Fans of The Chicago Bears took to social media to share their thoughts on the open letter the team’s president penned Wednesday announcing they’re expanding the search for a new stadium site to include Northwest Indiana.
The letter, written by Bears President Kevin Warren, claims the team struggled to gain state assistance for local infrastructure around the stadium, also insisting the team has not asked for public money for construction.
Though the team insists the pivot is not a play for “leverage,” but instead a move to deliver a “world-class stadium” to their fans after trouble getting shovels in the ground on a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
Fans, however, aren’t convinced — nor are they happy with the possibility of the Chicago Bears becoming the Northwest Indiana Bears, as expressed on social media.
Leaders also reacted to the news, including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker who called the letter a “startling slap in the face” to fans of the team.
Shortly after the letter was released, “Indiana Bears” started trending on X, with hundreds flocking to the social media site with their thoughts on Warren’s letter.
Here’s a look at what some people had to say on X after the news broke.
One X user addressed the leverage theory in a direct reply to the team’s post about the letter.
“This is not about leverage”
[narrator] it was
— Dave Moore (@DaDaveMoore) December 17, 2025
Many shared pictures of stadiums photoshopped next to industrial plants, a nod to the steel mills in Gary, Indiana.