if they move to Hammond or Arlington Heights, and not just because of geography or state pride. Plenty of fans don’t want to pay for another PSL. Holland, a superfan, realizes this will be his reality.

Holland said he prepaid for his PSL back in 2013. So if and when the Bears do move, he’ll likely have to pay for another one.

“My attorney warned me about it,” he said, “and I’m like, they’re never gonna move out of Chicago. But now here we are, 13 years later. I’ve heard of numbers … for comparable tickets for me, it’s going to be like 50 grand for two. So I told my wife we’d probably start saving now.”

Sports

LIV Golf to end season early to focus ‘on next chapter’

Published

2 minutes ago

August 17, 2026

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LIV Golf has cancelled its Team Championships in Michigan after weeks of speculation, saying it needs to focus on “building its next chapter”.

It had been widely expected that the event from 27 to 30 August would not happen, as players including Tyrrell Hatton entered the British Masters over the same dates and tickets were no longer being sold.

However, confirmation came on Monday with a statement from LIV Golf outlining changes to the schedule, meaning this week’s event in Indianapolis will be the last of the season and double up as a team competition.

The breakaway league has faced an uncertain future since Saudi Arabia withdrew its financial backing in April.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, who recently said new investors had been secured, explained: “By concluding the season now, we can put our full resources behind what comes next and maintain the operational rigor this transition demands.

“We are reimagining LIV Golf as a fundamentally new league owned by the players and anchored in a sustainable business model, with an evolved fan experience built for the markets where the game is growing fastest across the globe and the support of world-class partners.

“Professional golf is more unified today than at any point since we launched, creating a genuine opportunity to grow the game together.

“Indianapolis will be a fitting finale for the league as fans have known it and the starting point for what we believe it can become.”

Sports

Fifa: Kevin Lamour leaves after criticising president Gianni Infantino

Published

10 minutes ago

August 17, 2026

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Fifa’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the governing body less than three weeks after he strongly criticised its president Gianni Infantino’s aborted plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.

“Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”

It declined to comment on reports that Lamour had been dismissed.

BBC Sport has been told that Fifa’s staff were informed of Lamour’s departure in an email by its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom on Monday evening.

Last month, Lamour described the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plans as “the project of one person”, and said “the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions”.

He added Fifa’s own administration was “deceived” about the now abandoned project.

“Our mission – the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary Fifa employees – is to serve football”, he added.

“A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today, we are experiencing the opposite.”

Lamour acknowledged he had a duty of loyalty to his employer but also to “certain values” and supporting his colleagues.

“If that means I lose my job, then so be it,” he added. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”

Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024, having previously served as deputy general secretary at Uefa, and was two layers of management below Infantino.

Earlier this month, Infantino received the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco, but BBC Sport was told Lamour was not invited.

Lamour has been approached for comment.

In a letter sent to members of Fifa’s Council, and seen by BBC Sport, Grafstrom wrote: “I would like to provide you with an important update regarding a change within the Fifa Administration.

“Following recent discussions, Fifa and our Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour have agreed to part ways. This decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally… I felt it was important that I personally provide you this update and I would like to express my gratitude to Kevin for these contributions and for his work and commitment on behalf of Fifa on a daily basis. I wish Kevin all the best for the future.”

Sports

Giants’ Malik Nabers takes another big step toward being ready for Week 1

Published

18 minutes ago

August 17, 2026

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers participated in full-speed team drills Monday, the first time he’s done so since tearing his ACL in Week 4 last season.

Nabers, who said he “felt good” after practice, took four reps in the 11-on-11 period and three in seven-on-seven while wearing a red, non-contact jersey; Monday’s practice was in shells, so there was no contact. Nabers wasn’t targeted during the 11-on-11 period, but he made catches on all three reps in seven-on-seven, including his last one, a leaping grab on a high pass.

After the seven-on-seven period, Nabers moved off to the side and ran routes with a trainer, which Nabers said was pre-planned and not the result of anything negative that happened Monday.

It’s clear Nabers isn’t quite 100 percent yet, but Monday was still a significant step forward in the recovery process for the Giants’ 2024 first-round draft pick, who is expected to play a huge role in the passing offense this year. The Giants have remained hopeful throughout training camp that Nabers will be ready to play Week 1. While that’s still no guarantee, it appears as though he’s on track.

The dynamic receiver immediately established himself as a star as a rookie, recording 109 receptions, 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. Before suffering his season-ending injury last year, Nabers tallied 18 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns in parts of four games.

Despite speculation throughout the spring and summer, Nabers did not start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Instead, he’s been working in individual drills, catching passes and running routes as practice kicks off. He’s participated in offensive install as well as in walkthrough practices; he has only missed one day as he’s ramped back up.

In last Thursday’s practice, Nabers reached what coach John Harbaugh called a “milestone” as he partook in team drills in a “no-physicality practice.” While the practice resembled what the Giants did in their West Virginia walk-throughs, Harbaugh and the team clearly viewed Nabers’ progress last week as a huge step forward.

“I feel like the players were excited when we talked about it in meetings (Thursday) morning,” Harbaugh said. “They were excited. They were giving him a hard time at practice. But everybody was happy he was out there. It’s a big step.”

In other Giants news, the team signed quarterback Jake Haener while releasing QB Brandon Allen in a corresponding move Monday. Allen struggled in New York’s preseason opener Saturday, finishing 5-of-8 passing for 45 yards with two interceptions against the Minnesota Vikings. He also took one sack.

Haener, meanwhile, had worked out for the Giants before camp started. It remains to be determined if the Giants will keep another quarterback behind starter Jaxson Dart and backup Jameis Winston on their opening 53-man roster, but the ex-Saints QB will have a couple of weeks to prove himself in Giants camp.

Finally, the Giants hosted veteran running back Najee Harris for a visit Monday. The 28-year-old is working back from a torn Achilles he suffered early last season while a member of the Los Angeles Chargers and playing for John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim.

The Giants have had Harris on their radar for a while and are likely eager to take a look at how far along he is in his recovery. It’s also worth noting that depth running back Dante “Turbo” Miller is currently out with a groin injury. He appeared to have sustained the injury Saturday while covering a punt.