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.

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.

Any team that has not been in existence for five years is exempt from the eligibility requirement, but should they seek public financing in the future they would need to “demonstrate competitive performance” by achieving a .500% winning percentage in at least two of their first five seasons.