SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The NFC Championship sparked local interest in watch parties once again, keeping South Bend sports bar busy even with Notre Dame out of the playoffs.
This Sunday, the Chicago Bears faced off against the Los Angeles Rams at home in Soldier Field. Locals came out to Taphouse On The Edge to cheer on the close-by Chicago Bears and couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if they were even closer.
Ever since Chicago Bears Team President Kevin Warren announced that the team was looking at leaving its stadium in Downtown Chicago for a spot in Northwest Indiana, Hoosiers have jumped at the possibility.
Several local Bears fans chimed in on the move.
“I think to Gary,” Dion Bingham said. “Right by the hard rock casino.”
The City of Gary formally pitched themselves as a potential new home to the Bears Stadium, releasing renderings online of their vision for the team in the city.
“The further east the better,” Ryan Leszczynski said. “I would say Michigan City, yes.”
While many fans here are interested in the convenience of having a beloved team come closer, Leszczynski — also an avid Indianapolis Colts fan — believes the move will benefit the whole state.
“Now you have two Indiana teams to root for, you got one in each conference,” Leszczynski said. “So let’s face it, doubles your chances of Indiana winning Super Bowl.”
While the possibility of the Bears going all the way is out of the question following the overtime fall to the Rams, the question that will keep fans chatting in the post-season is where they’ll be watching the Bears from next year.