The famous sports fan refrain “wait ’til next year,” often associated with MLB’s Cubs, is now taking on new meaning for another Chicago pro sports team. 

The Bears’ attempt to strike a deal for a lakefront domed stadium, already facing mounting obstacles, took another sizable hit when Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (above) said Monday it would be “near impossible” for the team to get an agreement through the state legislature this fall. Assuming that projection holds, it will be at least spring 2025 before there is any further movement there on the Bears’ proposal. 

After missing out on this past spring’s legislative session, the Bears had targeted the fall to accelerate progress on a new stadium, with the team looking for public money to cover slightly more than half of the projected $4.7 billion cost. The team has already said that every year lost to delays adds more than $150 million to that figure. 

“In reality, there isn’t a proposal on the table right now that would be acceptable to anyone that I know in the legislature,” Pritzker said. 

The governor’s comments are hardly a departure, as he called the Bears’ initial proposal in April a “nonstarter.” But the latest remarks show how little progress has been made since then. 

“I’ve done a lot of research on this topic. But let me clear: There isn’t much change,” Pritzker said. 

Power and Influence

While Pritzker was already a powerful governor of a populous state, his political star has risen further in recent weeks, giving anything he says relative to the Bears situation that much more weight. He’s been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate to join the campaign of expected Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and the party’s national convention will be on his home turf, as the event is scheduled for Aug. 19–22 in Chicago.

Unlike many politicians who struggle with the complexities of pro stadium finance, Pritzker also boasts a high-level business background and is worth an estimated $3.5 billion. He’s part of the Pritzker family that controls the Hyatt hotel chain and, before entering politics, was involved in several business ventures, including a technology incubator and an investment group. His assets are now in a blind trust while he serves as governor, but those extensive holdings are seen as a complex factor during Harris’s process to select a running mate. 

At face value, it seems Formula One’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last November was a resounding success.

F1 announced the race brought an economic impact of $1.5 billion to the city—which is 50% more than what Super Bowl LVIII generated three months later. The race also pulled in 1.3 million viewers, more than the average F1 race last season, despite the 1 a.m. ET start time and both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships already clinched.

On Monday, the league announced a deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to “strengthen the relationship between F1 and Las Vegas” by the time the second iteration of the race comes around. The LVCVA is tasked with marketing Southern Nevada, so a partnership between the two sides makes sense, especially as Las Vegas and F1 are locked into a 10-year agreement that runs until 2032. 

Reality Check

The Las Vegas GP was anything but a smooth ride. 

While the city attempts to boast about the economic impacts of the race, several business owners have said they’ve been negatively impacted by the race, with one, Ellis Island Hotel and Casino, filing a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Clark County in May.

“Plaintiffs’ reasonable and justified business expectations were substantially interfered with, compromised, and adversely impacted when Defendants herein transferred the public rights of way abutting and/or adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip into a 3.8-mile race track and apparently entered into contractual agreements to do so for up to an additional nine (9) years into the future,” the suit read.

The lawsuit tracks with the reports of several businesses—and even hotels—struggling with price increases as well as pedestrian and traffic blockages in the lead-up to the race.

The race itself wasn’t particularly compelling—Max Verstappen won, just as he did in 19 of the 22 races last year—but the weekend’s most memorable event on track happened in the usually uneventful practice session, when Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz drove over a loose drain cover that stopped the session.

Sainz, through no fault of his own, was handed a 10-place grid penalty because the team had to replace the car’s energy store, while the fans waited hours only to be sent home when the session was called off.

The drivers also spoke out about their dissatisfaction with the spectacle, as Verstappen called it “99% show,” while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton called it a “circus.”

LVCVA Connected to WNBA Probe

The LVCVA is a government-funded agency that has promoted several Las Vegas sporting events, including the Super Bowl and last year’s race before it was an official partner. But the organization is embroiled in some hot water at the moment in another sport.

The WNBA’s Aces are under investigation after the LVCVA announced it would pay $100,000 to each of the team’s players for a partnership, which would be a violation of the league’s protocol if the team were involved in the negotiations.

The LVCVA is also taking some heat after multiple reports surfaced that the team has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on influencers, including $4 million worth of tickets for last year’s Grand Prix.