Chicago Cubs: Wrigley Naming Rights

There has been so much talk about the The Chicago Cubs and owner Sam Zell selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field. There seems to be mixed emotions on this idea. To be honest as I begin to write this post I'm not sure where I stand.

I understand the first stance on this topic. Wrigley is a national landmark. Its a window to how things used to be. Its' "old school". And I have to admit that going to a game and not having flashing signs as the outfield walls is nice. Its just you and the game. You might ask why I am talking about inside Wrigley Field on a post about the naming rights. But let's be honest. Selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field would be the first step in commercializing the Chicago Cubs. That is what people in this school of thought fear most. Chicago Cubs fans want to preserve the one thing that has remained constant about their team over the last 100 years.

The second school of though is that if the sale of naming rights for Wrigley Field brought money to the Chicago Cubs then let's do it and sign some big free agents next year. Now this is probably the idea that would get my vote. Sprint Park at Wrigley Field I could live with if it meant signing an A-Rod type player. Anything to help the Chicago Cubs finally break the curse and win the World Series I'm all for. The issue with this idea is that Sam Zell isn't interested in putting a great product on the field. In fact he cares so little about baseball that he is selling the team. Most believe he would use the profit made from the naming writes in no way that would help the Chicago Cubs. He would pay off the debt the Tribune Company is buried in. This does not help the Chicago Cubs one ounce.

So I've come up with a solution to this problem that I believe is a win-win. Chicago Cubs fans want the name to remain Wrigley Field. Sam Zell wants to sell the naming rights to pay off debt that the Tribune Company has. There is one potential buyer that could make this happen for both sides. The Wrigley company. If they bought the naming rights and didn't change the name they would get some great PR. I think Chicago Cub fans, loyal as they are, would put down their trident and buy some Wrigley gum. Maybe they could work out a few promotional dates and a few ads throughout the season as part of the deal. If Zell had any heart he would offer them the naming rights for a little discount, but he doesn't so he won't. I still think this is the best option all around since no matter what Zell won't use the money to better the Chicago Cubs team.

So what do you say we put together some kind of petition and get the Wrigley company to buy the naming rights. If we get enough people to buy a pack of gum it just might be worth it to them.

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