Cubs asking for $200 million from ILL Taxpayers

[Capt. Serious]

why spend any money on some stupid ass restaurant etc.....build a new stadium dammit

 

[Jntg4]

Ricketts will never tear down Wrigley or move to a new stadium. He met his wife there. He'll put the family ahead of the team.

 

[DewsSox79]

Ricketts will never tear down Wrigley or move to a new stadium. He met his wife there. He'll put the family ahead of the team.

you have a meatball fan owning the team. not good.

 

[Captain Obvious]

you have a meatball fan owning the team. not good.

Yeah, okay, sure.

 

[Scoot26]

That's never gonna happen.. At least we aren't Texas though.. they are like 25 billion in debt.. With a so called "fiscal conservative" at the helm.

Oh I'm well aware it will never happen. I believe Texans foot the bill for most of that billion dollar stadium that the Cowboys are pissing away. Our state though is going to be close to Texas if we dont do something about our spending problem. A tax increase wont fix it all together either..but now we're going into a different debate other than just the Cubs and IL taxpayers...

 

[Capt. Serious]

Yeah, okay, sure.

Yeah, you're right everything is sunshine & rainbow's.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, you're right everything is sunshine & rainbow's.

No, but it's a hell of a lot better than when the Trib and Zell owned us.

 

[daddies3angels]

The Trib atleast spent money on the MLB ROSTER unlike this guy..All he cares about is making money. Only a ****** bag that puts a NOODLE in front of stadim only cares about money.

 

[Captain Obvious]

The Trib atleast spent money on the MLB ROSTER unlike this guy..All he cares about is making money. Only a ****** bag that puts a NOODLE in front of stadim only cares about money.

Yeah, because that's making him sooooo much money. Of course he wants to make money, it's a business. What business owner wouldn't want to make money? He wants to win, while not losing a gillion dollars.

The Trib spent on a roster? Really? Really?

They only spent on the team, toward the end of the ownership, so they could sell it.

 

[DewsSox79]

Cot's Baseball Contracts: Chicago Cubs

it isnt like they went from being the marlins to the yankees.

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

if this is what's going to be necessary.. maybe its time to let the old girl go..

 

[Scoot26]

if this is what's going to be necessary.. maybe its time to let the old girl go..

I've been in favor of tearing that stadium down for years..problem is taxpayer money would definitely be involved in that.

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

I've been in favor of tearing that stadium down for years..problem is taxpayer money would definitely be involved in that.

It's always going to be..

 

[Matthew]

I want no part of my tax dollars going to a team that hasn't won a championship in over 100 years. Move the flubs to Portland or something.

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

I want no part of my tax dollars going to a team that hasn't won a championship in over 100 years. Move the flubs to Portland or something.

How creative. :blago:

Realistically 3 of the other major stadiums got re-done with losing streaks (minus the bulls) with some sort of public funding.

Sooo there isn't a valid argument with winning..

It's just time that something needs to be done.. New park or a re-do.

 

[Matthew]

Realistically 3 of the other major stadiums got re-done with losing streaks (minus the bulls) with some sort of public funding.

It's just time that something needs to be done.. New park or a re-do.

Take into account the economic climate and the already ridiculous debt the state is in. Public money does not need to be put into Wrigley right now, give the money to serious places of public need like the CTA, CPD, or CPS.

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

Take into account the economic climate and the already ridiculous debt the state is in. Public money does not need to be put into Wrigley right now, give the money to serious places of public need like the CTA, CPD, or CPS.

It's still going to be state funded.. If its not now.. It'll be somewhat in the future.. I don't think they can put this off much longer.

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

Is it time to tear down Wrigley Field?

The Wrigley Field deal: What's wrong with the Wrigley Field deal - chicagotribune.com

Wrigley Field: It's one of the most iconic stadiums in America, with a distinctive urban location, nearly a century of history and an old-fashioned ambience. It's the best thing about the Chicago Cubs since Ernie Banks. But, as was once the case with Ernie Banks, maybe it's time to admit that Wrigley can't go on forever.

That's the obvious conclusion to draw from the organization's request for taxpayers to "invest" up to $300 million in the park. The Ricketts family spent $845 million to acquire the Cubs from Tribune Co. last year, the highest price ever paid for a Major League Baseball franchise. But now the new owners find they can't afford the upkeep on their elderly home, which runs about $10 million a year.

So they want the state, county and city to divert a share of future entertainment taxes to help fund a major renovation. Never mind that the state of Illinois is broke and the city of Chicago has a record budget deficit.

Chairman Tom Ricketts says the owners can't justify putting more money into the park and the adjacent area "unless you know Wrigley is going to be there." Left unspoken is the prospect that it won't be there — that the Cubs will move to new quarters in the suburbs or raze the old park and put up something suited to the needs of a 21st century team.

Not a bad idea. Wrigley is attractive and charming in many ways, but it's like driving a vintage car: After a while, the novelty is not enough to justify the antiquated design. The ivy-covered walls and manually operated scoreboard have to be balanced against the cramped concourses, primitive restrooms, modest kitchen facilities and obstructed views.

To even think of replacing the nostalgia-drenched ballpark is heresy to diehard Cubs fans. But Yankee Stadium was even richer in history and tradition — winning tradition, by the way — when the Yankees abandoned it in 2008.

This year, the Dallas Cowboys managed to suppress sentiment long enough to demolish Texas Stadium, probably the most recognizable facility in the National Football League and just 39 years old. Ricketts envisions playing in Wrigley for another 50 years. In what universe does that make sense?

He argues this would be a no-lose deal for the public because all the tax revenue to be diverted to the Cubs is money that would not be generated without their presence in Wrigley. "Those are dollars that wouldn't have been spent anywhere," he said in a meeting with the Tribune editorial board.

Wrong. "These things may affect where people spend, but not what they spend," says University of Chicago economist Allen Sanderson. People allocate a certain share of their budgets for entertainment. Absent the Cubs, they will go to movies, concerts, museums, White Sox games, Great America or Navy Pier.

But it's not as though the Cubs would be absent. Blessed with one of the biggest markets in America, and fans who turn out win or lose, they are not about to pick up and move to Nashville.

So they should be thinking of how to make the best of their location. A new park would rid the Cubs of their maintenance headaches, while providing them better ways to relieve fans of cash — lots of luxury boxes, better dining, new shops and diversions.

It would allow the team to hire better players and pamper them in style. The architect could lovingly re-create the treasured features of the existing stadium, while omitting the shortcomings.

I am not immune to the appeal of Wrigley, though I was wearing a Cardinals cap the last time I went. But I am immune to the appeal of using tax dollars to enrich a private business. If you own a building that is falling apart, you should either sell it, spend the money to fix it up or admit it's not worth saving — not ask your neighbors to pick up the tab.

The Cubs can command ample resources. They have the third-highest ticket prices in baseball, and they outdraw 23 other clubs.

Sure, lots of other teams have gotten government help with their parks, including the Bears and the White Sox. But not only were they also bad deals for the public, they were made in an era when our governments had plenty of money to waste.

That day, you may have noticed, is over. Could be Wrigley Field's time has passed as well.

 

[tbo41fan]

That article is false though...it's not heresy to tear down Wrigley to Diehard Cubs fans...only the ones who know nothing about baseball

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

That article is false though...it's not heresy to tear down Wrigley to Diehard Cubs fans...only the ones who know nothing about baseball

That point is debatable.. The other points in the article are valid.