What is the value of a million dollars?

Obviously value is relative and this isn’t philosophy class. But the question surfaced with two recent headlines regarding familiar topics: the Chicago Bears offering $25 million to Chicago and its park district as part of their plan to relocate to Arlington Heights and state government providing $20 million to food pantries in light of the looming halt of federal aid for individuals.

The dollar amounts are close but their contexts vary wildly. For the Bears, the relevant figures include the $534.4 million in principal and interest still owed for the $632 million Soldier Field renovation completed earlier this century – that debt hangs on the Illinois Sports Facility Authority – as well as the franchise’s estimated net worth of nearly $9 billion.

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