Article:Cubs Owner Looking to Re-name Wrigley

The Chicago Cubs are over 13 million dollars in debt. Chief Officer Sam Zell says getting rid of that debt is the team’s first priority. Fair enough, right? Well not really. Zell and Tribune are looking to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. As a Tribe fan, I was killed inside when Jacobs Field was renamed Progressive Field. Wrigley Field is almost 100 years older than the Jake. You can’t rename Wrigley; it’s as much a part of baseball as a bat. Think about that sign in front of Wrigley: United Airlines Field Home of the Chicago Cubs, or LaSalle Bank Field, just to name a few big Chicago companies. It just would not be the same. I know Jacobs Field will never feel the same to me. If I was a Cubs fan I would be furious for even whispers about this. Wrigley, Fenway, and Yankee Stadium are names synonymous with baseball, not Citibank Field, Progressive Field, and SBC Park. The sad thing is baseball is becoming like NASCAR with so many corporate sponsors. Imagine Derek Jeter or A-Rod running out on to the field with a big Ford logo across his chest, or a big Pepsi logo. Commercialism in sports is really getting out of hand.