Progressive Backlash Against Brandon Johnson’s $5B NFL Stadium Plan in Chicago

Windy City Mayor Brandon Johnson has come under fire from his progressive colleagues over plans for a new $5 billion NFL football stadium in Chicago. While defending the proposal during an NBC Sports interview, Johnson said that investing in people was at the heart of his vision for the city and pointed out that standing with billionaires had not been part of his plan a decade ago. The Bears team is planning to spend around $4.6bn on building a new enclosed stadium as well as improving nearby lakefront areas, half of which will be funded by state taxpayers. Critics including the Chicago Teachers Union and some Democratic allies have questioned whether such a move would be progressive or benefit billionaires instead. The CTU has previously opposed similar proposals while Gov JB Pritzker said that building stadiums was not one of his top priorities for Illinois, adding: “We have important things we need to invest in.” Rebecca Williams from the Chicago Progressive Reform Caucus also expressed doubts about whether such a move would be progressive. Johnson insisted that the new stadium would generate revenue and help revitalise the city by supporting mental health clinics, youth jobs, housing and community violence interrupters. The current owner of the Bears is Virginia Halas McCaskey whose family has an estimated net worth of $1.3bn according to Forbes. Johnson’s plans have also attracted criticism over his handling of Chicago’s migrant situation which some residents say is mismanaged, with one telling a City Council hearing last week: “Every three or four months there seems to be some new vote for massive amounts of taxpayer funds being allocated to the illegals and we have got to put a stop to it because otherwise it’s going to bankrupt our city.”