Say it ain’t so, but the Chicago Cubs are threatening to leave the sacred confines of Wrigley Field. Owner Tom Ricketts wants to build a big 6,000 square foot video screen over left field, but he’s got an insurrection on his hands from the neighbors.
His problem specifically is with the rooftop bleacher people — the ones who pay good money to join private clubs that offer unrestricted views of the ballpark. The owners of those clubs are yelling foul, because they don’t want anything blocking their sightlines — and they do share 17 percent of their revenue with the ballclub.
But Ricketts, who wants to renovate the stadium built in 1914, says, “The fact is that if we don’t have the ability to generate revenue in our own outfield, we’ll have to take a look at moving — no question.” Ricketts adds that without the signage, the Cubbies are missing out on $20 million a year in ad revenue — money he needs to modernize the park.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is supportive of the signs, but there’s no consensus yet on their size or shape. Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball — right behind Fenway Park in Boston, which opened in 1912.
