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Originally Posted by nomarandlee
I'm not really seeing how Wirtz and the Ricketts are anything alike. One was doing common sense fan friendly outreach while the other arguably insult and demeans their fan base every chance they get. Also one has one of the highest payrolls in the NHL and the other has only slashed payroll in MLB (which I understand is the "plan" until ready to compete but it shouldn't be taken for granted they will spend wildly in the near future either).
Lets revisit what the Ricketts have brought to the table since they came to the scene.
- A bunch of 90-100 loss seasons.
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The Ricketts inherited a team loaded with many brutal contracts and a poor farm system. So he hired one of the most highly regarded GMs in the game to change the organization. Wirtz inherited a team about to bear the fruits of being brutal for a decade.
Plus, the NHL has a very restrictive salary cap, so being one of the highest salary teams in the NHL means little. Pushing out Dale Tallon in favor of Bowman was a bold move though, as was hiring Epstein instead of just overpaying for more free agents soon to be on the decline of their careers.
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- Plans to develop the park and area around in some of the worse schlock design since the reconstruction of Navy Pier. A true Vegas meets Disney horror show. A plan that completely misses the opportunity to make the city proud and do well by their fans.
- A "macaroni noodle" for the outside of the park.
- A schlock shack called the Captain Morgan club that looks like its more suitable for a traveling carnival. And even if they didn't build it they have kept it up.
- A "Toyota" sign that looks ideal for a used car lot.
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Yep, they have bad taste. But I can't say United Center's additions like the garish 'Madhouse on Madison' sign they hung up, the removal of prime 300 level seats (affordable seats) for 2 bars serving $8.50 beers and $10+ crap cocktails, a practice ice arena that looks like a prison. If the United Center was actually architecturally significant, I'm sure any Wirtz/Reinsdorf developments would be panned as well.
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- Embarrassingly creepy and faux-sentimental radio/TV ads that more make a mockery of their fan base then does justice to their project.
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You could say, (many do!) that the Blackhawks do the same, with some of their sentimental commercials the past few years. (The current campaign is much better, however).
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- Clark the mascot. It would be fine if they brought him around to kid events and hospitals but I think MANY Cubs fans like to keep the game at the park about baseball (and beer and boobs). Many Cubs fans generally feel that gimmicks like fireworks, mascots Donut Races on jumbotrons, Leave those activities to other fans of other parks who can't draw even if they win 90 games in a regular basis.
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I give you TommyHawk. Many hawks fans used to feel the way about the atmosphere at the Stadium, which still held into the United Center. It was old time hockey, lots of organ music, limited high volume rock/rap/pop. Now there is a feathered mascot urging hawks chants and plenty of Donut Races, Kiss Cam, fake volume meters all game long.
If Rocky inherited a team as dysfunctional as the Rickett's, the good will of putting games on TV and reconnecting with a lousy human being like Bobby Hull would have quickly been masked by the Marketing Machine of a McDonough organization. Winning championships helps. But there's certainly grumbling of many long time fans, it's kept in check because the product on the ice cancels out some of the other annoyances of how McDonough runs things.
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