Baseball Toaster: Cub Town : Ugh

Ugh

2007-02-14 17:45

by Phil Bencomo

Wrigley Field's hallowed ivy walls will sport ads next season.

One word describes it: Ugh.

Increased advertising at Wrigley was addressed at the Cubs Convention. Fans were told that more ads would slowly begin to appear at Wrigley, with taste in mind, in locations that would preserve the integrity of the ballpark. As the reason for the expected rise in ads was given as the team's increased payroll, the Tribune Company must really be in trouble if the Cubs need such high-profile ads.

Comments

2007-02-14 18:14:30

1. Ken Arneson

Well, at least it's only on the doors. It doesn't sound like they're chopping down any ivy to make room for the ads.

2007-02-14 18:35:03

2. joejoejoe

I'm all for more ads in sports. It's a business. It's better for all parties if teams use their own assets to get revenue rather than browbeating communities for tax breaks and subsidies.

2007-02-14 19:00:50

3. Bob Timmermann

I'm a big fan of Vodafone United!

2007-02-14 19:26:08

4. aqc

Quit livin' in the past, Bob. It's the AIG United!

2007-02-14 21:18:16

5. Wrigleyviller

Oh geez. So, to pay for, say, Mark DeRosa's nutty contract, the Cubs are going to defile perhaps the defining ballpark image in baseball history?

Have the Cubs brass seen Baseball Prospectus' payroll efficiency numbers? Maybe they should try not being the least efficient spenders in the game by like 3 times over and then they could avoid doing things that are guaranteed to piss off the fans.

2007-02-14 23:33:58

6. joejoejoe

3 I'm a Nippon Ham Fighters man myself.

2007-02-15 05:33:30

7. rynox

Someday baseball players will look like NASCAR drivers in their driver suits, wearing big gaudy lime-green Garnier logos and such. As a Capitalist, I'm not supposed to care, but it does make me a little sad.

2007-02-15 12:01:00

8. Sandus

I personally don't mind, provided the money is spent in the right way. It's not like they can put ads ON the ivy anyway, and you know they're not tearing it down (that'd be suicide).

It's no different from when they added the electronic scoreboards and people threw a fit. It makes no difference to the players, I assure you, and it shouldn't make any difference to us.

2007-02-15 13:00:25

9. Phil Bencomo

7 That reminds me of a satirical article I wrote last year at Cubbiepalooza. I just may have to repost it here...