Haven't seen anything anywhere else about that rooftop agreement.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by untitledreality
The problem has always been poor ownership, and a lack of sound management.
Luckily one of those problems has been corrected. The Cubs will field very competitive teams in the near future, it is just a matter of how much of our souls as fans we are willing to let be sold to a billionaire from Nebraska.
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Indeed. It seems to many Cubs fans have been duped lately into the excuse making of the Ricketts and Co. As if the reason why the Cubs haven't done what the Red Sox have is because they don't play enough night games or they don't have a blaring jumbo tron bringing in a few extra million dollars per year (a very small drop in the bucket compared to gate receipts and TV deals). A new TV deal in the billions that will be coming in a year and that will allow the Cubs to play big ball with the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox more then some car/beer signage in the outfield could ever come close to. The difference in being competitive depends on this and not stream some kiss cam jumbo tron or even batting cages or more night games (not that I'm personally opposed to either). Now the Cubs have depicted the rooftoppers as the ones who are holding up
all the progress of the stadium, neighborhood, and team performance based on some signage and said jumbo tron. It borders on the absurd. The real issue for decades has been the lack of development of farm players, bad scouting and drafting, and at times frugality from the Wrigley's and Tribsters.
I'm all for upgrading the stadium. In fact I think tearing it down from foul to foul pole and building a very modern grandstand is a worthy option to look at. Also development outside the stadium should be welcome but again there the city and ballpark really should demand some better more thoughtful design that is better then a literal mix of Vegas-meets-Disney that Ricketts is offering.
It has never been the grandstands which defines Wrigley (for me) nor is it its best attribute. The outfield sweep though is something extremely unique and dare I say beautiful in regards to sports venues. When I'm watching a game inside Wrigley I feel like I'm not only watching a ball game but taking in Chicago at the same. Why some are so eager to junk it up with a jumbotron and used car signs making the redevelopment of Navy Pier look classy by comparison I'm not sure. Without the outfield vista Wrigley becomes closer to a very run of the mill ballpark losing much of its allure IMO. If done it goes from being a rather typical park with still substandard space and amenities that are still substandard compared to completely new parks. So in fact you get the worst of both worlds with a Ricketts rehab in that it is not completely updated stadium while also losing the uniqueness and "charm" that makes Wrigley Wrigley (the outfield sweep largely). Maybe this seems like an overreaction or over romanticized notion to some non-Cubs fans or even to some Cubs fans who have licked up the Ricketts sob story. However I sincerely think that many would slowly be driven away and take in less games (especially during inevitable hard years) by taking away what I think makes Wrigley special (even if some fans appreciate it only on a subconscious level) which is why I think Ricketts is so short sighted in his plans to deface what is best about Wrigley.
And all this talk about "just leave" the neighborhood by fans is equally idiotic. With a new stadium in Rosemont, Glenview, or Arlington Heights the Cubs are just the Mets, Phillies, or Angles (as opposed to the Yanks, Red Sox, or Dodgers) who have to win 90 games per year in order to draw 3 million and warrant having the 2nd highest ticket prices in baseball. Keeping up the brand (which Wrigley is a MAJOR element of) depends partially on respecting and updating the park the right way which then will warrant them obtaining Yankee/Dodger TV deals and revenues well into the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
I was just going to say, how exactly does one 'destroy the Cubs'? |
By weaking their brand and appeal of which Wrigley is a
MAJOR part). The strength of their brand translates into dollars by way of TV deals, gate receipts, and merchandise sales. That brand has made the Cubs one of the biggest national fan bases (arguably largest outside the Yankees) in the country. A brand and a charismatic stadium that has allowed the Cubs to charge the 2nd highest ticket prices in MLB even during very lean years even during the putrid last five.
The Sox for instance have less brand appeal then the Cubs. This is an inherent disadvantage that translates into loss of revenue which means less dollars to throw at players and compete. If you care about the Cubs then you care about them not making stupid short sighted moves that will lessen their brand appeal. Defacing Wrigley so that it loses its uniqueness and "charm" is one certain way to bring down that brand appeal. If you are the owners or fan who cares deeply about the long standing health of the team then dumbing down the brand should be the last thing you want to do because ultimately it means less money to compete.
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