Chicago Cubs: Thoughts on an offseason filled with wrong kind of news

Chicago Cubs: Ricketts’ emails draw intense criticism from all sides

In early February, Splinter News reported a stream of offensive emails from Joe Ricketts, father of Tom Ricketts and his siblings – who own the Chicago Cubs. Joe himself has no stake in the organization, but the connection is still fairly clear.

I’ll let you choose whether or not to read the content of said emails. Suffice to say, they’re chock-full of racist, Islamaphobic rhetoric that has no place in today’s society. Since they were made public, Ricketts and the Chicago Cubs organization has been taking near-constant fire from all sides of the political spectrum.

"“I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails,” he said in a statement. “Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I’ve said things that don’t reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong.”"

Ownership quickly tried to put as much distance as possible between the club and their father, releasing a statement of their own.

"“We are aware of the racially insensitive emails in my father’s account that were published by an online media outlet,” Tom Ricketts said Monday. “Let me be clear: The language and views expressed in those emails have no place in our society. My father is not involved with the operation of the Chicago Cubs in any way. I am trusted with representing this organization and our fans with a respect for people from all backgrounds. These emails do not reflect the culture we’ve worked so hard to build at the Chicago Cubs since 2009.”"

In the days that followed, Ricketts met with leaders of the Chicago Muslim community, and, together, are “committed to the concrete steps, adding that he too had not wanted actions that were token or cliche but meaningful and heartfelt.”

The meeting – and subsequent actions – will hopefully help the community heal. But, at least right now, it’s the latest off-the-field issue to take center stage in a winter that once held nothing but intrigue and allure.

Spring can’t come too soon for the Chicago Cubs franchise and its fans. It’s been an offseason marred by scandal, disappointment and a lack of baseball-related items to be excited about. Let’s hope the leaders with the team can all learn from what has transpired and work to get the focus back where it should be: winning another World Series championship.