Businessmen that care more about business than baseballs lore can go straight to hell

[korme]

Cubs owner: Naming rights for Wrigley Field on the table

Associated Press

CHICAGO -- The chief executive officer of the Tribune Company said Wednesday he won't hesitate to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field -- even if baseball purists don't like the idea.

During an interview on CNBC, Sam Zell said despite Wrigley Field being known worldwide, he didn't get a discount because he wasn't going to use the naming rights that the field represents.

Zell said he plans to sell the Cubs and Wrigley separately and in his own time frame. He also disclosed that Major League Baseball has approved "four or six" potential ownership groups and that any one of them would be fine.

The sale of the team has been delayed by Zell's plan to sell the team and the stadium separately, and to have a state agency acquire and renovate Wrigley.


Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

[MikeVic]

I thought it was named after the gum?

[Galaxy]

Kind of weird they are selling the team and the stadium separate.

[ShawonDunston]

Tis why baseball has fallen out of favor with me and been replaced by cigarette smoking and youtubing.

[MikeVic]

Hey are you named after the baseball player.

[Passacaglia]

Hey are you named after the baseball player.

I assumed he just sold his naming rights to the baseball player.

[ShawonDunston]

I assumed he just sold his naming rights to the baseball player.

Winnar!!

[Lathum]

I hope Tampax buys the rights to name Yankee Satdium

[korme]

I have a starting lineup figure of Shawon Dunston

[Lathum]

I think naming rights should be auctioned off, that way they have no control over the name of the stadium.

[Logan]

If the Cubs were struggling to make money, I would have no problem with it, as having an extra $10-15 million a year (the Mets got $20MM for their new field) could give them a competitive advantage. Of course, this is all if a) they are actually not profitable already and b) the extra money goes right to adding payroll (probable)/keeping ticket prices reasonable (not likely).

[ShawonDunston]

The Cubs routinely sell out close to all of their home games. They also receiver revenue from WGN, FSC and Comcast for broadcasting the game. They receive additional revenue from the owners of the rooftops across the street. They receive even more revenue from the numerous rotating advertising signs that were put in a few years back. Their payroll last year was in the top 5, not sure on the exact figures. They will never be competetive as long as Old Skool Skouts run the org. This is just rich people trying to get richer. Thats all.

[bulletsponge]

baseball lore vasty overrated.

[clintl]

I thought it was named after the gum?

It was named after the owner of the gum company, who also happened to be the owner of the Cubs.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Pink Taco Field, home of the Cubs...sounds about right.

[oliegirl]

Gino's East Field!

or

Lou Malnotti Field!

or

Portillo's Field!




Damn, now I'm craving some real Chicago food :(

[Neuqua]

I'm a Cubs fan and I can't really see what the big problem is. The man runs a business, and he's in the business to make money. The Wrigley corporation has been benefitting from free advertising for years now, if they want to keep "tradition" it might be time to pony up for a bit. Sam Zell didn't become a rich son of a gun out of luck. He knows what he's doing.

I'm all about tradition, and baseball lore. If he was saying something about demolishing Wrigley Field I would have a bigger issue, but he's just selling the naming rights. Hell, I'll still call it Wrigley Field no matter the actual name. Most of my buddies still refer to US Cellular Field and Comiskey.

[Logan]

I'm all about tradition, and baseball lore. If he was saying something about demolishing Wrigley Field I would have a bigger issue, but he's just selling the naming rights. Hell, I'll still call it Wrigley Field no matter the actual name. Most of my buddies still refer to US Cellular Field and Comiskey.

You're a smart man.

[ColtCrazy]

It took years for people not to call the RCA Dome the Hoosier Dome, and it had NO history to it. It would take several generations before they stopped calling it Wrigley, no matter what they named it.

I'm still shocked they haven't done what the Europeans do and put sponsors on the actual jerseys. I would love to see a team run around with Viagra or Tampax on their jerseys.

[korme]

It's just bullshit.

I have been to Riverfront, Wrigley, Yankee Stadium, The Jake and Camden.

Oh and I've also been to GREAT AMERICAN, TROPICANA, and LOU'S FUNHOUSE

[korme]

I guess I just wish it was back in the day when stadiums were stadiums and big marketing didn't exist in the sport

[Mr. Wednesday]

Hell, I'll still call it Wrigley Field no matter the actual name. Most of my buddies still refer to US Cellular Field and Comiskey.
I'm not sure Comiskey's the kind of baseball lore worthy of being remembered fondly. I happily call the place the White Sox play U.S. Cellular Field.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

As a lark, some billionaire should buy the rights and call it Comiskey.

[stevew]

Wrigley can either pay for their free advertising, or they can call the park whatever they want to. Baseball lore is highly overrated.

[Izulde]

I used to love baseball, but these ideas, it's more that I love the idea of baseball.

[Mr. Wednesday]

As a lark, some billionaire should buy the rights and call it Comiskey.
I'd still call it U.S. Cellular. :p

Wait, which one are you talking about?

[Neon_Chaos]

Al's Beef Field

[sterlingice]

I'm still shocked they haven't done what the Europeans do and put sponsors on the actual jerseys. I would love to see a team run around with Viagra or Tampax on their jerseys.

http://www.calpoly.edu/%7Eskam/images/viagra.jpg

SI

[Izulde]

I'm still shocked they haven't done what the Europeans do and put sponsors on the actual jerseys. I would love to see a team run around with Viagra or Tampax on their jerseys.

Soccer uniforms are the ugliest on the planet precisely becase of all that balatant commercial advertising.

[RainMaker]

I think Zell is a scumbag for reasons that go beyond this. But he has a right to do this although I think it's petty. I just can't imagine being a mega-billionaire and making a huge deal out of a 5 million dollar naming deal.

But it wouldn't be the end of the world. Wrigley already put advertising on the outfield wall and has a sign behind home plate. I think the company that does buy the naming rights will see a big backlash from fans of the sport. Although they do say that any publicity is good publicity. Fans in Chicago will call it Wrigley no matter what. My guess is a sponsor would do what was done to Soldier Field. It'll be called something like "Harris Bank Presents Wrigley Field". Or "Wrigley Field Sponsored by Harris Bank."

[Bubba Wheels]

The one sure way to get through to a professional team owner in any sport is plain, pure apathy. Works everytime. When Detroit Lion fans learn that in this area then William Clay will finally take action, just like he did back in the 80s when only 1/3 of his stadium was selling out every Sunday.

Learn to love minor league baseball. Hard playing hungry kids living with local families fighting to play another year, not overpaid whining prima-donnas that strike out every second time at bat cause they got to hit 14 hrs a year while stranding everybody on base (Brandon Inge I'm talking to you).

Oakland County is finally getting a Frontier League team in Waterford and I am geeked. And I don't care what they call the stadium.

[dime]

zell is a douchebag and MLB is stupid for getting out manuevered here. zell is tight with jerry reinsdorf, which is a pretty obvious conflict of interest that no one is talking about. reinsdorf practically owns chicago at this point; he's a slimeball but very good at what he does.

[bulletsponge]

Learn to love minor league baseball

or better yet, go to soccer games. nothing will scare the shit out of baseball owners like falling attendance in thier sport and rising attendance in small sport that has the potential to be a player in the summer