Poll says a majority of Cubs fans still prefer day games at Wrigley Field

I ran a simple poll on Twitter for Chicago Cubs fans to vote when they preferred going to games, daytime or night. It probably comes as no surprise that a majority of fans still prefer watching games at Wrigley Field under the sun over under the manmade lights. 1,386 fans participated in the poll with 76.1% voting day and 23.9% voting night.

Fans of all ages participated in the poll, with a number of them having experienced the days of no-night games at Wrigley Field. The ballpark had no lights until 1988, an addition that was met with plenty of controversy. Hard to imagine anyone with the yellow and red "No Lights in Wrigley Field" merchandise voting for the night game preference. This includes the fine folks at Nisei Lounge.

Being a century-old ballpark, tradition means a lot to the people there, and playing day baseball is a big part of the park's history. When fans think of start time at Wrigley, 1:20 often comes to mind. Legends like Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, or Fergie Jenkins never played night games at Wrigley. There is also the fact that baseball on a summer day is what the game has been known for since the beginning. Enjoying the sunshine and blue skies is a big part of our summers.

Despite the tradition though, night games had to come. With expanded postseasons and broadcast schedules, the park needed to adapt eventually. Had the 1984 Cubs won the pennant, the World Series situation would have been interesting with no lights. Since 1989, all NLCS and World Series games at Wrigley have been night games.

While day games are preferred, there are some really cool things about night games. The sunsets on a summer evening are always great to look at and very calming. There is also the comfort of a midsummer night temperature when the sun is not beating down on non-shaded patrons. The new lights also add to the experience, especially when they win and they "Light the W". That said, it is hard to replace the feeling of day baseball in Cubs fans' hearts.

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