'Chicago Sun-Times' Gins Up Campaign Against Zell Over Wrigley Field Naming Rights

By: Mark Fitzgerald The Chicago Sun-Times ratcheted up its campaign against Tribune Co. Chairman and CEO Sam Zell Friday, launching a contest for songs protesting the possible sale of naming rights to the Chicago Cubs' historic Wrigley Field.

"Write a song about Tribune owner Sam Zell's attempt to sell off the name of Wrigley Field, make a video, post it, and send it to us," the tabloid says on its front page. "There's $1,000 waiting for the best one - and we'll post every video we receive (as long as it's not too rude!) at suntimes.com."

Thursday, the Sun-Times kicked off the campaign against the possible re-naming of Wrigley with front page headlines that read, "Is Nothing Sacred?" and "It's Trib vs. Chicago."

"Billionaire Tribune boss Sam Zell is getting ready to sell off Wrigley Field's name," copy on the front page read. "How would you like the sound of Depends Field? Or Cialis Ballpark? Let's tell him he can't do this. The name is a national treasure and part of our heritage."

Tribune Co. owns the Cubs and Wrigley Field. Even before Zell's $8.2 billion deal to take Tribune private was completed in December, he said he intended to sell the baseball team and its stadium, preferably in separate transactions that would presumably net a higher price.

He has also suggested all along that the naming rights might be up for sale. Since 1926, Wrigley has been named after William Wrigley, founder of the Chicago gum manufacturer. Wrigley Co. does not pay for the name, and Zell and Tribune Senior Vice President Crane Kenney, who oversees the Cubs, have suggested they should cough up to keep Wrigley Field Wrigley.

Kenney estimated earlier this year that naming rights for baseball's second-old ballpark could go for as high as $400 million over a 20-year period.

In its full-court press against the name change, the Sun-Times says any new name would be an act of vandalism.

"Wrigley Field is not one rich man's possession, a pile of bricks to be fooled with like a widget factory," Friday's lead editorial said. "Wrigley Field, from its ivy walls to its manual scoreboard to its classic marquee -- "Wrigley Field, Home of the Chicago Cubs" - is a civic treasure. Wrigley Field is no more to be messed with an Grant Park, the Rookery Building or the Robie House." The last two are references to buildings by the famous architects John Root and Frank Lloyd Wright respectively.