Disagreements over property taxes and public funding have driven the discussion of the Bears' desire to leave century-old Soldier Field, where the team has played since 1971.

Despite NFL teams-- and all American professional sports teams -- being owned almost exclusively by billionaires, most franchises still manage to find a way to secure public funding for their new stadiums or to upgrade their existing stadiums.

A new Illinois bill would require sports teams to have a record of winning games before the state would consider spending taxpayer money on a stadium. House Bill 2969, the Balanced Earnings And Record Standards (BEARS) Stadium Oversight and Expectations Act,

The proposal from Illinois State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) would require any team to have a winning record in at least three of its past five regular seasons before it could be eligible for public financing for a stadium project.

Deerfield, would require professional sports teams to achieve a .500 record or above in at least three out of five regular seasons in order to qualify for funding.