Chicago Cubs: “Saving Wrigley Field” was a victory lap for Tom Ricketts

Chicago Cubs: You’ve got to spend money to make money

They went through redoing the bleachers, where they had to take down the outfield wall, preserve the ivy, relay the bricks, and replant the same ivy. They expanded the spaces for the fans to move around and added bathrooms/concessions to the upstairs. They added an outdoor entertainment area next to the stadium – that is now known as Gallagher Way. These are all things you know if you’ve been to Wrigley in the last five years.

The timeline and history lesson you get about the corner of Clark and Addison is really cool. You really get to see how Wrigley was back in the early 1900s compared to how it is now in 2021, and how even through expansion and addition the overall construction and feel of going to a game at Wrigley Field as a fan hasn’t really changed in a dramatic way.

Throughout the entire production, the Ricketts and others were speaking of this probably costing more than a new stadium, but they felt they had to do it. Tom specifically mentioned too that the new revenue Wrigley would provide would lead to a bigger budget to bring together a winning and competitive team year after year. At the end it is said that all the renovations cost an upward of $750 million.