The lovable losers just never learn.
Just last week, the Chicago Cubs all but finalized plans with the city to give the antiquated Wrigley Field a much-needed facelift. The renovation will be privately funded, and will include things like a modern video board, additional advertising around the ballpark, an adjacent 175-room hotel and a two-story club attached to the stadium.
And, according to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, all of that will inevitably lead to a World Series title.
“If this plan is approved, we will win the World Series for our fans and our city,” said Ricketts on Monday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We need this project in order to bring our fans a winner. The financial impact of this proposal will help us do that.
“It’s a significant amount of dollars that can be generated. … I’m not sure exactly which dollars come in which years, but it absolutely increases Theo’s [Epstein] ability to put dollars to work on the field — and substantially.”
While it is true that the renovation figures to open up additional revenue streams for the Cubs, it’s questionable whether or not the team is actually hamstrung financially. As recently as 2010, the Cubs maintained a payroll of more than $146 million, the third-highest figure in baseball at the time.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Wrigley Field
