Top Menu

How much are Wrigley Field naming rights worth?

Wrigley Field

Let’s say Tom Ricketts and family decide to complete depart from Chicago Cubs history and seek a naming-rights deal for Wrigley Field. How much are naming rights worth?

The answer: $15-20 million a year, according our old college classmate David Kaplan at CSNChicago. That sounds about right: the Cubs are a national team with a large national following, and any naming-rights exposure would certainly be good for the national firm that buys the rights.

All of this is conjecture, of course: no one really expects the Ricketts family to sell naming rights to Wrigley Field, but the topic did come up after it was announced that U.S. Cellular would be abandoning the Chicago market but keeping naming rights to U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. Fans already irritated at the family management of the team and its quest for public money for ballpark renovations would go absolutely ballistic. And no corporation official in their right mind would commit that kind of money to a naming-rights deal that would certainly create a backlash and consumer boycotts.

Of course, we’ve got to correct Kap on one point: the ballpark hasn’t been known as Wrigley Field for 100 years; that name was first applied by William Wrigley in 1926. Somewhere Charlie Weeghman is spinning in his grave.

RELATED STORIES: Ricketts: We’re taking long-term view on Wrigley Field improvements; Spat between Cubs, Mayor Rahm continues; Can Bud Selig warm relationship between Cubs, politicians?; Cubs: Following the Fenway Park recipe for renovationsRicketts family political activity threatens to scuttle Cubs reno plansWSJ: Tear down Wrigley Field now!Chicago politics at play: Tunney vs. the CubsCubs reno plan draws harsh criticism from key aldermanCubs funding request: $500M in Wrigley Field improvementsEmanuel plan for Wrigley renovation: set aside landmark statusIllinois guv: No public money for ballpark renovationsCity, Cubs finalizing terms of Wrigley Field renovationsRicketts: Time to talk Wrigley Field public funding againWant to buy a chunk of Wrigley Field? Dream onGammon rips Wrigley Field, defends RickettsMayor Rahm: No to city aid for Wrigley FieldPoll: Voters oppose public funding of Wrigley Field renovationsState funding of Wrigley Field renovations dies as Assembly adjourns

—-

Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.

Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.

Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!

Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!

, , , , , , , ,