The state flag flies over the Indiana State House in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., on Sunday, May 20, 2012. The Indiana agency that supervised February’s Super Bowl lost $1.1 million hosting the National Football League championship game, about 38 percent more than it predicted. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A bill passed out of committee this week would aim to attract one or more professional sports teams to northwest Indiana.
House Bill 1292 passed out of the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee this week, according to a press release.
The bill would create an entity called the Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission, and would aim to attract one or more professional teams to the state.
The commission would be tasked with “preparing a comprehensive master plan” for building stadiums and infrastructure for “one or more teams.”
The bill was authored by Rep. Earl Harris, who represents Indiana’s second district in the northwest corner of the state.
While the bill doesn’t have an explicit target, there are multiple nearby teams who are encountering resistance in plans to build new stadiums, including the Chicago Bears, who are aiming to build a new stadium just to the south of their current home at Soldier Field.
Several groups, including Friends of the Parks, have expressed concerns about the proposal, and the Bears are also encountering some skepticism about any public funding that they would seek for the project.
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The Bears also still own a large parcel of land in suburban Arlington Heights, which had been the original location targeted for a potential stadium.
The Chicago White Sox are also on the lookout for a new home, with their current goal involving a new stadium built in a development called “The 78.” The stadium would feature sweeping views of Chicago’s skyline, but would also require public funding, an idea that hasn’t gotten much traction in Springfield.
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In hoping to bring another team to Indiana, Harris told reporters this week the project would bring together mayors, county officials and other leaders, all with the goal of bringing more teams to Indiana.
Currently, Indiana is home to several major sports teams, all of whom play in Indianapolis. The NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers both call the town home, as do the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
The United Soccer League’s Indy Eleven also call the town home, along with the Indianapolis Indians, a Triple-A baseball team.
