(La Porte, IN) - Dreams of the Chicago Bears relocating to the City of La Porte appear to be over, but La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody said what might have seemed like a one-in-a-million chance of landing the team was worth the effort.

 

“You’re only in the game if you’re in there pitching, so we’ll continue to have big ideas,” he said.

 

The Bears organization recently announced plans to have a domed stadium built just south of their current home, Soldier Field, leading to considerable speculation that the Bears would move outside Chicago to the suburb of Arlington Heights, where the organization purchased more than 300 acres of land just over a year ago.

 

However, according to ESPN, the Bears are willing to contribute $2 billion toward the construction of a publicly owned domed stadium just a short walk from Soldier Field, the smallest stadium in the NFL.

 

Late last year, Dermody and La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership Executive Bert Cook reached out to the Bears about being considered for the site of their new stadium. Cook said he and Dermody spoke to Bears representatives on the phone and through e-mails about the benefits of moving to La Porte.

 

“We just talked about our community and what we have to offer,” Cook said.

 

Cook said no specific locations for a stadium were shared because the city wanted to know if the Bears were interested before taking that next step. However, many people believe the only location for such a large venue in La Porte would be along the Indiana Toll Road for easy access in an area the city is close to annexing.

 

Cook said the odds of attracting the Bears might have been just as long as winning a major lottery drawing, but it didn’t hurt to give it a shot.

 

“You never know what is possible until you try. At the end of the day, what is the worst that someone can say? No, we’re not interested then we’re no worse off than we are today,” he said.