Cubs Owner Looking to Re-name Wrigley

The Chicago Cubs are over 13 million dollars in debt. Chief Officer Sam Zell says getting rid of that debt is the team’s first priority. Fair enough, right? Well not really. Zell and Tribune are looking to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. As a Tribe fan, I was killed inside when Jacobs Field was renamed Progressive Field. Wrigley Field is almost 100 years older than the Jake. You can’t rename Wrigley; it’s as much a part of baseball as a bat. Think about that sign in front of Wrigley: United Airlines Field Home of the Chicago Cubs, or LaSalle Bank Field, just to name a few big Chicago companies. It just would not be the same. I know Jacobs Field will never feel the same to me. If I was a Cubs fan I would be furious for even whispers about this. Wrigley, Fenway, and Yankee Stadium are names synonymous with baseball, not Citibank Field, Progressive Field, and SBC Park. The sad thing is baseball is becoming like NASCAR with so many corporate sponsors. Imagine Derek Jeter or A-Rod running out on to the field with a big Ford logo across his chest, or a big Pepsi logo. Commercialism in sports is really getting out of hand.

TrizzAll-American

661 days ago

Score 2

Like I said with the Jake, if you want to pay quadruple ticket prices just to keep a name then so be it....

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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

661 days ago

Score 4

If selling the rights to Wrigley gets the Cubs any closer to the World Series, then so be it. Zell should sell the rights to Sony and build a retractable roof over the field. Call it "The Sony Fukodome"

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

661 days ago

Score 4

(rimshot)

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RomiezzoLegend

660 days ago

Score 1

(airball)

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 0

AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRR

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

!!! !!! !!!! !!!! !!!!! !!!!!

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SSreportersLegend

661 days ago

Score 1

The stadium I'm guessing will be renamed "Steve Bartman Park".

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EnyboDiv-I Stud

661 days ago

Score 1

They're actually trying to get the Wrigley company to buy the naming rights so they can keep the name but also create another revenue stream.

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Falcon02520Legend

661 days ago

Score 2

Wrigley Field cannot be renamed... its part of baseball history... I'd much rather seen it torn down that be renamed

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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

661 days ago

Score 1

The game already sold its historical integrity. Renaming WF is inevitable.

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CRS-ONEVarsity Captain

661 days ago

Score 1

They can rename it and be tasteful.

Like Sony's Wrigley Field.

Or Marlboro's Wrigley Field.

Or Korn's Wrigley Field.

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GeodanVarsity

661 days ago

Score 1

It's just another sad day in sporting history. When everything is sold off to the highest bidder I hope we still have the same love for the games.

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FrankDDiv-I Stud

661 days ago

Score 1

It's sad, but also a sign of the times where big co.'s are taking over everything. There's a lot of money to be made in owning a sporting venue, and I doubt any of the team's front office give a crap about the historical aspect of it. That's why before they were fans, they were all heartless businessmen.

Fan converted businessman says "This is ridiculous, we must preserve history at any cost." He's also the first to put the team on the market the following season.

Businessman converted to fan says "Well, what's in a name really? Money..."

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The PipDiv-I Stud

661 days ago

Score 1

The real crime would be selling the stadium and the team to different people. Then you can guarantee the Cubs will never win again. If it happens, it will suck, and I don't think it needs to happen. If they did it to Fenway I'd freak the hell out. They'll do it to the new yankee stadium, I promise. But that's a little more tolerable because it is not the house that ruth built, it's some new mega-thingy.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 0

Most teams do not own their own ballpark. And the Red Sox were sold to the current ownership group fairly recently.

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The PipDiv-I Stud

660 days ago

Score 0

I was under the impression that most teams either owned their parks or leased them from the local municipality (which grants the team consession rights and the ability to set ticket prices) which boils down to the same thing. They are hardly ever owned by different business interests. That is a recipe for failure both on and off the field.

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 1

Yes, the illustrious history of the Chicago Cubs, and all the history of success in Wrigley Field must be maintained.

People, just because something is old, doesn't mean it is historic. And just because something is historic doesn't mean it shouldn't be renamed, redone, or even torn down.

I'm not a Cubs fan, but let's say the Red Sox sold the naming rights to Fenway Park, it wouldn't matter. I'm a fan of the team, not the ballpark. Hell, the Sox could change their name to the Boston Pepsis presented by Doritos, and it wouldn't matter.

I'm kind of tired with complaints about the "commercialism" of sports. Sports aren't commercialized, professional sports leagues are commercialized. Baseball is baseball, and always will be baseball, even if it is brought to you by Verizon. But when you have teams shelling out millions for players, taking in millions from fans, waiting for commercial breaks to end before starting an inning; you're going to get involved in capitalism. Which means advertising, revenue streams, cost-cutting, growing the brand, marketing strategies, and all that other not so glamorous financial stuff we think deprives the game of a purity which it never possessed.

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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

660 days ago

Score 0

38Pitches.com Ballpark?

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 0

If he wants to pony up the dough, he can be my guest. But I imagine any naming rights leasing of Fenway Park would be costly and very long term.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

624 days ago

Score 0

Rawbeeziat, they should rename Fenway, Red Doushbag Paak

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LMedina86JV Squad

660 days ago

Score 0

Really, the Cubs in debt? As a life-long Cubs fan, I've learned that the Cubs and Tribune Co. have been rolling in dough since I've been around (21 years). So I refuse to believe that the Cubs are in debt.

Tribune Co. is in debt. The only parts of TribCo. that are making any profit are the Cubs and the Trib's stock in Food Netwrok. That's why Zell has to sell the team, so he can get the Trib out of the red.

Anyway, re-name if you want as long as the money goes back into the team! But if you are going to re-name Wrigley, keep it classy. No third-rate insurance company should sponsor Wrigley!

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 0

You can be rolling in dough AND be in debt, it's what happens when teams borrow money. The Red Sox, for instance, have a lot of cashflow, so they have money to spend, but the owners are still paying off loans from banks from buying the team.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

660 days ago

Score 0

It's like the shell game, but you get to write off the interest!

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EnyboDiv-I Stud

660 days ago

Score 1

Yes, please keep the name. It has such a winning tradition. I mean the last time the Cubs won a Championship in Wrigley was . . . . . .

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

624 days ago

Score 0

All I can say is Hell can go to ZELL!

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

624 days ago

Score 0

What a fuc+ing prick this guy Zell is.

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Anonymous Fanatic #3

622 days ago

Score 0

It's pretty simple in my mind. You pay to put your company's name in the place of Wrigley and I (and every other person I've talked to here on the Northside) will NOT be giving your company our business. I'll still go to games, but I won't be using the services. If it's United Airlines field, I'll fly American; AT&T Field, count me in for Sprint; and Walgreen's Field will send me shopping at CVS.

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