The Chicago Cubs seem to have fallen on hard times again.
Historic Wrigley Field is set to undergo extensive renovations this summer that will last until the 2016 season, and the team appears to be looking for any way to make an extra buck. The Cubs haven’t won a World Series title in over a century and were in last place in the National League Central with just 19 wins as of Friday, so the team has been a hard sell to fans.
What the team is selling, however, is some memorabilia. While fans have always have been able to purchase game-worn uniforms and equipment, the Cubs have added something new to the list of products people can buy — game-used chairs.
For a starting price of $250, fans can bid on a chair that New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka sat in during a series earlier in May. The right-hander has made quite the splash since entering the big leagues after coming over from Japan this year, and it looks like even opposing teams are going to market his popularity to get some extra cash.
Tanaka has won seven games in his first 10 starts this season, more than any Cubs starting pitcher has been able to muster.
The team appears to be banking on the “historic” value of the chair, since it was used during Derek Jeter’s final regular-season trip to Wrigley. But what the Cubs might want to market is the fact that they are the only team thus far to beat Tanaka.
Give credit to Chicago, though. In spite of already losing 32 games, they may have found a winning, innovative way to make money that the team cannot.
